Why does The Undertaker have a Wrestlemania streak? Why not Survivor Series?

[Chococat]

Over the years, Wrestlemania has become home to The Undertaker and his famed streak.

But why?

I doubt ANYONE planned for Undertaker to win EVERY Wrestlemania from his debut. It just randomly happened that way and they started making reference to this streak in the 2000's.

If this streak was planned, why not at the longest running WWE ppv and they debut of Undertaker, the Survivor Series?

I think if they would have done this, Survivor Series would still be considered one of the "Big Four" and to say that it barely even feels like a Survivor Series because before they would give effort in the classic elimination matches instead of throwing them together at last second, if they still just threw the elimination match together, Undertaker's match would save the now failing ppv.

It kinda sucks that they put effort into Royal Rumble, Summerslam, Wrestlemania but none into Survivor Series.

Any thoughts on this? Would Survivor Series mean more if the streak happened there and not wrestlemania? Would wrestlemania lose value?

 

[Eyebrows]

I don't think the Streak was something that was planned until the early 2000s. Before that I think it was simply coincidence that Taker was up against guys where he was going to go over. The first I remember it being mentioned is in 2001.

By that time Undertaker had already lost to The Rock at Survivor Series and then to Kurt Angle in 2000. So they couldn't really market him as being unbeatable at the event. That some of his victories are in multi-tag elimination matches cheapens the idea of a streak IMO, especially since he was counted out in his first appearence.

SS would have benefitted from it definitely but Wrestlemania would have lost something. It's the biggest event in the year and demands the biggest angles.

 

[russoswornouteraser]

Both of the above have it right, the streak at Wrestlemania was a fortuitous accident. But what you have to bear in mind is much in the same way that McMahon and Hogan would likely not have scaled the heights they did without each other. The streak in large part only means so much because it is at Wrestlemania and one of the reasons Wrestlemania (these days) is special is because of the annual attraction of the streak defense.

So the streak being at the SS would have added to the attraction of the event, but neither the streak or the event would have become so 'legendary' without it being at Wrestlemania.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Because WrestleMania is THE show of the WWE year. WrestleMania was the company's first pay-per-view event and it was a major gamble on the company's part that helped establish it as a different type of wrestling company. WrestleMania wasn't the first pro wrestling pay-per-view, which was Starrcade if I'm not mistaken, but it had a different feel to it. For one thing, it was held in Madison Square Garden, which remains as the single most famous arena in the world. MSG is located in New York City and NYC is known, unofficially, as the cultural & economic center of the United States. The company also had well known celebrities playing a role at WrestleMania including Cyndi Lauper, who was the biggest recording artist in the world at the time.

Besides, it's not as if WWE intentionally set out to create an undefeated streak for Taker at WrestleMania. That's not something that a booking office can just manufacture for any number of reasons, the most obvious of which being that they can't predict the future. The streak just came about and eventually took a life of its own. As for Survivor Series, frankly, Survivor Series has fallen to the level of a B show. In the grand scheme of things, Survivor Series hasn't felt remotely as important as the other members of the Big Four in years.

 

[Bash@theBeach]

Sigh...........

How do irrelevant ideas like this even get started? If you have that much of a hard on for the old Series, just got back and watch the old PPVs. Chyna Jr isn't going to listen to you.

 

[Chococat]

Okay guys, I'm not saying WWE planned the streak. I know it was all coincidence. i guess I should have worded my question better.

I was really wanting opinions on WHAT IF the streak happened at survivor series and not wrestlemania

 

[Chococat]

Sigh...........

How do irrelevant ideas like this even get started? If you have that much of a hard on for the old Series, just got back and watch the old PPVs. Chyna Jr isn't going to listen to you.

This topic was just too much for you to understand. This really isn't about elimination matches, I was asking about The Undertaker and Survivor series

 

[pjsdoughboy]

During his debut match he got counted out, going after Dusty Rhodes! Even though The Million Dollar Team still came out victorious. The Undertaker was eliminated and didn't survive!

I'm sure the streak wasn't ever planned and it just so happened to work it's way into a story line when someone said hey; did you notice that The Undertaker hasn't lost at Wrestle mania?

 

[The Jeff]

Because WrestleMania is THE show of the WWE year. WrestleMania was the company's first pay-per-view event and it was a major gamble on the company's part that helped establish it as a different type of wrestling company. WrestleMania wasn't the first pro wrestling pay-per-view, which was Starrcade if I'm not mistaken, but it had a different feel to it. For one thing, it was held in Madison Square Garden, which remains as the single most famous arena in the world. MSG is located in New York City and NYC is known, unofficially, as the cultural & economic center of the United States. The company also had well known celebrities playing a role at WrestleMania including Cyndi Lauper, who was the biggest recording artist in the world at the time.

