Has anyone seriously considered The Undertaker VS Daniel Bryan at Mania?

[HBK89Bill]

When Daniel Bryan first got the title shot against Cena, I thought it was the perfect metaphor for the immovable object against the unstoppable force. In my mind, it was Superman vs. Doomsday. Nothing was going to stop Daniel Bryan at that point from a one on one basis. Booking did screw that up, but here's the thing. Amdrag's steam has gone nowhere. He's been through the ringer in terms of losses and bad pushes but he is still more over than anyone in wrestling right now.

The Undertaker Streak match is ALWAYS one of the best matches on the card. After the four year tour de force that was the HBK and HHH years. There was the very solid Punk match last year. The rumored match here is Lesnar and Taker. That would be solid and watching Taker defeat the beast that is Lesnar would be fun to watch, but who really benefits? It is a major money match but all it really represents is number 22 for Taker and another big name added to the streak.

Enter Daniel Bryan. Watching the most over wrestler in the industry try to take down the Deadman would be incredible. People would totally believe that AmDrag could end the streak. Imagine 80,000 people chanting Yes! I think the atmosphere would be incredible and it would absolutely solidify Daniel Bryan as the guy. It would benefit Bryan so much to steal the show at Mania, be number 22 and move on to be a guy that can headline Mania 31 as Champion.

 

[The Eighties]

It would be a very good match I'm sure and the atmosphere would be great, but I don't think WWE want people to be cheering for the streak to end and I think that is what may well happen if they put Bryan in the spot.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

People wouldn't cheer Bryan over 'Taker. Undertaker has been round enough to escape any such treatment. He's like Ric Flair in that regard.

Undertaker vs. Bryan? I'll watch that Smackdown for sure!

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

No way. Daniel Bryan is on his way to greatness but he's no where near ready for feat like this. Facing The Undertaker is a BIG deal and it shows you have reached the pinnacle your your career, the Holy Grail for lack of a better term. He has a way to go because he reaches that level, I don't believe that a guy who has not had a legit WWE title run should be facing The Dead man at WrestleMania. Plus, no one would buy into The Undertaker losing to Bryan. CM Punk only faced Undertaker AFTER his year long title reign.

 

[HBK89Bill]

No way. Daniel Bryan is on his way to greatness but he's no where near ready for feat like this. Facing The Undertaker is a BIG deal and it shows you have reached the pinnacle your your career, the Holy Grail for lack of a better term. He has a way to go because he reaches that level, I don't believe that a guy who has not had a legit WWE title run should be facing The Dead man at WrestleMania. Plus, no one would buy into The Undertaker losing to Bryan. CM Punk only faced Undertaker AFTER his year long title reign.

Okay I see that but I humbly disagree. What about Kane at Mania 14, Orton at 21 and Mark Henry at 22. Batista and Edge were both World Champion going into their matches, not WWE champ. Bryan is also a former World Heavyweight Champion.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

No way. Daniel Bryan is on his way to greatness but he's no where near ready for feat like this. Facing The Undertaker is a BIG deal and it shows you have reached the pinnacle your your career, the Holy Grail for lack of a better term.

You're right that honor should only be reserved for guys like A-Train.

I actually think, while it might be a memorable match, Bryan's actually past but not ready for that match…if that makes any sense.

I feel like if a guy is going to face Taker at Mania they either need to be starting their ascent to the main event (putting the doubt in people's minds he could actually win it), or already be very well established and able to put on a classic match where the stip is "who's the greatest of all time?" (ala HBK/HHH). I feel like Bryan is actually in between those two spots right now. He's past the whole "up and coming" thing at this point, he's already arrived, now WWE just needs to give him the chance to run with his white hot momentum before it's squandered. I think this is the year Bryan needs his WM20 moment like Eddie and Benoit. They need to make him Champion at Mania, and let the crowd go home happy. I do think however that this is the perfect time for Cena to face Undertaker.

 

[TheOneAndOnlyGOAT]

That's BS for so many reasons.

First, why would anyone cheer for Bryan to end the streak? I'm a Bryan fan but there's no way in helll he should end the streak.

Secondly, what's with everyone's obsession with The Undertaker? He's not going to face every star today.

For me, there are 3 opponents left for the streak: Brock, Cena and Rock.

This mania, he faces Lesnar. Next mania, he faces Cena with Rock vs Brock on the card as well and WM32 in Dallas Texas in front of 100K people, he ends his career with a victory over The Rock.

 

[HBK89Bill]

That's BS for so many reasons.

