WrestleMania VII
Actual Opponent: Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Revised Opponent: n/a
it's too hard to picture Taker beating Hogan here. and as cheesy as it was, I was okay with Hogan vs. Slaughter as the main event, keeping in mind that I was like 8 years old. but it felt very good vs. evil and that was enough for me then. as for Taker, I would actually keep him off the card this year. I can't think of a suitable opponent that's actually freed up. I like the matches that Hogan, Jake Roberts, Dibiase and Warrior are in and I would leave them all as is. I almost went with Piper, but it doesn't make a lot of sense and I like Piper being with Virgil for his match too. Superfly was very underwhelming as an opponent, both then and now, so I'd just leave Taker off the card. he was new and I doubt people would have freaked at his absence.
WrestleMania VIII
Opponent: Jake "The Snake" Roberts
here is where I have Taker debut and I think it'd be a perfect opponent, even setting up for future matches that tell a more "psychological" story than a "monster of the month" theme. Jake is a legend, both in the ring and especially on the mic. I loved this feud and the match wasn't bad either. let them feud here as they did, especially since in real life it was a "now or never" deal given that Jake left for WCW immediately afterwards. that can free up Taker/Warrior for SummerSlam to blow off their feud once and for all.
WrestleMania IX
Actual Opponent: Giant Gonzalez
Revised Opponent: Ted Dibiase
easy story to tell given their history. bring that up and let Taker begin his feud with the Million Dollar Corporation. it can eventually end at SummerSlam with the infamous Taker/Taker match way down the road, but it begins here with the Million Dollar Man himself. another much better worker and legendary name that adds some credibility in those early Streak matches.
WrestleMania XI
Actual Opponent: King Kong Bundy
Revised Opponent: Razor Ramon
Mania 11 was rough for sure, but not for lack of talent. mostly, in my opinion, for lack of creative writing and really odd match choices considering what was available. keeping in mind that I had Taker start his feud with the Million Dollar Corporation at Mania 9 by defeating Dibiase and end said feud at SummerSlam 94 by defeating the other Undertaker, this would be a Corporation-free match for the Dead Man. I'm thinking Taker vs. Razor Ramon. Razor was red-hot as a face and had a very special quality about him. I think these two could have had a great match on the grand stage. maybe make Taker a heel here? but go with Scott Hall on this night and keep the Streak alive, not just in matches won but also in match quality.
WrestleMania XII
Opponent: Diesel
totally agree with LODemo. it was a logical feud and made sense given Nash leaving for WCW shortly thereafter. plus, amazingly enough, I actually enjoyed the storyline and match. despite his size and his many criticisms, I always thought that Nash was a decent worker inside the ring, especially given the right opponent and story. this was one of those times for me. keep it as is.
WrestleMania XIII
Actual Opponent: Sycho Sid
Revised Opponent: Bret Hart
Taker was definitely due for a main event at Mania and for the World Title again. I just can't decide if Sid was the best opponent for him. especially one year after Taker/Nash. it just seems almost like a repeat -- given their height and signature maneuvers -- which I'm very much against at Mania. I know it's absolute craziness, maybe even downright blasphemous, but I think I'd do Taker vs. Bret Hart. first of all, I'd have Bret win the Rumble for his only time (in my world, Luger alone wins the 94 Rumble) by screwing Austin, simply reversing what actually happened. Taker goes into Mania as the World Champion and beats Bret after some Austin interference. this, again in my world, allows the amazing Bret vs. Austin match that we did get at Mania 13 to actually happen at Mania 14, but with Austin winning and beginning the new Attitude Era with the right opponent. off topic. Taker vs. Bret with Taker retaining the World Title is my match this year.
WrestleMania XIV
Opponent: Kane
LODemo said it already, but this is the most obvious. the story stays the exact same. perfect storytelling and really fun match. Kane worked hard on this one and it was a great debut for his character. I might make this one an Inferno Match though since it was a natural fit and might have deserved a bigger stage than the next month.
WrestleMania XV
Actual Opponent: Big Bossman
Revised Opponent: n/a
I promise that there is a method to my madness in keeping Taker off the card this year. Taker could still appear at the event, but as more of a manager. he wasn't wrestling that much around this time anyway. he was always on the show, but more as a manager/director-of-traffic type of role. let him accompany the Ministry in their different matches, but there's really not a lot of good opponents for him. Mankind is an option, but Foley really needed either Rock or McMahon in a match to continue his storylines. Taker takes the night off, which actually would be better than the Hell in a Cell travesty we did get. my opinion.
