The Undertaker vs. Batista

The Winner: The Undertaker

Background Noise

This match took place on April 1^st 2007.

When The Undertaker won the 2007 Royal Rumble, he had 3 choices of what to do. Face John Cena for the WWE Title. Face Bobby Lashley for the ECW Championship or face Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship. All 3 of the guys he could choose were relatively the same size. Batista was on the Undertaker’s same Smackdown brand, so it would make sense that he was the one chosen. I remember the build up for this match and how even BEFORE the Royal Rumble, there was talk that Batista was going to be The Undertaker’s opponent and how Batista was being considered to end the Streak.

Undertaker’s entrance here was magnificent. Torches, lightning pyro, flames shooting up from the ground.

The Bell

When the bell rang, Batista speared Undertaker and began to punch him in the corner. Taker reversed and got his shots in. As Taker chased the referee away, Batista got the advantage again. Batista clotheslines The Undertaker over the top rope, Taker lands on his feet and pulls Batista outside the ring. Batista responds by tossing Undertaker into the steel steps. Batista throws Undertaker into the ring and then hits a flying shoulderblock off the top rope. This accompanied by Michael Cole saying “I have never seen Batista go to the top rope”. It did accent the moment but Batista won the World Heavyweight Title with that move the previous November. The shoulderblock got a two count. Batista got another two count soon after with a clothesline. The crowd was strongly behind Undertaker here as during a brawling session, every Undertaker shot was responded to with strong cheers while Batista punches were responded too with strong boos. Undertaker hit repeated charges in the corner and then a snake eyes kick. A big legdrop by Undertaker only drew a two count however. Undertaker hits Old School. He then grabs for a chokeslam but Batista breaks out. After some brawling, the match spills back outside. Undertaker this a guillotine legdrop. An over the top rope dive onto Batista follows. After The Undertaker rolls back into the ring to break up the count, Batista sends Undertaker into the bell table. Batista disassembles a few of the announcers tables and hits a powerslam through one of them. Batista goes for a pin in the ring but it only gets a two count. Batista then calls for a Batista bomb but Undertaker rushes him back into the corner in an almost desperation move. He goes to whip Batista to the opposite corner but Batista reverses to a belly to belly suplex. Batista only gets a two count from that. He goes for the ten count corner punch, Undertaker cuts him off halfway through with a Last Ride powerbomb. That only gets a two count though. After an irish whip reveral, Batista hits a spinebuster. He signals for the Batista Bomb, Undertaker reverses it and this a chokeslam. That only draws a two count. Undertaker signals for a tombstone. Batista slips out, hits a spear and then a Batista Bomb. That draws a close two count. Batista goes for a second, Undertaker escapes with a backdrop. Batista then goes for a powerslam, Undertaker breaks out of it and hits a tombstone and wins the World Championship

The Verdict

So many close nearfalls. I thought watching it as it happened that The Batista Bomb was the end of the match. I was so sure that Batista was going to win here that for months prior, I was rooting against Batista, hoping he didn’t get the title, hoping he didn’t keep the title and hoping that something happened to prevent the match from taking place. This match kickstarted what I believe to be the “Undertaker steals the show at WrestleMania” tradition.