How high are your hopes for the Wyatt vs Undertaker match?

[PorkChop]

Undertaker put on one of the worst individual performances I've ever seen against Lesnar last year. He looked so broken down and his body was screaming at him to retire - he clearly had trouble performing even the most simple of moves and this was against one of the best ring workers in the company. Lesnar carried him through the match from start to finish.

Do you think Wyatt will have to do the same? Will it be another stinker like Taker's last match?

[SlightlyJames]

Didn't Taker have a concussion during that match? I don't necessarily think it'll be bad but it's the "big" match that I'm least interested in. Maybe tied with HHH/Sting.

[PorkChop]

Didn't Taker have a concussion during that match?

I don't know, I've never heard this before. If true, I'll cut him some slack for his awful performance. Concussion or not though, Undertaker is in such a bad physical condition he'd have struggled against Lesnar anyway. His knees are shot, he's had several hip operations in recent years, he looked physically weaker and probably had a bunch of other problems we don't know about too. I won't excuse him for those though, because when you get to that point it's time to stop competing - which he just refuses to do.

[SortaCreative]

I have middle to high hopes. I hope that it's a decent enough match with a Wyatt win. I hope that there's some nice supernatural entrances from both, I hope with Wyatt winning theres some symbolic gesture/pryo/lighting to finally send Undertaker out with a bang.

As much as I don't want to see him wrestle every year, I do want to see that last moment and his final retirement. I almost say this every year but this is the best year to retire. Lose to Wyatt. He takes the "powers" and Undertaker's position as the new face of fear and go. It's perfect. You couldn't tie a nicer bow on it.

[The Legend]

It will definitely be far better than last year's. Lesnar's physical style just doesn't mesh well with a guy in Taker's physical state. I don't remember about a concussion specifically but I do remember Taker leaving that match with multiple injuries. Against Wyatt the match will be far more about psychology and storytelling which will play better to Taker's strengths at this stage of his career. Their offenses blend better together.

[Hanley!]

Undertaker did apparently have a concussion, that was heavily rumoured after the match and I believe it's even been repeated by a bunch of wrestlers in interviews. The cynic in me might half think that this is just a way for Undertaker to save face after putting on such a horrific match. But I'm actually inclined to believe the story. He looked so aimless in the ring last year.

I still don't think this will be a very good match though. I'm hoping for big, spectacular entrances from both guys, followed by a relatively short match. If they pace themselves well, I imagine they could have a decent 15 minute match. Which would be more than enough.

I'd like to see Wyatt win, just because an Undertaker win always seems a bit pointless these days, but Undertaker will take it. They won't have him lose two years in a row. This match is mostly there to help Undertaker redeem himself for last year's loss. I doubt we'll see him retire here either, I'm guessing he at least leaves things open for another match. I'd love to see him call it quits though. It's time. The longer he goes now, the more he'll ultimately hurt his legacy.

[Str8Shooter]

I think it'll be decent but unspectacular. Last year Taker was knocked out during the match if I recall actually. I think Taker will be motivated to put on a good match after the streak ending and I think Bray will be pumped to put on a good one too. I think there's very little chance Wyatt wins though which hurts the match.

This won't be Taker's last Mania either, unless we find out he's physically just finished. I would think next years Mania in Texas (Taker's home state) will be his last match.

[Kirbi]

Having not seen Undertaker wrestle in the last year, I find the lack of built in contingency/protection plans in this match to be worrying.

I like Wyatt well enough, but his main strength is on the mic, not in the ring: if 'Taker's not up to it again this year, or if he takes an injury, I don't think Wyatt will be up to the task of carrying the match alone.

There's also the fact that it's just the two of them in it. If Wyatt still had his Family, there'd be potential for interference if they needed some to buoy up the match, or to vary it. I do tend towards the view that they broke them up way too soon anyway, though.

It could go alright, I just think that if anything does go wrong, they're really fucked.

[Hanley!]

I've changed my mind actually: the best thing that could happen in this match is Harper and Rowan coming back into the fold with Bray Wyatt. If they interfered it'd definitely add something to the match and to Wyatt's character going forward, even if he doesn't end up winning against Undertaker.

[JPG619]

I have low hopes for the match, with Takers age showed big time at last years mania. I think it will show it again this year.

[Messiah]

It will probably suck.