First, why would anyone cheer for Bryan to end the streak? I'm a Bryan fan but there's no way in helll he should end the streak.

Secondly, what's with everyone's obsession with The Undertaker? He's not going to face every star today.

For me, there are 3 opponents left for the streak: Brock, Cena and Rock.

This mania, he faces Lesnar. Next mania, he faces Cena with Rock vs Brock on the card as well and WM32 in Dallas Texas in front of 100K people, he ends his career with a victory over The Rock.

I fully agree with you on the first part. Everyone's obsession with Taker is that every single year he has their the best match on the card at Mania or one of the best. At the very least, the Streak match is one of the best told stories in the ring every single year no matter who he faces. It's not about facing every star of today. It's about adding the best match possible to Taker's streak, the Mania event in general and giving someone a Wrestlemania moment.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

The thing about the streak now is that no one expects it to end. It is, and for the foreseeable couple of Manias, will be about how great the match and spectacle will be. No one expected Punk to win last year, but they knew it'd be great. Taker won't put over Lesnar, especially not at Mania, so if that match happens, it'll be a hard hitting big man battle. Cena is the only guy with whom there might be any doubt about whether the streak stays intact, but my impression is that if Cena has no issue laying down for The Miz and The Rock in consecutive Manias, he knows that it is best to keep the streak intact. That being said, in terms of match quality, Bryan would likely get the best match out of Taker.

 

[JDX]

Yes, this is what I have been thinking for around a year. Not that Taker would lose but more along the lines of Taker vs Hardy for the undisputed title. Taker beat the shit out of Jeff but couldn't keep him down and raised his hand at the end. Just image Bryan going toe to toe with Taker, countering everything He throws at him but ultimately gets pinned. Then Taker instead of doing the pose raises Bryan's hand and leaves the ring, maybe doing the fist thing on the ramp.

Either this or kicking HHHs head in at WM. Then Bryan could win the title somewhere in the summer.

 

[L@RISANO]

The thing about the streak now is that no one expects it to end. It is, and for the foreseeable couple of Manias, will be about how great the match and spectacle will be. No one expected Punk to win last year, but they knew it'd be great. Taker won't put over Lesnar, especially not at Mania, so if that match happens, it'll be a hard hitting big man battle. Cena is the only guy with whom there might be any doubt about whether the streak stays intact, but my impression is that if Cena has no issue laying down for The Miz and The Rock in consecutive Manias, he knows that it is best to keep the streak intact. That being said, in terms of match quality, Bryan would likely get the best match out of Taker.

Can't quite remember but I do think John Cena said in an interview about the Streak, that he doesn't believe it will ever end.Thus, I don't think Cena would agree to end the Streak if the match came about. I also don't see Vince ever agreeing to ending it either. It should(lMO) remain a part of Wrestlemania folklore for generations as homage to the character and legacy of the Undertaker.

I agree with most of the others who have commented, Taker will probably face Brock Lesnar this year, and then I see him facing a "Face" of the company, either the Rock or John Cena at Wrestlemania 31 as Taker has never faced any of the Faces of the company during his run unless you count HBK, and that will be questioned as he has been in the WWE through the runs of Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock and now, John Cena...

I think if he can hold up his fitness,the streak will go on till 25-0, so a match with Daniel Bryan might well happen in the next few years until the quarter century mark of the Streak and thereafter the Undertaker will finally and forever, REST in PEACE!

 

[kumarjtk]

i also think the ongoing wyatt family and bryan storyline. If wwe think to turn bryan with wyatt family as a heel (someway wyatt brainwashed bryan and joined the family) and then he face taker at wm30. Taker also wanted best wm match so he like bryan and storyline is good. People think taker vs bryan with wyatt family is all against streak so its gets interesting.

As far as wm vince not prefer bryan in wwe championship match. May be john win wwe championship and rock appears and challenge john cena for rock vs cena 3.

After wm bryan has a fair chance for winning wwe championship against john cena because he promised.

 

[Kidpolean]

With the news of batista's return, I could see this match actually happening. I think Batista will face Brock at WM30. There really isnt anyone else for him to face. He has faced Cena multiple times and at Mania, He has already tried to break the streak, Punk is locked up with HHH, and we dont know if Rock is coming back. So that leaves Batista to face either DB, Brock, or Orton. If im right and we see Brock vs Batista than I think we will see DB vs Taker at Mania this year. This will be a great match but honestly I dont want to see it. I think DB's moveset makes his opponents look weak and it just would look silly against Taker. Imagine Taker on his knees taking 15 kicks to the chest. or DB doing his hulking up comeback on Taker..I just dont think this would be a good idea.

