Apparently referee Chad Patton, who was the official in the ring for the Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker match at WrestleMania XXX, was not aware that Lesnar was going over in the bout. In fact, he was informed ahead of time that Undertaker was going to win the match.
The rule given to all WWE officials, which came into play in this match, is that if a wrestler does not kick out at two, you go ahead with the count as if it were a legitimate pin in a legitimate competition.
Another interesting note stemming from what will go down in history as one of the most famous matches of all-time, is that Lesnar privately whispered “thank you” in Undertaker’s ear following the three-count, expressing his gratitude for the honor that “The Dead Man” was bestowing upon him.
Paul Heyman was Michael Cole’s guest for this week’s WWE.com sit down interview. Here are some highlights:
– Michael Cole questions Paul Heyman about why he refers to him and Jerry Lawler as “things.”
– Heyman comments on Brock Lesnar breaking The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, saying that Undertaker knew deep down that Lesnar would win.
– Brock Lesnar is a conqueror and will demolish anything put in his way.
– He recruited Cesaro because he’s “the next great commodity” in WWE. If he choses to put Cesaro in the WWE World Heavyweight title picture, then Cesaro will be champion. If he instructs Cesaro to bring him the Intercontinental championship, then he will do so. Cesaro is the most capable star in WWE and the new “next big thing.”
– Heyman says Cesaro’s future is in his hands, so the future of WWE is in Cesaro’s hands.
– Paul Heyman is getting rave reviews behind the scenes for his promo on RAW about Brock Lesnar ending The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. There are no plans for either Paul Heyman or Brock Lesnar to turn babyface, but Heyman’s promo was so good that fans were eating up every word.
– Prince Devitt has still not signed with WWE and there is talk that TNA will make a strong play for him if he remains a free agent in the coming weeks.
– Summer Rae tweeted the following on Wednesday about her split from Fandango.
I can't sleep. Can't eat. Can't stop crying. So your just gonna ignore me @WWEFandango?
The following are highlights of a new Jim Ross blog:
On Paul Heyman’s promo on RAW: “Speaking of Paul Heyman, Paul had a magnificent night on Raw delivering a home run on the Lesnar beating Taker promo. Heyman is the best talker in the business and continues to do amazing work and has to be considered as one of the greatest managers of all time on a short list that includes Bobby Heenan and Jim Cornette. Before all is said and done, Paul may be the best, pure manager to ever fulfill that role in the history of the business.”
On Paige’s main roster debut at RAW: “Paige has a significant upside and I can see her potentially having a Trish-Lita type rivalry with the talented AJ Lee who is still WWE’s most consistent, in ring diva. Both ladies have marketable, bell to bell skills and both can be aggressive in the ring which translates well to all audiences.”
On The Shield: “The Shield declaring their true colors as the show went off the air was significant. This gives WWE creative plenty of options going forward and the chance for Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins to take another step vertically not to mention when one or more of them ‘changes jerseys’ how big a deal that will be. I’d hope that metamorphous is not any time soon as the hotter The Shield becomes as fan favorites the more impactful they will be as antagonists when the time is right.”
WWE’s official website has released the following statement regarding The Undertaker being hospitalized after his match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX:
WWE.com can confirm that, following last’s night historic match with Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker was immediately taken to Ochsner Medical Center. After a CT scan and other medical testing, he was diagnosed with a severe concussion and was kept overnight for further evaluation. He was discharged early Monday afternoon.
– Among those backstage at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday night that didn’t appear on camera at any point during the event were Rob Van Dam, Alexander Rusev, David Flair and former referee Tim White.
– The official WWE website has an exclusive backstage interview with Paul Heyman, who immediately after Brock Lesnar ended Undertaker’s streak, explains why the WWE Universe shouldn’t be the least bit surprised. You can check that out at WWE.com.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross wrote a blog for FOX Sports sharing his thoughts on WrestleMania XXX, and the end of Undertaker’s streak in particular. “I assume the decision to end the Undertaker’s 21-0 winning streak is based on two factors,” wrote JR. “One, the physical status of the 49-year-old rugged veteran, who has been surgically put back together on multiple occasions and may be in more physical jeopardy than we know. Not even Dr. Frankenstein could reassemble The Deadman.”
Ross continued, “Secondly, it seems as if WWE is recommitting its marketing machine to better monetize the potential of the amazingly gifted Lesnar, who has never gotten on a roll since returning to WWE after being forced to retire due to issues with diverticulitis.”
