The Undertaker vs. Edge

 

The Winner: The Undertaker

Background Noise

Going into this match, Edge was the World Heavyweight Champion. Edge won the World Heavyweight Championship by unjust means in a triple threat match involving Batista and The Undertaker. Also, Edge ended The Undertaker’s previous World Title reign with an impromptu title shot and post match attack. So when The Undertaker won the Elimination Chamber in February 2008 to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, it made this match more heated. Undertaker had waited almost a year for this encounter. In the weeks leading up to this match, The Undertaker debuted a new hold, a judo inspired Gogoplata choke that he eventually named “The Hell’s Gate”. To this point, Edge had never been pinned at WrestleMania. And Edge had never lost to The Undertaker.

The Bell

When the bell rang, Undertaker signaled that this would be the end. He slashed his throat with his thumb. Edge shoved The Undertaker and began striking. Undertaker very simply shut that down by throwing his own strikes. He clotheslined Edge out of the ring but Edge evaded him and got back into the ring. Undertaker hotshotted Edge throat first on the top rope. After a running clothesline and two count, Undertaker began working over Edge’s shoulder, he set up for The Old School but Edge countered by pulling Taker off the top, Taker responded with an armdrag. Undertaker hit a charge in the corner and somehow hung himself up on the rope and hit his leg on the ring apron. Edge responded by spearing Undertaker off of the apron and sending him into the steel ring barricade. Edge then dropkicked Undertaker back into the barricade. He then drove Undertaker kidney first into the ring apron. Edge then hit an innovative neckbreaker on the top rope, with him on the inside and The Undertaker on the apron. Edge continued the work on The Undertaker’s back and ribs. Clearly hoping that it would limit The Undertaker from hitting his finishers, The Last Ride and Tombstone. Edge climbed up top but Undertaker sent him off to the concrete outside. He then followed with a dive over the top rope. Guillotine legdrop on the apron. But Undertaker is having trouble moving because of his back. Edge was able to fight out of a Last Ride attempt because of the Undertaker’s weak back. The match takes a spill outside again and Edge does more back work with a suplex onto the steel barricade. Back in the ring, Edge utilizes a half Boston crab. The focus on the back continued. Undertaker was able to fight out of it and begin his comeback with charges in the corner but Edge blocked the Snake Eyes with a dropkick. Undertaker caught Edge coming off the middle rope with a chokeslam. Edge reversed into a DDT which drew a two count. Edge went for the spear but Undertaker met him with a big boot. He hits a chokeslam but that only draws a two count. Edge blocks an Old School attempt and hits a superplex. It only drew a two count. Edge tries the corner 10 count punch, Undertaker tried The Last Ride but Edge escaped and hit a neckbreaker. It only got a two count. Edge leaves an opening that Undertaker takes advantage of and Undertaker hits The Last Ride but it only draws a two count.

Undertaker signals for The Tombstone but Edge counters into a reverse DDT. It draws a two count. Undertaker hits a big boot and then The Old School. He tries a running big boot but Edge avoids it and the referee gets nailed. Undertaker grabs for a chokeslam but gets kicked in the genitals. Edge grabs a camera from outside the ring and nails The Undertaker in the head with it. Undertaker sits up though. Edge signals for The Tombstone (because that has worked so well for people facing The Undertaker before), Undertaker reversed and hits one of his own. The referee Charles Robinson bolts down the entrance way (it was a long one) and makes a count but it was a two count. Edge’s posse Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder come down but are quickly sent away with chokeslams. Undertaker turns around after dealing with them and is met with a spear. It was only a two count. Edge hits another spear. But Undertaker reverses it and locks in The Hell’s Gate. Edge submits.

The Verdict

Up until the final moments of the match, I was sure Edge was gonna win. I expected Edge to reverse the Hell’s Gate into a pinfall. Undertaker debuted it a few months before and it did involve him putting his shoulders on the mat. I expected Edge to simply reverse the momentum and use it for a pin, continuing his “Ultimate Opportunist” streak. As far as the match goes, it was very reminiscent of the Randy Orton encounter, with Edge seemingly having The Undertaker’s key attacks scouted at every turn.