The Clique87

“The Phenom” The Undertaker vs. “The Rated R Superstar” Edge Series


WrestleMania 24: The Title vs. The Streak

A brilliant wrestling match from two of my all time favorites. Edge has finally arrived to the main event of WrestleMania! Along with the legendary Phenom, he created one of the most intense and thrilling matches in WrestleMania history.

I love the build of the match from start to finish. Edge working on Undertaker’s back trying to eliminate his power offense is excellent psychology employed by the World's Champion.

Both men just go back and forth with counters, punches and signature moves. I also mark for the fact that Edge is not the cowardly heel but the aggressive heel that takes it to this dominate force but he later turns into the desperate champion trying to win at all costs.

The majority of us may have known Undertaker’s streak was not going to end but this match sure made me feel it was in serious jeopardy! Undertaker is just awesome as usual and he always makes me feel the match is legit with the selling of his back. Edge has never looked stronger and more credible than in this match where he kicked out of the Chokeslam, Last Ride and Tombstone Piledriver.

Edge also showed why he is one of the best heels ever and the “Ultimate Opportunist” with a low blow and camera shot to the head of the Deadman. I must say the facial expressions from Edge and the camera shots that captured his intensity add so much affect to the match it is unbelievable.

But Undertaker determined to preserve his legendary streak which might as well be his life right now, fought back and even took out the two Edge Heads in awesome fashion. The match seems over after two Spears but Undertaker places Edge in the lethal Gogoplata which forces him to tap out!!!

Undertaker is the NEW World Heavyweight Champion!!! The Streak continues at 16-0! What a main event to close out an absolutely phenomenal WrestleMania. So far this is my 2008 Match of the Year.


**** 1/2


Backlash: The Rematch

“I’M GOING TO HURT YOU.” – The Undertaker

It was always going to be hard for Undertaker and Edge to top their classic at WrestleMania 24 but they did a damn good job with this rematch! Like their WrestleMania match, they also did an excellent job of deliberately starting out slow and building up to a really hot, fast-paced finish!

Undertaker was pissed off because of the hell Edge and Vickie Guerrero put him through ever since he won the title. For weeks, The Phenom had hellacious matches while Edge sat back relaxing. Now it was time to pay.

Undertaker begins the match dominating but Edge always seems to fight back with some sly move to turn the advantage in his favor. Edge personifies the “Ultimate Opportunist” title and the booking within his matches show that.

Again, Edge uses excellent psychology targeting the back of the Undertaker trying to take out his big power moves. The hungry challenger applied a baseball slide to the champion on the apron which sent him back first into the barricade at ringside. Edge continued to work on Undertaker’s back with a Spear to the champion’s back in the corner and then he proceeded to work over the back with a body scissors and the Camel Clutch.

Undertaker fights out of each submission hold Edge applies and comes back with a flurry of punches and his signature combination of Snake Eyes and Big Boot. It seemed like the turning point may have happened when Undertaker missed the top rope elbow drop but Undertaker would continue to come back with more. Edge would answer him with more. I’m freakin loving this!

Hawkins and Ryder served as a distraction which allowed Edge to hit Undertaker with the title belt. Edge gets the two count! Both men would continue to counter each other’s moves – my favorite was Undertaker countering the Spear with a DDT! What an awesome battle that was again so evenly matched!

Undertaker slaps on a choke hold but Ryder gets on the apron trying to cause another distraction. Undertaker won’t allow any more of that and sends Edge into him. Undertaker then went for the Last Ride but on the way up Edge rolls him into a pin but Undertaker turns that into the Gogoplata!

Edge has no choice but to tap out and The Deadman retains his championship in an amazing finish! But Undertaker keeps the hold on for an extra length of time keeping his promise of hurting Edge.


****


Judgment Day: Battle for the Vacant World Heavyweight Championship

Note: At this point, the Edge/Undertaker rivalry dates back over a full year when Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Smackdown to steal the title from Undertaker.

Smackdown General Vickie Guerrero stripped the Undertaker of the World Heavyweight Championship because of his violent use of the Gogoplata and to top all of that off, the move that Undertaker defeated Edge with twice is now banned.

The story was could Undertaker defeat Edge without the Gogoplata? This question must be raised because Edge has proven himself to kick out of Undertaker’s other big moves and now the move that he has beaten Edge with twice is out the door. Much like the previous encounters between these two, the storytelling and psychology in the match is spot on.

