Third time's a charm: A look at Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 28

Game On: The Undertaker vs. Triple H confirmed for WrestleMania 28

It’s official; The Undertaker is back in the WWE following a shocking return on Monday Night Raw. Eerily reminiscent of 2011, both The Undertaker and Triple H returned on the same night; the night after the Royal Rumble, where they once again had a silent confrontation. A cold cut-throat from “The Deadman” towards Triple H however is worth more than any amount of words. The Undertaker is back in the WWE and he is not just out for the blood of any man – he is out for the blood of “The King of Kings” once more in 2012. Game on one step down “The Road to WrestleMania”, because it’s the Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 28 in 2012, but will the results be any different compared to last year?

Third time is usually the charm in the WWE; could it be so for Triple H?

A peculiar old wives tale in the world states that “Third time’s a charm”. It’s all a game of perseverance, and nobody plays games like Triple H and The Undertaker, but is third time always a charm? Not exactly; both The Undertaker and Triple H have had numerous opponents on numerous occasions and three hasn’t always been a lucky number. While the pair have had their fair share of victories and both men do hold victories over each other at a number of different events, WrestleMania is another story. It is the time where players step up their game that little bit more for the sake of gold and glory, but the age-old rivalry between The Undertaker and Triple H isn’t about gold and glory anymore.

Both men have held the world championship on countless occasions and both men have also lost that championship more than they have won it. Both of them have a storied history with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash and Kane among countless others and both men have been a part of the WWE Raw roster longer than any other professional athlete or superstar in the entire WWE Universe today. When it comes down to raw talent, pure charisma and flawless mastery in regards to their in-ring prowess, there are none active in the world today that compare to Triple H and The Undertaker.

Triple H has now tried and failed on two separate occasions to dethrone The Undertaker and end his WrestleMania streak and two times he has failed; once at WrestleMania 17 and once at WrestleMania 27. However, aside from Shawn Michaels, Triple H came the closest of all in ending the iconic streak of “The Deadman”, but does “The Game” still have it in his power to make third time his charm at the expense of “The Phenom?” Consider the fact that Triple H has only had a couple of matches since WrestleMania 27, one of which was a flawless match at TLC 2011 against Kevin Nash and also consider the fact that The Undertaker hasn’t even been seen since WrestleMania 27, and then you realize that once more, the stakes are as even as ever.

Triple H is the ultimate opportunities and he plays the game better than anyone. The patronizing tap on the shoulder he gave to The Undertaker on Raw was not just a spur of the moment action, it was the beginning of a plan that will be stretched out in a feud between these two ring icons leading into their third – and potentially final – epic at WrestleMania 28. The fact that Triple H is facing Undertaker for the third time at WrestleMania certainly gives him the most potential for finally ending The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak – and his career.

Why Triple H, and why could Triple H win?

Why Triple H? Simply because, there is nobody other than Triple H on the roster today that can rival The Undertaker, except for Triple H himself. These two men have shared their entire career together in the WWE. They have both risen to fame and prominence as the longest serving mainstays in the history of the promotion and both men have seen endless world championship glory. They know each other better than anyone in the WWE today. Considering the fact that the WWE is youth dominated these days, and then when you look and see a select few veterans that are still around and you will understand that there really is only Triple H that stands a chance against The Undertaker at WrestleMania.

So to answer, why Triple H? Because Triple H is the only person in the WWE that can do it. Third time may be a charm for Triple H, because nobody else has the experience with The Undertaker on any given day as Triple H, and nobody has the experience with The Undertaker at a spectacular wrestling extravaganza, the biggest in the history of the world in-fact, that of course being WrestleMania – than Triple H. If anyone in the entire world can dethrone The Undertaker after one grueling, show-stealer of a match-up, it is Triple H and nobody else, and the math, the facts and the statistics that add up will showcase that to several generations of WWE fans that grew up watching and idolizing these two icons and still do, even now, as their careers are slowly winding down…

Triple H could indeed win at WrestleMania 28 because he has almost two decades of experience against The Undertaker, but also because he has those two years of experience against The Undertaker; the two years that matter the most, the years of WrestleMania 17 and WrestleMania 27.

