Worst in the World: Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker-WrestleMania 33

At WrestleMania XXX, the impossible happened. Brock Lesnar delivered a third F-5 to the Undertaker and made the cover. 1. 2. 3. Lesnar won. 21-1 flashed on the big screen of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Streak is over. After Lesnar triumphantly leaves the ring, a war-torn Undertaker stays in the ring, soaking in the admiration of the fans as "Thank You, Taker" chants rain down upon him. The commentators give him a standing ovation. It's the perfect send-off for one of the greatest performers in the history of WWE...

WrestleMania 31

Survivor Series 2015

WrestleMania 32

Royal Rumble 2016

Yeah...the Undertaker didn't retire after WrestleMania XXX. What probably should've been the final time we saw Taker step in the ring ended up being just a match. And while his performance against Lesnar can be chalked up to the concussion he suffered early in the match, his matches after WrestleMania XXX are...not good. They aren't all bad; his two matches with Lesnar in 2015 were surprising hits, but aside from that, nothing. His match with Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 31 was largely forgettable, his tag match with Kane against Wyatt & Luke Harper was nothing more than an extended squash match, and the less said about his 30-minute Hell in a Cell match with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32, the better. However, come WrestleMania 33, it looked like the end of the road. Following the 2017 Royal Rumble where Reigns eliminated Taker and proclaimed that this was his yard now, the stage was set for a No Holds Barred match up at WrestleMania. And unsurprisingly, the match was as bad as Taker's taste in clothing. Let's get into this.

Before the match, we get a special guest commentator in Jim Ross. Reigns is out first to the expected chorus of boos. He does his signature punch the stage and set off fireworks, only this time he punches the stage, so this was clearly before he got his cute little hand cushion. Taker's out next and, obviously, his entrance is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG. Taker rises from the middle of the ramp, which means, given the size of the WrestleMania 33 ramp, he's still got a good 30-yards to walk before he's in the ring. From the first gong to his music stopping: 5 minutes, 23 seconds. Total time for all entrances, including J.R.; nearly 10 minutes. The match starts with Taker in control, striking away at Reigns before tossing him out of the ring. Reigns gets back in...just so Taker can do it again and proclaim that this is still his yard. There's so much yard talk in this feud you'd think you were watching King of the Hill. Reigns outsmarts Taker, yanking him down across the top rope before the two trade blows. This time, Reigns gets the upper hand, clotheslining Taker out of the ring, only for the Deadman to land on his feet.

Taker pulls Reigns out of the ring and gives him a headbutt. Reigns sells this, meaning he'd never fit in with the Headshrinkers. Taker follows up by throwing Reigns into the ring steps before tossing him back into the ring. Reigns is able to turn the tides, reversing an Irish whip before hitting a Samoan Drop. Reigns beats down Taker, causing him to roll out of the ring. Reigns follows him out, only for Taker to punch him in the mouth before headbutting him again. Taker goes for a powerslam, but Reigns escapes and shoves Taker into the ring post. Reigns follows up with a drive-by dropkick before tossing Taker back into the ring. The two exchange blows before Taker no-sells a kick and beats down Reigns in the corner. Taker follows up with a whip into the opposite corner, a splash, Snake Eyes, a big boot, and a leg drop for the first near fall of the match. Taker calls for the chokeslam, but Reigns rolls out of the ring.

We get our first good spot of the match, as Taker follows Reigns out and counters a second drive-by dropkick with a straight right. Taker clears off the English announce table, but Reigns takes control with a dropkick. Reigns goes for another one, but Taker catches him and chokeslams him onto the German announce table. Taker then remembers wrestling conventions and takes apart the Spanish announce table. In the process, Taker steals Carlos Cabrera & Marcelo Rodríguez's waters and pours one over his head.

What a dick! However, Good Guy Taker also tosses one into the crowd. Fair play, those are probably like $6 at the concession stand and someone got one for free. Taker climbs up onto the announce table and calls for the Tombstone Piledriver, but Reigns springs up and spears him through the Spanish announce table.

Reigns gets back in the ring and soaks in some boos. Reigns taunts Taker, only for him to sit up and re-enter the ring. Reigns stomps away at Taker before repeatedly clotheslining him in the corner. Reigns follows up with 12 punches in the corner (reject tradition, embrace modernity, am I right?) before yelling in Taker's face. This allows Taker to hit a not-great looking Last Ride where he can't really hold Reigns up for that long.

