That moment when you realize

[CharlesKane]

The Streak is over and Bryan vs The Authority is not.

Last night at Wrestlemania, most of us expected to see the culmination of one of WWE ' S longest running storylines, instead we got the end of an era.

Amongst a lot of great things that happened (a new direction for Cesaro, the continued rise of what could be the next great heel in Bray Wyatt, and a truly legendary moment 30 years in the making to open the show), we got kicked in the gut when no kick out came before the 3. No screw job, no interference, just a clean 1 2 3 brought down the streak, that had seen the best in the business fall at it's feet.

After the necessary emotion break period aka the Divas cl uster****. We get HHH Steph and Scott Armstrong try to steal destiny away from Daniel Bryan, which saw HHH taken down by another Bryan suicide dive through the ropes, which also took down and injured Stephanie. There is no way, Hunter can allow that to stand. So here we go still Daniel Bryan the underdog is champion and the Authority will still be looking for revenge.

This is Wrestlemania 30, no past tense. It is the way we will remember it, our shock over the impossible followed by the disbelief that this story just won't end, even when it gets the perfect send off.

 

[Kris Benwa]

Yeah. It's interesting I think they're looking to make like a saga out of this Daniel Bryan vs The Authority. Honestly, this reminds me of Star Wars and tonight was just the end of A New Hope. It looks The Rebellion (Bryan) got one over on the Empire (Authority) but the Empire won't go down like this they're coming for revenge and they're coming hard (pause). I expect the Empire Strikes Back chapter of this Saga to continue from now to SummerSlam and the final chapter taking us back to WM 31. I may be giving the WWE to much credit but if they can really make this work, this may be one of the greatest feuds in history.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I was beyond shocked when Taker lost. The only other time I can remember being left totally speechless regarding a wrestling match was when Taker tossed poor ol' Foley off the top of HIAC at the King of the Ring back in '98. I was watching it with my brother, his girlfriend/future wife, his future bro-in-law and their cousin. We all just sat there for about 10 seconds, just staring doe eyed at the television as Jim Ross was screaming so hard I thought he was about to rupture something. Suddenly, all our heads swiveled in the same direction simultaneously and we just kept looking at each other without saying a single word. That went on for about a minute or so as we just didn't know what to think, say or even how to react. Taker losing last night was a moment just like that, one I'll always remember exactly what I was doing.

It hadn't fully sunk in that the streak was over...well it still hasn't fully set in really. I don't know if it'll fully set in for a lot of people until we see what the follow up is on Raw tonight. As for Bryan vs. The Authority, I knew it wasn't over when Stephanie was "taken out" during Bryan's dive through the ropes. It was further compounded by Triple H eating his own sledgehammer via Bryan and having to be helped to the back.

 

[closet_fan]

Nothing usually shocks me with wrestling since there are so many spoilers, you know what's going to happen. But that UT/Lesnar ending was the most shocking thing I had seen in a LOOOONG time. I think because it came out of nowhere.

My wife and I were watching it and I kept saying "I wonder why it's taking so long to play Lesnar's music." That got me thinking there was going to be a swerve where Lesnar didn't really win, but the lack of music just added to the awe of what just happened.

The match itself really wasn't great. Taker just looked beyond gassed. And I think Lesnar was so afraid to do anything brutal that we really didn't see the type of match he can put on.

I didn't mind them putting on the Diva's match since people needed an emotional break to get back into the triple-threat mindset. They should have done something like that between Taker/Punk and Lesnar/Trips last year.

As for the last match; it's about what I expected. Some really good spots. Bryan making surprise moves after being out of the ring was awesome. He's gone for a few minutes, then he's back again out of nowhere. HHH/Steph/Armstrong coming out served it's purpose, although it might have slipped people's minds that Armstrong screwed Bryan before since it was so long ago.

A Batista tap out was a nice touch and made Bryan look more credible.

Orton's back had to have been killing him when he landed smack dab right ontop of that television during the table RKO.

 

[The Warlord]

Seeing the streak end was the single greatest thing Ive seen. The pure shock on everyones faces...pure disbelief.
Im a HUGE Taker fan...but ending the streak was something that had to happen. People will be talking about it for years to come and it needed to happen to bring the sport feel back to the business. The "anything can happen" just like in real sports.
Ive been saying it for years...and for it to finally happen...just AWESOME. Perfect way for Taker to go out. He can still face Sting next year and it wouldnt hurt a thing.
In my eyes, Taker losing makes the streak more special. Unbelievable moment thst will go down in history.

 

[avi01]

Was was shocked , speechless when the streak ended. But during that match, I found myself thinking that Taker just cannot do it anymore. He did not look good at all and those false finished were not very exciting. If this is his last match, then that was one hell of a career.
Daniel BRyan as the champ shows that logical booking sometimes works much better that trying to be too clever. It was the perfect capitalization of a very long wait.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Seeing the streak end was the single greatest thing Ive seen. The pure shock on everyones faces...pure disbelief.

It was amazing. I don't know how any other storyline, heel-turn, or "happening" could ever illicit that same kind of reaction. It was priceless. Wrestling at its best. A scripted, "fake" show, drawing REAL disappointment, REAL shock and awe, gotta love it.

 

[rbv13]

Seeing the streak end was the single greatest thing Ive seen. The pure shock on everyones faces...pure disbelief.
Im a HUGE Taker fan...but ending the streak was something that had to happen. People will be talking about it for years to come and it needed to happen to bring the sport feel back to the business. The "anything can happen" just like in real sports.
Ive been saying it for years...and for it to finally happen...just AWESOME. Perfect way for Taker to go out. He can still face Sting next year and it wouldnt hurt a thing.
In my eyes, Taker losing makes the streak more special. Unbelievable moment thst will go down in history.

I don’t know if it makes The Streak seem any more or less special but taking the fall last night makes Taker himself that much more special. His decision to end it speaks volumes to the type of professional he is.

People questioning Brock as the choice really don’t see the big picture. Brock is a legit bad ass and a recognized monster across multiple platforms. Brock ending The Streak is as legit and legit can be. Brock going over assures zero damage is done to Taker’s or The Streaks legacy. On the flip they could have given it to a young up and coming star but there was not a guarantee that said star could handle the pressure or they would even remain a star worthy of the honor.

It was a smart move and congrats to Taker for everything.

 

[Austen 3:16]

Good post.
I think WWE is smart to let this feud continue. It's just too perfect. The ultimate underdog vs. the established old school authority. They haven't had anything like this since Stone Cold/McMahon, and they've managed to keep it interesting despite the lack of Attitude era cheap storytelling.
The current Authority represents every thing real marks hates about wrestling. For years, fans have complained about the way the WWE is booked. Big, good looking guys get the strap and the keys to the jet. Guys like Bryan have never been able to get over. Hunter and Steph feed into this thinking beautifully. Orton's their guy, something the marks can really sink their teeth into and HATE. And we have. For months.
Bryan looks nothing like the prototypical WWE star, but the dude can wrestle as good if not better than anybody on the planet. He's not the best on the mic, but he's good enough to serve what's needed for the sake of the feud. He's really easy to get behind.
I see this continuing to Summerslam, possibly culminating in a "loser leaves town" match between Bryan and HHH. Hunter will lose, and take a well deserved break from TV time. It will be perfect.