What happens when The Best in the World takes on the greatest streak in the history of sports-entertainment? CM Punk will find out as he challenges The Undertaker’s legendary WrestleMania Streak at The Show of Shows.
There are timeless Superstars, and then there’s The Undertaker. There are records, and then there’s The Streak. Both The Deadman and his 20-0 WrestleMania record transcend sports-entertainment. On April 7, Punk will face both of these mythical entities, all tangled into one man when he battles The Phenom on The Grandest Stage of Them All. ( TITLE REIGN VS. STREAK PLAYLIST | WHICH IS MORE IMPRESSIVE?)
Heading into WrestleMania, though, Punk will bring with him one of the all-time great years in WWE history. Amassing a 434-day reign as WWE Champion spanning the latter part of 2011 and the entirety of 2012, The Straight Edge Superstar is unlike any Show of Shows foe The Deadman has ever faced. Unconventional doesn’t even begin to describe him, as Punk will do everything he can to crawl inside his adversary’s head in an attempt to out-maneuver the master of mind games.
And so, at WrestleMania, two Superstars with unmatched track records will go toe-to-toe. But which will reign supreme — Punk’s title run or Undertaker’s Streak?
The Undertaker is an extraordinary figure in the history of WWE. He’s an entity whose very presence is so grandiose that his match at WrestleMania has become an event within an event and, in the minds of many, one of the most important parts of The Show of Shows.
Over the course of his two decades of WrestleMania dominance, The Deadman has faced giants and WWE Hall of Famers alike, putting down the likes of Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and Triple H en route to amassing his staggering 20-0 record, a feat unmatched on any competitive stage. ( REIGN VS. STREAK PLAYLIST)
Of course, CM Punk has some impressive credentials of his own. The longest WWE Championship reign of the modern era, his is a streak that lasted a staggering 434 days and saw the straight edge assailant defeat the likes of John Cena, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan and The World’s Largest Athlete, Big Show. Over the course of his historic reign, Punk survived Triple Threat Matches and a Hell in a Cell encounter against the monstrous Ryback, as well as battling an injury that ultimately led to knee surgery, all in an effort to live up to the haughty standards of being The Best in the World.
With title threats literally around every turn, to think that, in today’s WWE, Punk held onto championship gold for so long is almost unfathomable. But it will be that tenacity, that win-at-all-costs mentality that just may give Punk an edge against The Deadman at The Showcase of the Immortals.
But one cannot discount the effect of WrestleMania itself when the Chicago-made Superstar steps into the ring with its greatest performer. ( REIGN VS. STREAK PLAYLIST)
While Punk has defeated The Undertaker before, The Straight Edge Superstar has never faced The Phenom in his element. While he may hail from Death Valley, The Deadman’s true home is upon The Grandest Stage of Them All, an arena wherein even the greatest in-ring competitors have fallen short.
Take Shawn Michaels.
Heading into his WrestleMania XXV matchup with The Undertaker, HBK was undefeated against The Deadman on the pay-per-view stage — which is about as much momentum as one can hope to build against The Phenom.
As it turned out, that momentum meant nothing, as The Undertaker not only defeated HBK at The Showcase of the Immortals, but he would also go on to end Michaels’ career just one year later at WrestleMania XXVI. ( WATCH)
Such is the uphill battle CM Punk will face on April 7. Not only will he have to compete against one of history's greatest all-time great strikers — but he’ll also face down The Phenom at his most powerful. Will the legacy of Punk’s 434-day WWE Title reign serve as a metaphorical totem against the mythical aura of The Deadman? ( REIGN VS. STREAK PLAYLIST)
Find out by tuning in to WrestleMania 29, Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT — only on pay-per-view! ( HOW TO WATCH)