Taker makes the cover, but Reigns kicks out at two. Taker leaves the ring the grabs a steel chair. Back in the ring, Taker boots Reigns in the face before beating him down with the chair. Taker calls for the chokeslam again, but Reigns rolls out of the ring. Taker follows him out, so Reigns rolls back in the ring. Taker follows him back in, only for Reigns to hit a Superman Punch. Taker doesn't go down, so Reigns gives him another, which doesn't floor him either. Reigns goes for a third, but Taker catches him, chokeslams him onto the chair, and makes the cover, but Reigns kicks out at two. Taker follows up with the Tombstone Piledriver, but Reigns kicks out again. Taker goes for another Tombstone, but Reigns slips out and tries to reverse it into one of his own. It...

...doesn't go well. After that botched spot, Reigns hits a Superman Punch for a two count. Reigns follows up with a spear, but Taker is able to lock in Hell's Gate when Reigns goes for the cover. Reigns gets to the ropes to break the hold. Taker crawls to grab the chair, but Reigns stops him and beats him down with the chair. Reigns follows up with another spear, but Taker kicks out again. Reigns hits another spear, but Taker kicks out again. Jesus Christ, just end this. Reigns hits a Superman Punch, but Taker struggles to sit up and just falls back. Yeah...this needs to stop. It's not even a fun match, it's just kind of sad. We're not watching Taker anymore...this is just Mark, the 52-year old. Taker struggles to his feet before Reigns goes for the Spear again...only Taker is so exhausted he can't even get in position for it.

Reigns tries to cover for this with a punch before hitting a spear with tons of momentum for the three and the win, mercifully putting an end to this. Reigns stands tall as a ridiculous amount of fireworks go off before he heads to the back. The focus is now on Taker.

He lies in the ring before he struggles to sit up. After they show replays, Taker is standing in the middle of the ring, wearing his coat and hat. The crowd gives him a standing ovation as he soaks it in. Taker removes his gloves, coat, and hat and leaves them in the middle of the ring. He exits and walks over to his wife Michelle McCool. He walks up the ramp, stops in the middle, looks back, raises his fist, and descends back down into the ramp. The lights go off. The gong sounds three times. The show ends. Finally, the Undertaker gets the perfect send-off...

WrestleMania 34

Greatest Royal Rumble (2018)

Super Show-Down 2018

Crown Jewel 2018

Super ShowDown 2019

Super ShowDown 2020
Motherfucker.

The Verdict

This match is a chore to watch. The first half isn't nearly as bad as the second, but even then, it's very boring. It's mostly brawling to the outside, which is generally preceded by brawling in the ring. The spear through the announce table was a cool spot, but that's about it. After that, the match falls apart. It was clear that Taker was completely spent by this point, as evident by that Last Ride and that botched ending. Even Reigns wasn't in good form, as shown with that botched Tombstone reversal. Reigns isn't a perfect wrestler, at least at this time, but he's generally pretty good. This match, however, was one of his worse performances. And to top it off, this match is way too long. I get that it's supposed to be Taker's send-off (lol) but 23 minutes was clearly too much for him to handle. Avoid this match, it's not worth watching, especially since the way the show ended was completely invalidated by the next four years of Taker continuing to wrestle.

Rankings (Best to Worst)

