10 Facts About Brock Lesnar Vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania XXX)

There really hasn’t been anything that hasn’t been said about The Undertaker and The Streak. Wrestling is, as we all know a work in progress, but once it became apparent that the Deadman hadn’t lost at a WrestleMania, then The Streak became something that was hyped up every year.

Related: 5 Amazing Undertaker Matches From The 2010s (& 5 That Hurt To Watch)

Who is facing The Phenom and who is challenging The Streak became as important as a World Title match and on three separate occasions, they were one and the same. On April 6, 2014 during WrestleMania XXX, the unthinkable happened. Hype was high until 25 minutes and nine seconds into the Undertaker’s match against Brock Lesnar. Then three seconds later, the world tilted on its axis. The Beast had conquered The Streak, and time actually stood still for several moments, until Justin Roberts announced Brock as the winner.

10 The Decision Was Made Show Day

Up until WrestleMania XXX, 21 men stepped up to the plate and 21 were dropped like a bad habit. It’s often thought that the Chairman books shows with some time out.

Related: The 10 Strangest Matches Undertaker Has Ever Competed In

But The Streak’s ending wasn’t actually booked until the day of WrestleMania. Vince wanted a huge moment and that involved putting Brock over in a huge way.

9 Taker Doesn’t Remember The Day

It’s amazing to see what automatic pilot and muscle memory can do. At some point during the match, the Deadman might have gotten rocked by the Beast. As detailed in the first episode of The Last Ride, Taker to this day doesn’t remember anything about the match. In fact he doesn’t remember anything from around 3:30 PM until he much later on. Having watching the match, he actually doesn’t believe it’s anything Brock did, it’s just the price the Phenom paid for working only once a year.

8 Brock And Vince Went To The Hospital

Very rarely does Vince McMahon miss any show, let alone WrestleMania! But when his number one guy on the roster collapsed in a heap after the match, McMahon went to help the man behind his greatest creation. He wasn’t the only one; Brock Lesnar showed his own humanity as he and Vince left the show and headed with the Undertaker to the hospital.

7 Taker Didn’t Even Know His Name After

At the hospital, Taker tried to make light of the situation. He reportedly kept telling Vince McMahon to go back to the arena and finish the show. But The Phenom was really in bad shape.

Related: 10 Wrestlers The Undertaker Has Never Worked With

Aside from not remembering anything about the day, he also didn’t know his own name until about 4:30 in the morning. He would keep coyly prodding nurses and his wife, “Hey, what’s my name?” Thankfully no one was falling for the act.

6 It Could Have Ended Several Times Before

It wasn’t until Taker acknowledged The Streak at WrestleMania X8, after beating Ric Flair that it was noted on WWE programming. Randy Orton made it the storyline of his match with Taker at 21. Had booking gone a little differently over the early years, The Streak might not have ever been a thing. Several wrestlers had been on tap to defeat the Phenom at WrestleMania. The first was the Giant Gonzalez. If the big man didn’t have five left feet and could work an iota better than the Great Khali, he might have gotten the nod on the way to a feud with Hulk. Diesel was another early choice, had he not have left the company.

5 The First Deafening Silence

The reaction of the New Orleans crowd at WrestleMania XXX was something that the WWE hadn’t seen in over forty years and quite possibly will never see again. Defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania was just something that no one ever expected to happen and the Superdome went nearly quiet, sans for Paul Herman’s shock and dumbfounded expression. The only other time the WWE Universe was brought to near silence was the day Ivan Koloff defeated Bruno Sammartino. Madison Square Garden was as quiet as a tomb.

4 Vince Thought It Was The Last Ride

Vince McMahon had three major reasons for booking the end of The Streak. The first involved the plans that Vince had in mind for Brock. Secondly, just the shock and awe that ending it would have (and did) created at WrestleMania XXX. But lastly, Vince McMahon just thought that his last gunslinger’s days were numbered and this was going to be the Deadman’s final Mania. Six years and five events later, The Chairman is still being proven wrong.

3 Immediate Rumors Started

Despite the WWE almost instantly tossing up a graphic depicting 21-1 and despite many people over the years discussing how planned this moment was, there is still a group among fans that fairly quickly began to believe that The Streak ending was not planned. It wasn’t planned and Brock went into business for himself, beating The Deadman so badly that he would be able to pin him for three. This rumor belongs in the same place that Montreal was a work resides.

2 Lesnar Protested

Brock Lesnar is great at being a complete and utter heel on camera, and a lot in real life. But there are also stories that have surfaced over the years about how underneath the double tough thick exterior is the heart of a decent guy, and a wrestling fan.

Related: The Undertaker’s 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Wrestling Outfits

Even he didn’t want to see The Streak ended. Brock had tried to talk Vince out of it, but no matter how much he gets paid and what his name brings to WWE, he simply doesn’t have that type of stroke.

1 Heyman Pitched For Punk

One year prior at WrestleMania 29, CM Punk had recently lost the WWE title and was still on top of the world in the eyes of his fans. Despite not getting the last match spot he so desperately craved at that time, he was booked to go up against The Phenom. Paul Heyman, who was friends and running mates with Punk at the time had tried very hard to have Punk be the guy to end The Streak. Happy Heyman had thought that giving Punk the rub would not only help his career, but it might’ve kept Punk around for a few more years.

Next: The Undertaker: Last Ride: 10 Things We Learned From Episode One