 

[kadroan]

No. I don't see how they could sell Bryan being a legit threat to Taker's streak.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Because Bryan isn't a massive threat to anybody. He wins some, he loses some. Nobody would accept Bryan as a challenger at Mania. People would be underwhelmed by it, despite how popular Bryan has become.

Undertaker's final few WrestleMania will be against megastars, not superstars.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There've been discussions of Bryan taking on The Undertaker at WrestleMania as far back, at least, as the formation of Team Hell No. Over the past 3 or 4 months, I've probably seen several dozen posts and at least a couple of threads mentioning Taker going against Bryan. The idea of Bryan going up against Taker may have been laughable at one time, but that time has passed as Bryan has consistently demonstrated that he's among the top guys in WWE. He might not be as revolutionary on the mic as Stone Cold or The Rock was, but what ultimately matters is the type of response he gets from the fans; and that response over the past 6 months or so has been second to none.

There are pros & cons to having Bryan go against Taker at WrestleMania XXX:

PROS

Match Quality - If there's anybody on the WWE roster who could be counted on to help Taker pull off a show stealing match, it's Daniel Bryan. Whatever limits Taker has in regards to his physical capabilities, Bryan has the capability of helping to carry Taker so that those limits don't really matter.

Fan Interest - The streak has all but taken on a life of its own. It's truly become a major focal point for WrestleMania. Taker is respected by wrestlers and fans alike as a pro's pro. There's also a good deal of nostalgia involved because Taker is genuinely the last of a "dying breed." There are hardly any wrestlers, especially top level stars, who debuted in the mid 80s still around that are able to get in the ring and deliver. The nostalgia isn't a bad thing in this case because Taker can still deliver. It might only be a couple of times a year, but that makes it all the more special. As far as Daniel Bryan goes, a lot of fans respect that he comes off as a down to earth, fearless, passionate, likeable scrapper who can also flat out deliver & make the most of whatever opportunity he's given. As with the aspect of match quality, I think that fans would be able to immediately sense a show stealing match. Fans like both guys and want to cheer for them. If WWE could keep them both as faces that respect each other while building an intense rivalry, then this could be a really big money program.

CONS

Star Power - A downside to this feud is that I don't think that Bryan has the star power at this point to really be viewed as being on the same level as Taker. It's true that Bryan has had fantastic matches with the likes of Cena, Orton, Punk, Cesaro, Sheamus, etc. but Bryan would be going up against the streak. Bryan hasn't had a big WrestleMania moment yet, nor has he scored a singles victory at the big show. His two singles matches were at WM 27 & WM 28 against Sheamus. Their first match was bumped from the main card and Bryan dropped the US title to Sheamus. Their second match ended in 18 seconds with Bryan eating a surprise Brogue Kick and dropping the World heavyweight Championship to Sheamus. Bryan needs credibility at WrestleMania, in my opinion, to really come off as that big time threat to the streak. And while that doesn't automatically negate that Taker vs. Bryan being, potentially, a great match & feud that fans could sink their teeth into, I think that there's a possibility of people saying that something is missing from it. Hopefully, Bryan will have that big moment & win after WM XXX.

The Streak Itself - In some ways, the streak has become something of a double edged sword. The key to making it really shine has been building up Taker's opponent as a massive threat. At the same time, you have some that don't want the streak to end while others are, at the very least, curious about the possibility. If the streak ever does end, it'll be one of those all time great, emotional WrestleMania moments that people will remember in the years to come. If Bryan challenged Taker at WM XXX without that boost in star power & WM success and lost, Bryan would be #22. While he could always say that he put on a killer match against Taker, he'd have still lost. While Bryan isn't on Taker's level as far as star power goes, he's already well above the level in which even jobbing to Taker at WM would be a big rub. If Bryan actually ended the streak without having that boost in star power & WM success, it could come off as underwhelming. Some would see it as an anti-climactic end to one of the best angles in WWE history because of that difference in star power. However, to be fair, you could make a case for an anti-climactic end for damn near anybody because there'll be a lot of people disappointed if the streak ends due to the nostalgia surrounding Taker.

Opinion - From my perspective, I don't think Bryan is ready to go after the streak. I think it could be a killer match that fans could really get into, but the ending of the match at this juncture in time could leave a bad taste in fans' mouths. I'm not sure that there can ever be an "ideal" way in which the streak is ended because if it's ended by someone like Cena, Orton, or Rock, you'll have the complaints of "they don't NEED to end the streak." If it was someone like Bryan, Ziggler or Reigns, you'll have the complaints of "they're not big enough stars to end the streak." Finding that middle ground between being a big star and an overachieving big star is difficult. IF Bryan has a strong & productive 2014 that sees him progressing like he has over the past couple of years, then MAYBE WrestleMania XXXI could be Bryan's opportunity.