The Undertaker could have had a better opponent though, right?

A year ago, I posted a Hub speculating the potential opponents for The Undertaker at WrestleMania 28. I showcased such names as Shawn Michaels, Bill Goldberg, Sting, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Masked Kane, Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio and countless others and the figures I rounded up in the polls showed that the wrestling world wanted to see a shocking match involving The Undertaker. People most wanted to see Undertaker vs. Goldberg, Undertaker vs. Sting or more recently, Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. So, considering the numbers have spoken and the numbers were denied, should you be disappointed at The Undertaker vs. Triple H three?

No way!

Ignore the fact that you wanted to see a dream match between iconic legends and The Undertaker and focus on the fact that the match is set. The match, regardless of the outcome, will be a masterpiece. At WrestleMania 17, Undertaker and Triple H tore the house down and had a classic WrestleMania match that was only surpassed by their show stealer of a match last year. The match between Triple H and Undertaker at WrestleMania 27 was not only the greatest match the pair have ever had, but it is also one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history with such matches as Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25 only coming close.

There is not a single reason to be disappointed by The Undertaker facing Triple H at WrestleMania 28 because if the skill and ring prowess, not to mention, the awesome veteran ability of these two wrestlers is anything to go by, their match at WrestleMania 28 will go down in history as their greatest of all time, which is certainly saying something considering their flawless match at WrestleMania 27.

Will The Undertaker even out his streak to 20-0 or retire to 19-1?

It is no secret that The Undertaker’s career is winding down and the rumors are currently flying in regards to whether he will retire following the WrestleMania 28 match or not. If he wins, his streak will be an even 20-0, which seems like the perfect time to retire. However, if he loses, his streak will be forever tarnished as 19-1, which again will force him into retirement. Both are certainly potential outcomes right now considering the career of The Undertaker is obviously winding down, which is the reason he is never seen all year round these days and he only returns around WrestleMania time. Also consider the fact that Triple H himself is a rarity in the WWE these days. The careers of both men are gradually winding down, meaning the outcome of their match at WrestleMania 28 could potentially result in both men retiring, but who will win?

The most likely outcome is that The Undertaker will win at WrestleMania 28 simply because 20-0 is much more impressive than 19-1. Should The Undertaker retire after 20-0, it will mark the end of an awe inspiring career and a WrestleMania legacy that will never be matched again. It also makes sense for Undertaker to win because for the next twelve months following, the entire wrestling world is excited to see who Undertaker will face the following year, if anyone at all; that is good for business and it makes WrestleMania that more exciting. Considering we are now only two years away from the biggest WrestleMania anniversary ever, WrestleMania 30, it would also seem crazy for The Undertaker to retire this year.

Another sign that points to The Undertaker’s streak and career continuing after WrestleMania 28 is his opponent, Triple H himself. Why would the WWE choose to end Undertaker’s streak against someone like Triple H, whose career is also winding down in synch with Undertaker’s when they could give the career defining moment to a young and talented up and comer or a present generation superstar such as John Cena, CM Punk or someone with a little bit more history with Undertaker such as Kane or Shawn Michaels? All the signs point to Undertaker making it to 20-0 this year and then continuing his career at WrestleMania 29 in 2013 and finally retiring at WrestleMania 40 in 2014.

The Road to WrestleMania is underway!

Following an awesome Royal Rumble pay per view and an even more awe inspiring Raw supershow, both The Undertaker and Triple H are back in the WWE and both men are once again scheduled to face each other at WrestleMania 28. Will third time be a charm as Triple H sets out to end The Undertaker’s streak for the third time or will Undertaker finally make his illustrious streak a clean 20-0? The Road to WrestleMania is officially underway and in the biggest way it possibly could be; exactly what will go down between Undertaker and Triple H between now and WrestleMania, and which of these veteran ring icons will reign supreme on the “Grandest Stage of Them All?”