I like the fact that this match didn’t build slowly because they did that already. Now the fight is pretty heated from start to finish. Cole and Foley further emphasize the fact these men know each other so well and that counters will be delivered, and boy did they again.

Undertaker had to adapt to new variations of his moves to try to increase the punishment on Edge. He turned both the Chokeslam and the Last Ride into slams on Edge into the corner of the ring. Edge sells every bump like a champ but Undertaker also sells extremely well with Edge’s attack on his legs.

Both men are great storytellers as well; just little things like teasing a strike into the exposed steel turnbuckle adds so much more drama to the eventual blow. The action continues to go back and forth with Edge delivering an Impaler DDT and Undertaker delivering a perfect Chokeslam.

In the closing moments, the match spilled to the outside and again they make it a struggle to get back into the ring. Undertaker makes it to the ring before the ten count to win the match!

We think he’s won the championship but again Vickie puts a stop to that. She says the champion must win by pin fall or submission. It took her a few minutes to make that announcement because the heat she receives is fucking immense! There is no way Vince and booking aren’t going to let the Edge/Vickie end too soon after that kind of response.

Undertaker and the fans are infuriated and Edge must suffer with a Tombstone Piledriver!


****


One Night Stand: Undertaker’s Career and the Vacant World Heavyweight Championship on the line in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match

The fourth chapter in this great series of matches comes to an epic head with absolutely everything hanging in the balance. Edge is obsessed with being World Heavyweight Champion and will be as ruthless as possible to regain the gold. The Undertaker is just as obsessed with winning the championship while also hurting Edge and maintaining his career.

Edge is the master of TLC matches but that doesn’t mean he has that huge of an advantage because Undertaker naturally knows how to hurt people in any type of match. Undertaker starts off the assault with some very stiff punches and head butts to the “Master Manipulator.” Everything turns around once Edge brings the steel chair into the match.

I could not believe the amount of clean shots to the head Undertaker took. Edge must have hit him 5 or 6 times with no protection on the head. That could have caused a serious concussion for the Undertaker. Say what you will about the Undertaker’s seemingly indestructible gimmick, in this match Edge took him to the limit and many times made him look broken. Undertaker’s selling is spot on, again making Edge is look so dominating.

More on Undertaker’s selling, he sold Edge’s low blow like he was about to die. Undertaker gasped for air after that dirty move. Edge would soon work on the legs of the Phenom with a steel chair and ladder. Edge just picked him apart with so many moves including a frog splash from the announce table through a wood table!

But Undertaker heroically fought back with his own vicious onslaught of steel chair shots and a Chokeslam on a ladder set up on the ring apron! As Undertaker perfectly sold the leg injury while slowly climbing the ladder, Hawkins and Ryder entered the match on Edge’s behalf. I’m glad to day they got murdered by Undertaker with Chokeslams from inside the ring through tables on the outside!!! “Oh My God,” was my reaction.

Another really enormous spot in the match was the Last Ride to Edge off a ladder through two stacked tables! Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely then come out to help Edge but Undertaker does away with them with chair shots to the skull. Undertaker looks to have killed La Familia!

Now, finally we all think Undertaker has the match won until Edge recovers and tilts the 20 foot ladder to the outside sending Undertaker through four stacked tables!!! I can’t believe Taker would take a bump that big at his age and after all the wear & tear he’s suffered from in his career. Edge being the “Ultimate Opportunist” and the ultimate heel climbed the ladder and became the World Heavyweight Champion for the fifth time!

All of La Familia including Vickie Guerrero celebrate Edge’s victory with a fireworks display as the 18 year career of Undertaker is over. When Undertaker walked into the dimmed lights, he seemingly faded away, lost in the darkness. Michael Cole solemnly stated “The career of the Undertaker is dead but his legacy will live forever.”

Undertaker has never looked so defeated and wrapped with emotion before, at least I’ve never seen him this way. He is the greatest of all time and I couldn’t picture what the WWE would be like without him. I can tell you the day The Undertaker actually leaves WWE there will be something drastically missing for this wrestling fan.


**** 1/2


I’m not surprised that two of my all time favorite wrestlers have such great chemistry with each other and use so many great elements so well in all four of their matches. Undertaker and Edge’s matches have all been great this year and I’m sure they have more classics left in them. Everyone knows Undertaker’s career really isn’t over and I can see this rivalry culminating in a Hell in a Cell match at some point down the road.

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These guys just don't get enough respect ...