WrestleMania XVII
Actual Opponent: Triple H
Revised Opponent: Mick Foley
I LOVED and still do LOVE the match between Triple H and Taker at Mania 17. in fact, all three of their matches have been very good. but I really don't like rematches at Mania. Foley was with the company at the time, albeit retired. still, it's not like Foley actually stopped wrestling. just given their history, I would want to see this match on the Grandest Stage of All. and I would book it almost exactly as the match we did get with Triple H. make it a Street Fight and let these two go all over the arena. save Triple H for the next decade, literally.
WrestleMania XVIII
Actual Opponent: Ric Flair
Revised Opponent: Big Show or with Kane vs. Outsiders
I like the Austin idea, but in my world, Austin is in the main event with Triple H for the World Title, so he's busy. I like the idea of teaming with Kane to go against the Outsiders, but I also like DX vs. NWO for Mania. and I really like the idea of Taker always having one-on-one matches at Mania for his Streak. and given that Taker has already beaten both Hall and Nash in my timeline, this would feel almost like a rematch, which of course is a sin in my universe. so I'm gonna stick with Big Show in a one-on-one match. also, this would be Streak vs. Streak as I would have booked Big Show to be undefeated since his debut in the WWE. this wouldn't be the best match in the world, but Big Show is a credible opponent if only for his size. around this time, Big Show and Taker (as the biker) had a pretty decent match with a big-pop finish... Big Show was pounding on Taker with some mounted punches and Taker used that position to get Show into the Last Ride. pretty impressive spot. what if that happened at Mania for Show's first televised loss since debuting with the WWE? that'd be a pretty big deal, even if it wasn't the prettiest match. that's my switch.
WrestleMania XIX
Actual Opponent: Big Show & Albert
Revised Opponent: Ric Flair
So I've simply taken Taker and Flair's WM18 match and pushed it back a year. His handicapped match versus the team of Big Show & Albert was ridiculous. I totally copied the OP word-for-word here, but I agree with the trade. plus, it'd just make more sense this way since at 18, Flair was a face and Taker a heel and at 19, Flair was the heel while Taker was face. given Flair's dirty tactics and the Arn Anderson interference, it flat out makes more sense to bump this match back by one year.
WrestleMania XX
Actual Opponent: Kane
Revised Opponent: Brock Lesnar
the idea of the Rock is intriguing, but I think Brock makes more sense. Brock had just spent the last year kicking Taker's @$$ every chance he got, even inside the Hell in a Cell. but all those matches were against the Biker Taker. so why not have Taker return as the Dead Man to finally get his revenge against Brock? Lesnar does the job on his way out the door at Mania 20, as he did, but against Taker instead of Goldberg.
WrestleMania XXI
Opponent: Randy Orton
Orton was a great opponent and I believe (in real life) a really legit option for ending the Streak. he was, as best as I can remember, the first person to challenge Taker at Mania with the whole storyline being based on ending the Streak. everyone else had making Taker no longer undefeated at Mania as kind of a side note, but Orton made that the entire focus. and so the Streak became an annual thing; a storyline all by itself. Legend Killer vs. the Legend of the Streak stays the same.
WrestleMania XXII
Actual Opponent: Mark Henry
Revised Opponent: Kurt Angle
Angle/Taker had one of the best matches I've ever seen at No Way Out a month prior. I'd simply move that match back a month, keep the World Title on the line and have the ending switched up just a bit (since Angle won the actual match). while Angle is in the triangle choke, he rolls Taker up and gets the pin. do the same setup for the ending, but have Angle tap before he gets the final 3 count. Taker wins the World Title, keeps the Streak alive, and this also allows for future rematches between the two as it was a almost-too-close-to-call finish.
WrestleMania XXIII
Opponent: Batista
yeah, this worked for me. I never thought Batista had a chance of beating the Streak, but he worked his tail off in the ring and delivered a pretty great performance.
WrestleMania XXIV
Opponent: Edge
this is another one that worked for me. again, I never thought Edge was gonna win, mostly because of his booking at the time, but I freaking loved this feud and match. I would keep it for the World Title though, but only cuz it just feels better that way for me.