Besides, it's not as if WWE intentionally set out to create an undefeated streak for Taker at WrestleMania. That's not something that a booking office can just manufacture for any number of reasons, the most obvious of which being that they can't predict the future. The streak just came about and eventually took a life of its own. As for Survivor Series, frankly, Survivor Series has fallen to the level of a B show. In the grand scheme of things, Survivor Series hasn't felt remotely as important as the other members of the Big Four in years.

Eeeh! Sorry Hans, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?

Wrestlemania wasn't the first PPV event, The Wrestling Classic was

 

[JJ15776]

Eeeh! Sorry Hans, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?

Wrestlemania wasn't the first PPV event, The Wrestling Classic was

The Wrestling Classic was the first national PPV event but WrestleMania I, held six months prior to The Wrestling Classic, was on PPV in select areas. We'll give you both credit heading into Final Jeopardy. Wager carefully!

Okay guys, I'm not saying WWE planned the streak. I know it was all coincidence. i guess I should have worded my question better.

I was really wanting opinions on WHAT IF the streak happened at survivor series and not wrestlemania

If it happened coincidentally at Survivor Series? Nobody would've noticed. It never would've been any bigger than a "did you know" fact presented in the buildup to Survivor Series, and mentioned a few times by the announcers during his match. I really doubt it would've become a massive part of the hype for his matches every year, which people wondering who would challenge "The Streak" from one Survivor Series to the next. It certainly would've had some negative impact on WrestleMania, as it would've been one less major main event match over the last several years, though not to the extent that it would've diminished it as the biggest show of the year or anything like that. It was still a massive event even before Undertaker's streak became an annual thing.

 

[Slash-LN]

I really don't think people are understanding the op at all.

He is saying what if at the start of Undertaker's WWE career they decided to debut Undertaker at Survivor Series like they did but have a set plan all along to have him win every match he was in at Survivor Series.

If there was a set plan would it have helped Survivor Series?

I don't think so personally.

Like Jack-Hammer said the reason the streak is really even important is because it's a Wrestlemania thing.

It wouldn't have seemed as important at Survivor Series because Survivor Series was never comparable to Wrestlemania.

People likely wouldn't have cared about it too much like they do with it being at the biggest show of the year.

 

[Vintage]

Sigh...........

How do irrelevant ideas like this even get started? If you have that much of a hard on for the old Series, just got back and watch the old PPVs. Chyna Jr isn't going to listen to you.

Speaking of irrelevant, see the above quoted text

I thought the OP made it fairly clear what the question was, which had nothing to do with the survivor series format or bringing back anything but some prestige to the event
The streak is a flawed attraction, but I definitely helps justify the what.. 60-70 WWE wants for WM nowadays.

 

[thebarber]

didnt Undertaker lowe at his first Survivor Series appearance anyways???? May as well as ask why his undefeated streak isnt at No Mercy or Backlash. Bad thread. The Mania undefeated streak just evolved, and now it is part of Mania's legacy. Dont ever expect it to end unless WWE have catch lightning in a bottle and a superstar with the look ansd ability was to turn up and Takler gave his blessing to put this guy over.

 

[shalliin]

And as it has been circulated, the Undertaker gimmick wasn't supposed to be a 20+year run. It was supposed to be about a 6 month run as Undertaker, then take him off TV for a few months and redebut him as a 'regular' guy with a standard gimmick. It's just that Callaway caught on something amazing with the audience and they just put off the removal of Undertaker until they realised they had something amazing happened and decided to just stick with it and here we are 20 years later with one of the greatest talents merger indelibly with one of the greatest gimmicks of all time.

 

[lowandmighty]

I think if the streak happened at Survivor Series it definitely would not have been as big a deal as it is at Wrestlemania.

However, by this stage of Undertakers career if he was making his returns for Survivor Series then I think there would be much more anticipation for the event and a bigger buy rate.

All be it, I think hypothetically if it was the case he had the streak at survivor series WWE may have still had Undertaker return for wrestlemania instead and closed the book on his Survivor Series streak, especially if he was only doing one match a year.

I feel you though, I also had a huge hard on for the old style Survivor Series matches. Must just be just a weird fetish because not many other people share the same view it seems.