1. Rick Rude vs Jake Roberts-WrestleMania IV
2. Too Much vs Al Snow & Head-King of the Ring 1998
3. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns-Greatest Royal Rumble
4. Shane McMahon vs Eric Bischoff-SummerSlam 2003
5. The Tag Team Gauntlet-Extreme Rules 2010
6. Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 33
7. Vampiro vs Sting-Great American Bash 2000
8. T&A vs Head Cheese-WrestleMania 2000
9. Triple H vs Sgt. Slaughter-D-Generation X: In Your House
10. Konnan vs One Man Gang-SuperBrawl VI
11. Ultimate Warrior vs Hercules-WrestleMania IV
12. Rick Rude vs Hawk-Clash of the Champions XXV
13. Shelton Benjamin vs Viscera-New Year's Revolution 2006
14. Steve McMichael vs Reggie White-Slamboree 1997
15. Alexa Bliss vs Bayley-Extreme Rules 2017
16. The Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match-WrestleMania 13
17. Tag Team Battle Royal-WrestleMania XIV
18. The Chamber of Horrors-Halloween Havoc 1991
19. The Natural Disasters vs Money Inc.-WrestleMania VIII
20. Ivan Koloff vs Paul Jones-Clash of the Champions IV
21. ODB, Taylor Wilde, and Roxxi vs The Kongtourage-Genesis 2009
22. Ivory vs Tori-SummerSlam 1999
23. Giant Baba vs Bulldog Bob Brown-WrestleRock
24. The Reverse Battle Royal-Impact! (10/26/2006)
25. Jerry Blackwell vs Boris Zhukov-SuperClash II
26. Nikita Koloff vs Bobby Eaton-Bunkhouse Stampede
27. Alex Wright vs Steve McMichael-Halloween Havoc 1997
28. The Great Khali vs Kane-WrestleMania 23
29. Savio Vega vs Crush vs Faarooq-Ground Zero: In Your House
30. The Shockmaster vs Awesome/King Kong-Starrcade 1993
31. Total Divas vs Other Divas-Survivor Series 2013
32. The Oddities vs Kaientai-SummerSlam 1998
33. Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice-WrestleMania VIII
34. Paul Ellering vs Teddy Long-Capital Combat
35. Dusty Rhodes vs Big Boss Man-Saturday Night's Main Event (10/31/1989)
36. Tyson Tomko vs Stevie Richards-Unforgiven 2004
37. Kane vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2009
38. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Hog Wild
39. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Souled Out 1997
40. Dustin Rhodes & King Kong vs Awesome Kong & The Equalizer-Battlebowl
41. Finlay & Little Bastard vs The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman-No Way Out 2007
42. Jake Roberts vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania V
43. Yokozuna vs King Mabel-In Your House 4
44. Dusty Rhodes vs The Honky Tonk Man-SummerSlam 1989
45. Sting & Hawk vs Meng & Kurasawa-Clash of the Champions XXXI
46. Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage-Uncensored 1998
47. Al Snow vs Big Boss Man-Unforgiven 1999
48. Mickie James vs Ashley-Royal Rumble 2006
49. Christy Hemme vs Big Fat Oily Guy-Against All Odds 2007
50. Stevie Ray vs Konnan-World War 3 1998
51. Vampiro vs The KISS Demon-Bash at the Beach 2000
52. Team WCW vs nWo Wolfpac vs nWo Hollywood-Fall Brawl 1998
53. Vampiro vs Oklahoma-Starrcade 1999
54. Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania III
55. Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton-Battleground 2017
56. Van Hammer vs Terrance Taylor-Clash of the Champions XVI
57. Junkyard Dog vs Moondog Spot-Wrestling Classic
58. Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker-WrestleMania 33
59. The Undertaker vs Goldberg-Super ShowDown 2019
60. Hiroshi Wajima vs Tom Magee-All Japan Pro Wrestling 1988
61. Jim Duggan vs Big Boss Man-Royal Rumble 1990
62. Meng vs Jim Duggan-Uncensored 1995
63. Jim Steele vs The Equalizer-SuperBrawl IV
64. The Undertaker vs Giant González-WrestleMania IX
65. Sting vs Tony Palmore-Battle 7
66. D-Generation X vs Brothers of Destruction-Crown Jewel
67. Wendi Richter vs Leilani Kai-WrestleMania
68. Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar-WrestleMania XX
69. Edge vs Triple H vs Vladimir Kozlov-Survivor Series 2008
70. Kevin Sullivan vs Dave Sullivan-SuperBrawl V
71. Steve McMichael vs Brian Adams-Road Wild 1998
72. Scott Hall vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl IX
73. Boris Zhukov vs Paul Samson-Beach Brawl