 

[Trail_Blazin]

I don't understand the notion that Bryan doesn't have star power. People go crazy for Daniel Bryan when he enters arenas, or stands in the ring, or wrestles. He has a ton of star power. People point to ratings, but he's not the only reason pay-per-view ratings suffered. The product itself wasn't great during the PPVs that he headlined, and it wasn't because of him.

Having said that, I don't really have interest in Bryan vs. Taker unless Bryan is going over. If he's not, losing to Taker doesn't really help Bryan's cause unless it makes him snap and he goes heel. Cena can't be hurt my losing to Taker. I can't think of a better opponent for Taker than Cena if the Streak is going to live on. Cena is literally bullet proof when it comes to wins/losses.

 

[Kris Benwa]

Na the best part of streak matches is that going into it you "know" Taker is going to win but every year there's a moment in the match where you think the Streak will end and I don'tthink iI'll get that from Bryan. It'll be a great match for sure but I don't want to see it at Mania I think Bryan has no chance. I agree the only matches he should have are Lesnar and Cena and Kane and maybe a built up Sheamus or Reigns in a few years but for now we only need to see Lesnar and Cena and Kane again for both their retirements

 

[HBK89Bill]

I'm really not understanding the logic that most of us agree that it would be a great match, but for some reason that isn't good enough for the streak? The mix of Bryan's popularity with the aura of The Streak would be awesome to watch. The only concern I've had is Taker not being able to keep up with Bryan's speed.

I guess I just don't see the wrong here. I don't see how putting the most over star in a match of this caliber where he puts on a great match doesn't help establish him to become a megastar. Orton wasn't a mega star when they had their match. It helped him get to the next level.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I'm really not understanding the logic that most of us agree that it would be a great match, but for some reason that isn't good enough for the streak? The mix of Bryan's popularity with the aura of The Streak would be awesome to watch. The only concern I've had is Taker not being able to keep up with Bryan's speed.

I guess I just don't see the wrong here. I don't see how putting the most over star in a match of this caliber where he puts on a great match doesn't help establish him to become a megastar. Orton wasn't a mega star when they had their match. It helped him get to the next level.

Different people have different reasons:

1. Some think DB should be fighting for gold at WM.
2. Some think DB should be fighting HBK.
3. Some think DB should be fighting HHH.
4. Some think there are other guys that would be better for DB to face.
5. Some think it won't be as much as high caliber of a match as you expect.
6. Some think the story and promos would leave Raw a waste.
7. Some think DB should have to turn heel and join the Wyatts for this to work and most don't think he should turn heel.
8. Some think the match would be a crowd killer because you have an incredibly over superstar possibly ending the career of one of the most beloved superstars of all time.
9. A few think DB isn't worth a Streak opportunity.

And then most think a combination of these 9 things and more I haven't mentioned. I agree with #'s 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 but most strongly #'s 2, 6, and 8. Great match aside, there is logic, opportunity cost, and probably six to eight Raws we have to sit through to build this match that must be considered. What incentive does DB have to want to end the UT's career? It doesn't make sense. DB seems like kind of a nice guy.

 

[L@RISANO]

After extensive thought, I think a match between the Rock and the Undertaker would make huge money for the WWE if the story is done properly. As it was a few years ago for HBK, the Rock can have his retirement after losing in his bid to end the Streak, because let us face it, the Rock has done it all and last year's injury would have been a heart-in-the-mouth moment for Hollywood and those contracted with the Rock for the huge releases,and remember the Rock has just been crowned the Highest Grossing Actor of Hollywood in 2013. His in-ring participation can't have a better ending and honour than with a Streak match. That is surely Best for Business.


NB: I know the Match has the potential to be a flop due to Match quality...hopefully, both guys can make it work because all the other factors would make this even bigger than John Cena vs the Rock,lMO.