Words cannot even begin to describe what fans witnessed last night at WrestleMania. I will instead allow for the screencap below to perfectly encapsulate the moment. That face was not unique either, as basically every face in the crowd featured the same shocked expression.
This of course occurred after the Undertaker finally lost at WrestleMania, ending his perfect 21-0 streak at the biggest wrestling event of the year. In my opinion, ending the streak against Brock Lesnar was the definition of illogical booking.
This image perfectly sums up the crowd’s reaction to Lesnar’s victory.
It makes little, if any, sense to end the most vaunted streak in sports entertainment against a part-time superstar who is way past his prime. That should have instead been reserved for an up-and-coming superstar such as Roman Reigns or Bray Wyatt.
Following the event, fans were even speculating whether the loss was a shoot, that’s how unbelievable it seemed that the WWE would allow Lesnar to end the streak. It was indeed the plan all along, but it still makes one question why Lesnar was the chosen one.
The most logical reason is that Lesnar was hand-picked by Taker to end the streak. At this point in his career, the Undertaker has complete creative control over his character and there is no doubt that he would have to approve any loss. He is also a noted fan of MMA, so he probably thought Lesnar would serve as the perfect man to end his undefeated run.
The Undertaker seemed gassed during much of the match and was taken to a hospital following the contest.
Another option is that WWE simply wanted a cheap ratings pop. Following the match last night, it was the most talked about topic on Twitter and fans will undoubtedly tune in to RAW tonight to see the aftermath, but that seems harmful to the company. It is moronic to trade in an accomplishment like the streak that could have propelled a rising star to superstardom in favor of a slight boost in ratings.
Not only did the decision not make sense from a business standpoint, it also killed the crowd. They were completely disinterested during the Divas contest and it seemed like they did not become completely invested in the main event until about halfway through. The Undertaker’s loss definitely killed the momentum of the show for the next 20 or 30 minutes, as fans were in a state that was a mixture of shock, disbelief, and anger.
Ultimately, having Lesnar end the streak was a very poor booking decision. That was likely the last time fans will ever see the Undertaker compete in the ring. They will now remember his final match as an anti-climactic botch-fest against an uncommitted part-timer that ended in defeat. The worst was that some disrespectful fans in the audience were actually brazen enough to shout, “You suck!” to one of the most accomplished and respected superstars in WWE history.
As previously reported, there are reports coming out of New Orleans on Sunday night that claim The Undertaker suffered a concussion during his match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX. While we cannot confirm that he suffered a legitimate concussion, we can confirm that he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance immediately after the show.
The reason for his trip to the hospital, where we were informed he will remain overnight, was to run tests to determine whether or not he suffered a concussion, as well as concerns that he suffered an apparent neck injury of some kind.
Undertaker’s injuries came during a spot early into the match where he took a bad fall off of a single-leg from Lesnar.
As far as the finish to the match is concerned, Undertaker’s potential injuries played no part in changing the originally designed outcome. The match went off as planned, with Lesnar scheduled to go over.
We noted in our previous report that very few people behind-the-scenes in WWE were aware of the plan for Undertaker to lose, that might not be the case, as he went from a 40-to-1 favorite in betting websites to an actual underdog by the time the match hit the ring.
According to one report, The Undertaker suffered a possible concussion during his match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday night. The report claims that Undertaker suffered the possible injury during the spot where he took a bump on the floor during the match, which will go down in history, as it ended up being the end of his undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
Additionally, it is being said that very few people behind-the-scenes in WWE were aware that Undertaker was going to lose to Lesnar on Sunday night. Obviously a few key people knew the planned finish in advance, and there are even reoprts that some “smart money” came in on online betting in favor of Lesnar, but apparently very few people knew that Undertaker was going to end his legendary streak in New Orleans.
As many expected, WrestleMania XXX turned out to be a memorable and newsworthy event on Sunday night. A number of legendary moments took place, titles changed hands and surprises unfolded throughout the evening. Below is a quick rundown of some of the notable moments from the show.
The show opened up with a “WrestleMania Moment” type segment, as Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock shared the ring for a promo segment.
The Undertaker’s legendary undefeated streak was broken. Undertaker lost via F-5 to Brock Lesnar, making his new WrestleMania record 21-1.