Undertaker is a 50 year old man who gets injured the second someone touches him. Wyatt is a good in-ring performer, but certainly nothing special and he won't be able to carry Undertaker. They will need to rely heavily on psychology in order for it to work out.

[Hanley!]

It will probably suck.

Undertaker is a 50 year old man who gets injured the second someone touches him. Wyatt is a good in-ring performer, but certainly nothing special and he won't be able to carry Undertaker. They will need to rely heavily on psychology in order for it to work out.

The psychology aspect is also worrying to me. I don't think wrestling psychology has been Undertaker's strongest point in the ring, which is understandable because of his gimmick. So a lot of his matches are all about how his opponents react to him. And if Wyatt is reacting in fear when Undertaker does the sit up, or when he refuses to be put down, it might hurt Wyatt's character.

And unfortunately, I don't think Wyatt's shtick will work on Undertaker at all. If he does the crab walk at Undertaker, how is Undertaker going to react to that? I don't think the Undertaker character should be creeped out by that kind of behaviour.

I'm a little worried this match will just be two creepy guys refusing to be creeped out by each other. These two could easily cancel each other out.

[SlightlyJames]

And unfortunately, I don't think Wyatt's shtick will work on Undertaker at all. If he does the crab walk at Undertaker, how is Undertaker going to react to that? I don't think the Undertaker character should be creeped out by that kind of behaviour.

I'm a little worried this match will just be two creepy guys refusing to be creeped out by each other. These two could easily cancel each other out.

Kinda similar, I thought it'd be pretty cool if Wyatt sprung up from Undertaker's signature pin to doing his upside-down pose thing and it made Taker back off in shock.

[PorkChop]

And unfortunately, I don't think Wyatt's shtick will work on Undertaker at all. If he does the crab walk at Undertaker, how is Undertaker going to react to that? I don't think the Undertaker character should be creeped out by that kind of behaviour.

I'm a little worried this match will just be two creepy guys refusing to be creeped out by each other. These two could easily cancel each other out.

Kinda similar, I thought it'd be pretty cool if Wyatt sprung up from Undertaker's signature pin to doing his upside-down pose thing and it made Taker back off in shock.

Eh... I'm not so sure. It's a nice idea in theory, but not in actuality.

If Undertaker was to do his signature pin, this would mean he'd just Tombstoned Wyatt - who would then have to pop back up and completely no-sell the move by doing his crab walk. I know people have kicked out of Tombstones in the past, but Wyatt isn't strong enough to do that. It would make Undertaker's Tombstone, one of the most legendary finishers ever, look very weak.

[Hanley!]

^^ It could work if Wyatt was on the offensive, Undertaker managed to counter something into a quick Tombstone, but then fell to the mat for a few seconds selling Wyatt's offense before crawling into the pin.

[The Legend]

I think it would be a cool looking sequence if Wyatt were to do his Kiss of Abigail move and have Taker kick out and do his whole sit up thing after kicking out of the pin. Then have Wyatt counter that a little later by having Taker hit him with a finisher, it doesn't have to be his tombstone but it could be and he kicks out by doing the crabwalk thing. I'm not too concerned about making Taker look weak in his finishers. I mean his last five Mania matches have basically just been a series of finisher kickouts on both sides. For them to do it once in this match wouldn't be a big deal.

[PorkChop]

^^ It could work if Wyatt was on the offensive, Undertaker managed to counter something into a quick Tombstone, but then fell to the mat for a few seconds selling Wyatt's offense before crawling into the pin.

Yeah, I'd be okay with the spot if Undertaker gave Wyatt some recovery time before making the pin. If Wyatt instantly popped up and no-sold the Tombstone it would give me Vietnam-style flashbacks of Triple H vs Undertaker at WrestleMania 27.

[Hanley!]

True. How many years has it been since Undertaker managed to win a match with just one Tombstone. Technically it's probably one of the weakest finishers in the WWE by now.

[Str8Shooter]

I think it's almost a certainty that Wyatt does the crab walk towards Taker and then Taker sits up, turns his head and looks right into Wyatt's upside down face. And it will be amazing.

[Hanley!]

^^ I'd just find that silly, honestly.

It's going to be a fine line between making this an interesting psychological battle, and a random freak show. If they hit the right beats it could be very good, but a toe out of line and the match could start to unravel quickly.

Wyatt's cage match against Cena was the perfect example of how his matches, when taken too far, can stop making any kind of sense and just descend into silliness.