The Undertaker is a legend in the world of Professional Wrestling. The Phenom has solidified himself as one of the greatest in ring performers of all time.

Taker made WrestleMania the stage where his legacy will be most remembered, never losing a match at the grandest stage of them all until his 22nd match. One rule will be applied to this countdown, a single performer cannot appear twice on this list, meaning that if a superstar has fought the Undertaker on number of occasions, only their best match will be selected.

Honorable mentions

CM Punk- WrestleMania XXIX

Taker big booting CM Punk (411mania.com)
Taker hitting CM Punk with a big boot (411Mania.com)

CM Punk may feel aggrieved that he wasn’t in the main event this year, playing second fiddle to the John Cena - The Rock rematch, a rematch of a fight that was billed as ‘Once in a lifetime’.

Yet the Straight Edge Superstar can be proud of giving the fans yet another brilliant performance which saw Punk introduced by a live performance from Living Color, not being one who usually likes the musical performances, I must admit the inclusion of Cult of Personality was nice to hear.

This partnered with The Phenom himself coming out through a sea of grasping hands as his eerie music played and the smoke surrounded the slowly proceeding near 7ft figure, this match couldn’t have been introduced better.

The storyline revolving around Paul Bearer’s urn, a man who had recently passed away, made this particular match have a nice feeling of genuine heat between the two men, and made it all the more satisfying when The Dead Man had his hand raised at the end of the match.

Batista- WrestleMania XXIII

Pinning The Animal (WWE.com)
Pinning The Animal (WWE.com)

This match was strangely pushed far further down the card than it should have been. Two of the biggest stars facing off for the World Heavyweight Title was shown before Bobby Lashley had a lack luster bout with Umaga.

The Animal and The Phenom really threw everything they had at each other, using characteristically strong offense and uncharacteristically top rope moves. Seeing Batista climb to the top rope to hit his opponent with a flying clothesline was something that was unseen before.

Batista came close to overpowering The Undertaker, putting him through the barricades and powerslamming him through an announce table with incredible force. Yet the Deadman survived the onslaught and tamed the Animal, gaining the victory and gaining his 15th straight win at WrestleMania.

The Top Five

Number Five- Randy Orton - WrestleMania XXI

wrestlingforum.com
wrestlingforum.com

A somewhat controversial inclusion in this list will be the Legend Vs Legend killer match. Randy Orton was using the Legend Killer gimmick which had him incredibly over as young heel and is largely responsible for him being one of the most decorated superstars in history, and still consistently performing in the ring today.

Before this match, The Viper had already defeated Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Jake Roberts, Rob Van Dam and The Rock. Despite not winning his match against Taker, Orton really took the fight to the Phenom, reversing a Chokeslam into a viscous RKO.

This match even set up a lengthy rivalry with Orton gaining an incredible victory over The Undertaker at SummerSlam. This may not have been one of the most brutal or all round impressive match that Taker has had, but just taking a look at what it did for Orton’s career makes it clear to see how great this match was for the WWE.

Number Four- Edge- WrestleMania XXIV

Taker applying the Hells Gate on Edge (Ranker.com)
Locking Edge into the Hell's Gate (Ranker.com)

What was great about this match is that Edge and The Undertaker really had the chance to create a memorable rivalry.

Too many of The Phenom’s rivals seem to be thrown in at the last minute, particularly in recent years when the man himself is barely seen in the ring anymore and is treated more as a special occasion competitor.

The set up coming into this match was interesting, despite most people simply expecting a win for The Dead Man, Edge had beaten his rival every time they had faced each other, and with The Undertaker being at a rounded 15-0, it could have been believable that The Rated R-Superstar would win this match.

Edge always had an incredible ability to make crowds hate him, which is exactly what a fantastic heel does. Targeting the limbs of Taker and bringing out Vickie Guerrero (who herself is a fantastic heel) to wish him luck before the match. Although the crowd would have almost certainly been behind The Phenom, Edge’s villainous antics made it a classic match between heel and face.

Number Three- Brock Lesnar- WrestleMania XXX

Taker up for the F-5 (WWE.com)
Lesnar delivering an F-5 to The Undertaker (WWE.com)

This wasn’t one of the greatest in match performances, but because of the sheer shock of the legendary streak ending, it has to be on this list.

Let’s face it, when The Dead Man’s next opponent got announced for WrestleMania it was hard to find anyone who truly believed that anyone could end the streak, despite Paul Heyman doing his best to convince us that his client would be the man to do just that.

Even when Brock Lesnar hit the Undertaker with that third F-5, most of the crowd only rose to their feet when they saw the referee hit the mat for the three count, not standing in awe of the match, but in awe of a legendary run coming to an end.

Number Two- Triple H- WrestleMania XXVIII

Preparing for the Hell in a Cell match (Fanpop.com)
Taker and HHH before the Hell in a Cell match (Fanpop.com)

The end of an era, the image of Triple H being carried by Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker underneath a 20-0 sign will forever signify the moment when these three men stopped being at the top of the card consistently, with Michaels retiring the year before and The Game along with The Dead Man himself only competing on special occasions.

Hell in a Cell was the perfect match, the two men had been in more cell matches than any other competitor and it provided the perfect platform for these two men to show off their famed brutality. Using steel chairs, steel steps, the cell itself and Triple H’s favorite sledgehammer to provide us with a match that would have felt more at home in the Attitude Era than today’s PG Era.

Number One- Shawn Michaels- WrestleMania XXV

Undertaker and HBK (Wrestlingforum.com)
The Phenom and HBK about to lock up (Wrestlingforum.com)

I’m fairly certain most people would have expected this to be the number one match on this list, and it is.

This match saw two icons of WrestleMania come face to face, in what was not even the main event on the card, but was certainly seen as the main event at the end of the night. Two of the greatest competitors to have graced the squared circle, neither the most decorated, but both men have shaped the industry into what we see today.

The story was told early on, Taker looking to hit Michaels with strong strikes and HBK using his speed to avoid and strike and despite his quickness being effective from the start, it didn’t take long for The Phenom to change the match with just one power move.

Going back and forth was a theme in the match and the two used their high spots to emphasize the difference in their styles. Michaels hitting a number of Sweet Chin Music’s, swift, agile super kicks. The Undertaker responding with a number of Tombstone’s, strong, impactful pile drivers.

This match will not only go down as arguably the greatest match in the Undertaker’s career, but arguably the greatest match of all-time.

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About the author
Ryan Caffrey
I am a sports journalist studying at Huddersfield University. Taking a keen interest in football and fighting sports.