WrestleMania XXV
Opponent: Shawn Michaels
this is my absolute favorite match of all time and I do consider it to be the best of all time. feel free to argue with me all you want. I will, of course, think that you're wrong. the only change I would make is in the build up to the match itself. I would use the best of both Mania 25 and 26 leading to the two matches these two had and put it all here... with HBK's career on the line. this would be my Streak vs. Career Match. and it would have made it that much better, on the Silver Anniversary of Mania, when it would actually be possible that HBK might win and beat the Streak. but otherwise, yeah, greatest. match. ever.
WrestleMania XXVI
Actual Opponent: Shawn Michaels
Revised Opponent: Triple H
and now, a decade later, enter Triple H. this would be my "End of an Era" Match inside Hell in a Cell. I know we got this at 28, but I'd do it here instead. again, I hate rematches at Mania, so this would be fresh. and with special referee HBK, it would make sense to this match at this time. cuz honestly, this really was becoming (or had already become) the end of the era. even in real life, Taker, HBK, Triple H, etc, were all part-timers, and the bringing in of even more part-timers was becoming the new WWE Motto, so this tagline would feel more appropriate to me two years earlier than we actually got it.
WrestleMania XXVII
Actual Opponent: Triple H
Revised Opponent: John Cena
for the record, as I'm writing my responses, I'm seeing others that said the same thing way earlier, but I promise that I felt the same way before reading theirs too. I have always felt that Cena/Miz was an abomination, both then and in hindsight. whoever thought this was a good idea? Royal Rumble winner Punk vs. Orton in the main event for the World Title was such an obvious choice. and Cena vs. Taker absolutely had to happen here. it never would have a better or more suitable time to do it. also, in my world, Cena at this time is undefeated at Mania, always winning or successfully defending a singles title at Mania. so his loss at 24 is actually a win. thus, Mania 27 is the undefeated at Mania Champ vs. the undefeated Streak.
WrestleMania XXVIII
Actual Opponent: Triple H
Revised Opponent: Goldberg
okay, I will admit that I am more-than-slightly cheating on this one. Goldberg has not been with the company in 8 years at this point. but I bet money he would be willing to come back for one more match, here at Mania, against Taker, the most respected man in the business today, perhaps of all time. easy booking; Goldberg's streak vs. Taker's. who has the greatest streak of all time? one match to determine...
WrestleMania XXIX
Opponent: CM Punk
this match was so freaking incredible and I feel that it's quite a bit under-rated, here and elsewhere. it was so good. the build up was pretty fortunate (how terrible does that sound?!?!) with the passing of Paul Bearer as it gave Punk some great heat. he honestly had more people caring about Urn Anderson than some of the superstars that were alive and on tv every week. talk about talent! the only change I would make is Punk would keep the World Title, so this would be, again, Streak vs. Streak, for the World Title, in the Main Event of Mania. if Brock can win the World Title and then disappear for months at a time, why can't Taker? he's a guy that at least appreciates, loves and respects the wrestling business. Taker can win the belt and drop it at SummerSlam. Punk finally loses the World Title, but does so against Taker at Mania instead of Rock at the Rumble, and Punk gets his long-awaited and much-deserved main event at Mania. I bet Punk would still be with the WWE if this happened instead.
WrestleMania XXX
Actual Opponent: Brock Lesnar
Revised Opponent: Sting
this is the biggest stage of all time in the wrestling world. and this is one of the few dream matches that has never been done. Sting was pretty much with the company at this time. do whatever it takes to make this match happen. Sting/Taker at Mania 30 would have been so freaking epic. and Taker could retire, undefeated at Mania, with a perfect streak of 20-0.
as for Bray Wyatt, I absolutely love what he's doing with Taker now and so looking forward to his match at Mania. I hate for it not to happen at Mania, but since I believe that Taker should have retired at Mania with a perfect 20-0, I would do Taker vs. Wyatt at either SummerSlam or Survivor Series -- the latter of which where Taker debuted, so it might be more poetic there, although obviously a bigger stage at SummerSlam -- and have Wyatt go over as the new "face of fear". great stuff. just a half a year too late.
so there's my re-writing of history, for better or worse. thanks so much to LODemolition for the start of an amazing thread series. looking forward to the rest!
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