 

[thebarber]

NO, NO, NO ,NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Daniel Bryan needs a Wrestlemanis moment and the popularity he has is surpassing anybody else in the company. He wont ever be booked to beat Undertaker, even in a multi tag match so even suggesting this match is silly.
D-BRY at Wrestlemania 30 needs to finally win the title, the years of being buried from Michael Cole on commentary every week, for Vince firing him for showing ruthless aggression in the Nexus angle, being bumped from Mania 27 when vs Sheamus for the US Title, for the 18 second burial at Mania 28....for the stupid comedy act,l the beard, having Summerslam and the subsequent ppvs being screwed out of the title.........Vince needs to realise that afetr all of this, the FANS want Bryan to win, to succeed and if he wants a massive pop and ratinmgs and people to start giving a fuck again, he needs tio listen to the fans, not put guys like Bryan into meaningless shitty stoeylines than blame them when ratings are rubbish. Undertaker will be in one of the two main event spots, probably against Lesnar or a returning heel Sheamus. Cena wont be doing a job at Mania 30, Orton will probably still have the belt and be fueding with Bryan or Batista and CM Punks cards are probably marked to face Triple H, and if WWE are smart Punk will go over.

 

[blueskyy]

Everybody's looking at this from the Daniel Bryan's point of view. It doesn't work that way. Age is catching up with Undertaker. If Taker doesn't feel he can perform in the ring, he wouldn't take a match, and he expects the same from his opponent. Taker might not even be on WM30... Has it been confirmed that he is on WM30? If Daniel Bryan were to take on the Undertaker, no matter whether it's a win or a lost, he better bring along his "A" game because it's gonna be a rough ride.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

When Daniel Bryan first got the title shot against Cena, I thought it was the perfect metaphor for the immovable object against the unstoppable force. In my mind, it was Superman vs. Doomsday. Nothing was going to stop Daniel Bryan at that point from a one on one basis. Booking did screw that up, but here's the thing. Amdrag's steam has gone nowhere. He's been through the ringer in terms of losses and bad pushes but he is still more over than anyone in wrestling right now.

The Undertaker Streak match is ALWAYS one of the best matches on the card. After the four year tour de force that was the HBK and HHH years. There was the very solid Punk match last year. The rumored match here is Lesnar and Taker. That would be solid and watching Taker defeat the beast that is Lesnar would be fun to watch, but who really benefits? It is a major money match but all it really represents is number 22 for Taker and another big name added to the streak.

Enter Daniel Bryan. Watching the most over wrestler in the industry try to take down the Deadman would be incredible. People would totally believe that AmDrag could end the streak. Imagine 80,000 people chanting Yes! I think the atmosphere would be incredible and it would absolutely solidify Daniel Bryan as the guy. It would benefit Bryan so much to steal the show at Mania, be number 22 and move on to be a guy that can headline Mania 31 as Champion.

How did booking screw anything up? He's the underdog babyface, he's supposed to chase. He was booked very well, that's why he hasn't lost steam. If he holds the strap, his underdog appeal goes away. If he's constantly in the title feud, it gets old. It's storytelling, no fan goes "well the bad guys cheated to beat DB again, I guess I'll stop liking him" or "well DB lost in a 3 on 1 handicap against guys twice his size, I guess I'll stop liking him".

I love the idea of Taker vs DB. It'd be a great match. I want to see DB win the strap at XXX though.

 

[Dirk]

Let's have a look at the other options:

Sting - Yeah, it doesn't look like he's leaving TNA, since they've booked him in a storyline against Dixie. TNA did ome stupid things this year, but investing so much in Sting if you KNOW he'll be gone come WM? Nah...

Brock - Undertaker is a pretty tough guy. Yeah, Sting wrestles more regularly and he's older, but 'Taker is still old and wrestling a match is still extremely hard on the body (or so they tell me). If management wanted more than one more match from the Undertaker, they wouldn't let a guy as stiff as Lesnar loose on one of their biggest WM draws.

Triple H - I believe there are a number of fans who've had their fill of Trips vs 'Taker. We've seen it enough in recent years.

Cena - That'd probably be 'Taker's last (and biggest money-) match. If it were up to me, I would have him retire, but money talks and it seems like they'll milk the Deadman until he can't walk anymore. So not this year yet.

Batista - I understand his return is confirmed. One Batista Bomb would probably finish off Undertaker, so no. He'd have a big nostalgia pop, so it'd probably be better if he were to teach some young upstart a lesson.

Punk - After the last excellent (but not legendary) match they had, there will no doubt be forum guys who'd want it. I don't really see the point of it, since Punk's not at the same level he was coming off the 400+-day reign.

Bryan - He's beaten the lot this year. If they let Punk have a crack at the streak, why not Bryan? I think he'd be a good alternative to some of the part-timers. It's not exactly a dream match, but if Brock, Trips, Batista and maybe Rocky wrestle, there'll be a shit ton of buys anyway.