Daniel Bryan finally had his “big moment,” as he defeated Triple H in the opening match on the pay-per-view and would go on to defeat Randy Orton and Batista in the main event to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
The Real Americans broke up during the WWE Tag-Team Championship match on the WrestleMania XXX pre-show. After The Usos retained their titles, last eliminating The Real Americans, Cesaro ignored the orders of his manager Zeb Colter and attacked Jack Swagger.
Additionally, Cesaro pulled off an upset by winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He last eliminated The Big Show in what will go down as his first true “WrestleMania Moment” when he body slammed the giant — with ease — over the top rope.
– According to a recent draft, the matches that WWE is planning on giving ample time at WrestleMania XXX on Sunday are Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship main event. The Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker match will also likely receive a decent amount of time. According to the draft, Bryan vs. HHH is scheduled to go longer than any match on the show.
– The following is a photo of WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley in the ring at the WWE NXT event at WrestleMania Axxess in New Orleans this weekend:
– At WrestleMania Axxess in New Orleans, there are a number of grave sites for the 21 victims of The Undertaker at WrestleMania. The following is a photo of the WrestleMania XXX grave site, where Brock Lesnar will lay if he loses to “The Phenom” this Sunday.
– The following is the final Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar video package that aired during the WrestleMania Today special on the WWE Network on Thursday:
The general feeling among most behind-the-scenes in WWE is that Brock Lesnar should have been booked differently during the build up to his match with Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX. The basic feeling is that Lesnar should have come off as more of a threat to Undertaker and his streak.
Vince McMahon made the call originally to have Undertaker go the entire build-up to the match without being touched, although he ended up changing that plan on the “go-home” edition of RAW on Monday night, as we witnessed, with Lesnar giving Undertaker his F-5 finisher. Even then, however, the call was made to have Lesnar’s attack be a sneak attack from behind, with the announcers painting Lesnar as a coward.
The following is from UFC’s official YouTube channel.
ONLY ON UFC FIGHT PASS: “The Best of the Beast” anthology features all seven of former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s UFC fights, archive material including footage of the 282lbs beast’s amateur wrestling career and — in addition — exclusive interviews with pro-wrestling legends “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jim Ross.
Below are clips from Steve Austin and The Rock’s interviews about their former WWE co-worker Brock Lesnar:
Best of the Beast: Steve Austin Talks Brock Lesnar
Former WWE champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin gives his thoughts on former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar.
Best of the Beast: Dwayne Johnson Talks Brock Lesnar
Now on UFC Fight Pass, former WWE champion and MMA fanatic Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reflects on the career of Brock Lesnar.
Paul Heyman spoke to ThisIsInfamous.com this week to promote WrestleMania 30. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
A New Paul Heyman Guy Coming Soon: “We’re going to broadcast his identity and we’re going to publicize and promote it and present it and market it and make as big a splash as humanly possible regarding this new Paul Heyman guy.”
His CM Punk Promo On RAW From Chicago: “My task at hand is to elicit the response from the viewer that they find the Brock Lesnar versus Undertaker match compelling enough to purchase the pay-per-view or get involved with WWE Network to see the match. So when I went out in Chicago, I knew my responsibility was to sell you on Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker any way that I had to, which included sitting there for the first ten minutes and discussing the 800-pound elephant in the room, which is why C.M. Punk wasn’t appearing in his hometown.”
“As a performer, to get the opportunity to come out in Chicago to CM Punk’s music and to sit down Punk-style in the ring, and tell the true intimate story of this Paul Heyman guy, while I’m doing my job promoting Brock versus Undertaker is the greatest professional high you can offer me.”
If CM Punk Will Ever Return: “You know, there were only three people in the room that night, and that was C.M. Punk, Vince McMahon, and Triple H, and none of the three have talked about it. So whether C.M. Punk will ever or won’t ever appear in WWE again is truly only known by the three people that were in the room on that given evening. Anything else that is stated about it is merely speculation.”
Here we are the Raw before WrestleMania XXX. The go home show of all go home shows. Did Raw deliver? Check out our YES! and NO!
Brock Lesnar Finally F5’s after circling the ring 10 times. NO!
The Undertaker & Brock Lesnar The Undertaker comes out and cuts seeming the same promo he has each week he’s had a mic. Out pops Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, eventually Brock circles the ring seemingly a dozen times, before the obligatory Paul Heyman distraction where he slips in with a chair, to distract The Undertaker enough so that Brock can “sneak” in and get his hands on The Dead Man.
