The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak became synonymous with the event over the course of two decades as "The Deadman" won 21 straight matches on the biggest state in professional wrestling.
His streak wouldn't last forever though and the moment it ended remains one of the most-shocking moments in the history of WWE.
While Taker hasn't laced up his boots since WrestleMania 36, it's impossible to not think about him during WrestleMania season.
So as we approach WrestleMania 41, let's look back at the famed WrestleMania career of The Undertaker.
Full Year-by-Year Breakdown of The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Matches
The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak (1991-2014)
While "The Streak" had pretty humble beginnings, with plenty of poor matches (which Undertaker himself has admitted on his podcast). However, around WrestleMania X-8 the company began to officially recognize it on broadcasts.
Previously, there would be mentions from commentary here or there, but after defeating Ric Flair, Taker threw up 10 fingers (for his 10 victories) and commentary addressed the winning streak.
By the time WrestleMania XX rolled around, The Streak was almost as big as the company's world championships. And once Undertaker was getting involved in the World Heavyweight Championship picture at WrestleMania, it made his matches the main event, regardless of their place on the card.
It was also during this time that Taker started ripping off a slew of incredible matches. His match with Dave Bautista in 2006 was great, his match with Edge was even better and then his four-year story arc with Shawn Michaels and Triple H were some of the best WrestleMania matches in history. CM Punk was the final victim of Undertaker's vaunted streak and the two put on another excellent match.
But as we mentioned before, now it was time for The Streak to rest in peace.
The End of The Streak: Brock Lesnar Defeats Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX
In 2014, Undertaker met Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX. Early in the encounter, Taker got concussed. As a result, he doesn't remember much of the match, which was a bit of a (understandably) clunky affair.
Still, it didn't matter one bit. Because when the referee's hand slapped the mat for the third time and Lesnar stood up victorious, no one remembered a single thing about the match. All they could do was stare in awe and disbelief.
The two would begin feuding again in 2015, with them exchanging victories at SummerSlam (Undertaker) and Hell in a Cell (Lesnar).
The Undertaker’s Post-Streak WrestleMania Matches (2015-2020)
Taker got back to his winning ways at WrestleMania the following year, defeating Bray Wyatt in a fun match that was made a bit strange by the two making their entrances in while it was still light outside in San Francisco.
At WrestleMania 32 Undertaker was involved in a strange storyline with the McMahon family. Vince and Shane were battling for control of Monday Night Raw and Vince selected Taker to fight for him. The Hell in a Cell match was fine, highlighted by an absurd dive off the top of the cell by Shane.
WrestleMania 33 was an emotional night at the time for Undertaker fans. After losing an abysmal match to Roman Reigns in which it was clear he could barely move, Taker left his hat, coat and gloves in the ring. It seemed like "The Deadman" was retiring.
Just kidding.
Undertaker was upset at the quality of his WrestleMania 33 match and went through extensive training to put on on a good show at WrestleMania 34. However, McMahon was wary of giving Taker much time on the show, which resulted in John Cena carrying the entire story single-handedly until WrestleMania. Cena spent weeks calling out Undertaker for a match, only for an impromptu squash match to take place at WrestleMania 34.
Taker skipped WrestleMania 35 before coming back at WrestleMania 36 for an incredible "match" with AJ Styles. This was the year that WrestleMania took place in the empty performance center due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, the company was able to take some creative liberties and shoot some cinematic matches.
The first of which was the "Boneyard Match" between Undertaker and Styles. For many, it remains one of the coolest things the WWE has ever pulled off. Taker won the match and rode off into the sunset.
The Undertaker’s Legacy at WrestleMania
There are many superstars throughout history with extremely impressive WrestleMania legacies. Without Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania probably wouldn't have taken off the way it did. Without WrestleMania taking off, wrestling isn't what it is today. Reigns has main-evented 10-straight WrestleManias, the most in history. Cena has more title matches at WrestleMania than anyone else.
But amongst wrestling fans, there's really no legacy quite like that of The Undertaker.
His streak speaks for itself, but the fact that he's performed at 27 WrestleManias is truly mind boggling. Not to mention the aura of his entrance. In short, when Undertaker was at his peak, he was firing on all cylinders.
There will never be another like him.
More WrestleMania on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Undertaker's Year-by-Year WrestleMania Record.