74. Roddy Piper vs Hollywood Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1997
75. Kane vs The Great Khali-Breaking Point
76. Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman vs Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone-Bash at the Beach 1998
77. PN News & Bobby Eaton vs Steve Austin & Terrance Taylor-Great American Bash 1991
78. Scott Steiner vs Sid Vicious vs Jeff Jarrett vs Road Warrior Animal-Sin
79. Hollywood Hogan vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl 1997
80. Batista vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2007
81.  Sable vs Tori-WrestleMania XV
82. Super Invader vs Todd Champion-WrestleWar 1992
83. Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez-Crown Jewel 2019
84. King Kong Bundy & Jim Neidhart vs Yokozuna & Jake Roberts-Heroes of Wrestling
85. Sid Vicious vs The Nightstalker-Clash of the Champions XIII
86. The 8-Divas Tag Match-Survivor Series 1999
87. The Fabulous Freebirds vs The Renegade Warriors-Halloween Havoc 1990
88. The Knockouts Gauntlet-One Night Only: Live! 2016
89. AJ Styles vs Frank Trigg-No Surrender 2008
90. Rick Rude vs Masahiro Chono-Halloween Havoc 1992
91. Mike Awesome vs Vampiro-Halloween Havoc 2000
92. Bray Wyatt vs John Cena-Extreme Rules 2014
93. Brothers of Destruction vs KroniK-Unforgiven 2001
94. Mabel vs The Undertaker-King of the Ring 1995
95. Wendi Richter vs The Fabulous Moolah-The Brawl to End it All
96. David Flair vs Kimberly Page-Mayhem 1999
97. The Truth Commission vs The Disciples of Apocolypse-Survivor Series 1997
98. Daffney vs Miss Hancock-Bash at the Beach 2000
99. The Bushwhacker vs The Fabulous Rougeaus-WrestleMania V
100. The Beverly Brothers vs The Bushwhackers-Royal Rumble 1992
101. Teddy Long vs Eric Bischoff-Survivor Series 2005
102. Greg Valentine vs George Steele-Heroes of Wrestling
103. Abdullah the Butcher vs One Man Gang-Heroes of Wrestling
104. Major Gunns vs Miss Hancock-New Blood Rising
105. Bradshaw & Trish Stratus vs Christopher Nowinski & Jackie Gayda-RAW (7/8/2002)
106. Triple H vs Scott Steiner-Royal Rumble 2003
107. Santina Marella vs Vickie & Chavo Guerrero-Extreme Rules 2009
108. Kevin Nash vs Scott Steiner vs Goldberg-New Blood Rising
109. Hollywood Hogan vs The Warrior-Halloween Havoc 1998
110. Mr. T vs Roddy Piper-WrestleMania 2
111. The Royal Family vs Clowns R' Us-Survivor Series 1994
112. The House of Horrors Match-Payback 2017
113. The Blacktop Bully vs Dustin Rhodes-Uncensored 1995
114. Team Dos Caras vs Team El Canek-Leyendas Mexicanas 2017
115. Pat Patterson vs Gerald Brisco-King of the Ring 2000
116. The Four Doinks vs Team Bigelow-Survivor Series 1993
117. Sting vs Jeff Hardy-Victory Road 2011
118. Oz vs Tim Parker-SuperBrawl
119. Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman-Crown Jewel 2018
120. Brock Lesnar vs Ricochet-Super ShowDown 2020
121. The Mighty Maccabee vs The Iron Sheik-Maccabiah Mania II: Shekel Slam
122. Van Hammer vs Doug Somers-Halloween Havoc 1991
123. Ultimate Warrior vs Andre the Giant-Saturday Night's Main Event (11/25/1989)
124. Jeff Jarrett vs Sting-Halloween Havoc 2000
125. The Doomsday Cage Match-Uncensored 1996
126. Kane vs The Undertaker-Judgement Day 1998
127. Rebel vs Shelly Martinez-One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown
128. Kaitlyn vs Maxine-NXT (10/19/2010)
129. Sabu vs The Sandman-November to Remember 1997
130. Seth Rollins vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Hell in a Cell 2019
131. Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler-WrestleMania XXVII
132. The Bushwhackers vs Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff-Heroes of Wrestling
133. James Storm vs Chris Harris-Lockdown 2007
134. John Laurinaitis vs John Cena-Over the Limit 2012
135. Hulk Hogan vs The Giant-Halloween Havoc 1995
136. Ultimate Warrior vs Goldust-In Your House 7
137. Los Villanos vs Los Psycho Circus-Triplemania XXIII
138. Jenna Morasca vs Sharmell-Victory Road 2009

Thanks for reading! Be sure to share if you enjoy and leave any suggestions for matches you'd like to see covered in the Worst in the World in the comments. Until next time...