I had such high hopes for this program, but I must tell you, I’ve been less than impressed. Paul Heyman cut an amazing promo a few weeks back simultaneously putting over The Streak, and why Brock Lesnar would break it (Undertakers age, wear and tear). Since then this has been a lackluster build for me. Am I really to believe that a huge man like Brock Lesnar is THAT afraid to get into the ring? I can buy into some trepidation, but this was ridiculous. NO!
Alberto Del Rio takes it to Big E. Good Match YES!
Big E. vs. Alberto Del Rio I thought Big E and Alberto Del Rio put on a great match, with several near falls and a clean Del Rio win. Of course why they constantly beat a champion, I’ll never understand. Does anyone remember when they actually had in-ring introductions for a Big E intercontinental championship match? That being said, YES!
Summer Rae vs. Natalya I liked how a clip was shown from this past weeks Total Diva’s and there was a match to tie things in. I suppose that’s the one thing we lack when it is seemingly all the Total Divas ganging up on AJ who didn’t want to be on the show. However, the conflict was clearly 100% manufactured, and if there was any ounce of reality to Total Divas before this, there isn’t now. YES!
The Authority implying that Daniel Bryan is a “Flavor Of The Day” like Fandango was last year.
The Authority’s Farewell To The “Yes!” Movement, Batista, Randy Orton Triple H and Stephanie come out and cut a brutally honest promo that blurts the lines between story line and reality. They made some interesting arguments about people wanting to be on a bandwagon, and support a cause. This brought out chants of CM Punk, Yes, and others including boring. After a Stephanie McMahon narrated promo about Triple H always beating the “Flavor of the Day” including Booker T, Chris Jericho, RVD, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy, Out comes BOOtista, and Orton. Pretty much the same song and dance. Objectively I think this was a good Heel Triple H Promo. But I’m exhausted from these Authority promos, and Batista and Orton coming out in succession. I’m tired from Daniel Bryan not getting anywhere in the stratosphere of equal mic time. By itself this was good, but after weeks of this, I’m over it. So I say NO!
The Usos & Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans & Ryback and Curtis Axel
This is basically the Pre-Show match with two teams combined. Less reason to get excited about the match itself. After an incredible year of tag-teams in the WWE in 2013, everything that I have enjoyed up to this point has vanished. Cody Rhodes and GoldDust were the hottest Tag Team attraction in WWE last year, they should have been in the tag-team titles mix, or facing each other, in a brother vs brother match that has been rumored for two years. The USO’s have been in line to win the Tag Titles since July of 13. What better way to elevate those titles then have them win it at WrestleMania XXX against the Outlaws? So another match, similar to what we will see on the small big stage, and I fear that The Uso’s who should retain this, may not possibly, so that a title change gets a reaction, or creates some sort of moment. NO!
Backstage Segment: The Shield & Roman Reigns vs. Kane I enjoyed this backstage segment from The Shield, they seemed like a cohesive unit here, and I hope to see more of this at WrestleMania. Could The Shield stay together for a while longer? Many thought the match would be all three members of The Shield in a triple thread at this years WrestleMania. I would dislike it to see someone like Dean Ambrose accidentally or deliberately cause a loss for the team. I’d like to see The Shield show their dominance over the last two years. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW
On the go-home episode of RAW last night, the Beast Incarnate finally got the upper hand on the Dead Man with a little help from his advocate, blasting the Undertaker with a devastating F-5 after Heyman provided the distraction.
Thus far, there has been little physical contact between the few, with the only instances being the Undertaker chokeslamming Lesnar through a table during their contract signing and Taker hitting Lesnar with a few punches after popping out of a casket.
To say that this feud has not been fully fleshed out would be a serious understatement. In fact, I would not even hesitate to call it a complete disappointment.
Unlike Undertaker’s feuds the past few years, this one seems rushed together with no backstory, made even worse by the fact that both superstars are part-timers who have rarely appeared on television together.
The CM Punk/Undertaker program was an epic feud that truly felt personal.
Last year’s feud with CM Punk was a masterful build, with a compelling backstory (Punk stealing the urn and mocking Paul Bearer), a weekly confrontation between the two leading up to WrestleMania, and action that actually made the feud feel personal (Punk dumping the contents of the urn on Taker).
This year has been the polar opposite. The two are fighting simply because Lesnar said he has accomplished everything in WWE except conquering the streak. I get that breaking the streak is a valid reason for a feud. After all, it was the reason CM Punk originally wanted to fight the Undertaker in the first place.
However, the difference between last year and this year is that last year’s feud was actually escalated throughout the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, while the Lesnar/Taker feud is literally in the exact same place as it was on the night of the contract signing weeks ago.
It is a shame too, because it is not like creative did not have material to work with. They could have mentioned the infamous confrontation between Lesnar and Taker after Lesnar’s UFC fight a few years back, or their previous feud back in 2002. Instead, it almost seems like the Undertaker has no stake in fighting other than defending the streak, and Lesnar seems disinterested as well. There were elements in place to make the feud seem personal but creative has failed to do so.
The following are highlights of a recent Bleacher Report interview with Paul Heyman:
On WWE’s key to success: “The key to WWE’s success and longevity is that they are, as modern and as relevant as the company may be in modern social media and platforms and contemporary distribution, the company is still built around old-school promotion. Who are these two fighters? Why are they wrestling? And why should I pay to see it? In order to answer those three questions you have to build up the talent. And you can’t just build up talent that has equity in their names. You have to make new stars. And that’s the mantra that has always worked best in any period that you could call the glory days.”
On the Undertaker character succeeding: “I don’t think it was as much the character as it was the man behind the character. I think The Undertaker is, much like Brock Lesnar, a once-in-a-lifetime wrestler, a once-in-a-lifetime athlete and a once-in-a-lifetime performer. You can’t just put somebody in that slot. You need someone who can own up to the role and someone who makes the role theirs, who walks in the skin of the character. When that gels, when the athlete and the performer come together, then you have someone who is truly box office. This is not something that someone else could have accomplished. You couldn’t have given that name and that character to anybody else—they would have never survived.”
On Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX: “I think it’s more than special. I’m very blessed. I get the best seat in the house for the match that has the most historical significance and the longest-ranging ramifications in terms of what happens after the match is over. This is Brock Lesnar’s chance to truly step into immortality. From my perspective it’s a match that Brock Lesnar doesn’t have to win but that The Undertaker must not lose.”
The following are highlights of a new Boston Herald interview with Chris Jericho:
On his WrestleMania XXX status: “I’m not a part of it and I won’t be a part of it. And it was my choice to sit out this year.”
On the reason he decided not to return: “If I’m going to be at WrestleMania, it’s going to be in a position that I can sink my teeth into, a position that I think is significant enough for somebody of Y2J’s experience level and notoriety. Looking at the card this year and you see everybody who came back — Brock Lesnar and Undertaker are back, Triple H is back, Batista is back, and it’s the ascension of Daniel Bryan — how many spots are there available for Jericho at this point in time?”
On the CM Punk situation: “Everyone’s asking, ‘Where is CM Punk?’ Punk had enough of whatever was going on, and none of us really know whatever it was, and he left. And that’s your only choice.”
– FOXSports.com has published an article looking at Brock Lesnar’s UFC career being cut short due to illness. WWE legend The Rock is quoted in the article, saying:
“I don’t know if anybody will ever accomplish what he’s accomplished in the heavyweight division in that short amount of time. Had it not been for the unfortunate issue he had to deal with his stomach, who knows what could have happened if he continued to train, and continued to hone in on his skills. What he did was epic and historic.”
– Chris Jericho tweeted the following after appearing in The Authority’s video on RAW last night:
Welcome to Raw Is Jericho! Im the Best In The World At What I Do! U will never EVVVER be the same again! #cheapcatchphrases#guiltyascharged
In addition to the Poughkeepsie Journal interview with Paul Heyman that we reported earlier today, the manager of Brock Lesnar also spoke with Brian Fritz of Between The Ropes for a WrestleMania XXX promotional interview.
The official description for the interview reads as follows:
“Paul Heyman talks about WrestleMania 30 where he will be in the corner of Brock Lesnar as he faces The Undertaker, how his close friendship with Lesnar came about, being in the wrestling business for almost three decades now, if his work comes naturally to him, his future in the business, who he thinks are the stars of the future, the WWE Network and more.”
Hulk Hogan, Undertaker and Brock Lesnar are all scheduled for Monday’s WrestleMania XXX “go-home” edition of WWE RAW, which takes place at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
The show will be a combined RAW and SmackDown taping, with both shows for this week taking place in the same venue on the same night. RAW will of course air live, while SmackDown will be taped to air on Friday as usual.