The Ultimate Warrior report

Earlier this week, the wrestling world was shocked when it was reported that The Ultimate Warrior had died just a few days after he was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame and he made an appearance on Raw. Warrior was a controversial performer and while some of his public speaking appearances during the past few years were as ridiculous as his promos, it seemed as though he was mostly on good terms with many of the people that he had disagreements with years previously. Regardless of the prior hostility, it's good to see problems resolved and performers get the credit they deserve for their career. For example, Bret Hart was inducted into the Hall of Fame and he's recognized as a legend on WWE programming. Sadly, Randy Savage didn't get the opportunity to receive the recognition he deserved for his career, which is why it was good to see Warrior return to the WWE.

Warrior's controversial nature inside and outside of the wrestling business is a different matter, but the recent Nancy Grace report about the Warrior's death was one of the most ridiculous "news reports" in the past few years. Diamond Dallas Page was a guest on the show, but didn't get to say much, as Grace cut him off several times to mention the word "steroids" as much as possible during the eight minute report. There was also a list of names that appeared on screen and Grace implied that the deaths were caused from steroids. Some of the names Mike Von Erich, Owen Hart, Mark Curtis, Joey Marella, and Chris Candido appeared on the list, but none of them died from steroids. Obviously, it's inaccurate reporting, but why such erroneous information from a major news network? The answer is simple, it's ratings and despite how incorrect the information might be, the main stream media has and will probably continue to shed a negative light on pro wrestling because it mentions the stereotypical view of pro wrestling.

Don't get me wrong, pro wrestling has had problems with some performers using substances, but the same could be said for almost any sport or form of entertainment. It should also be noted that Warrior was from the 80s era when steroid use was a lot more common than it is today and obviously, the choices Warrior made during the prime of his career effected him years later, but that doesn't represent the current WWE Superstars that work with the WWE Wellness Policy.

It's ironic that Nancy Grace would spin the report as something negative about pro wrestling, but she didn't mention the WWE Wellness policy. She also didn't mention superstars such as CM Punk or Daniel Bryan, which would counter her "argument" or lack there of. There was also no mention of the major amount of charity work that the WWE does and the charity work that John Cena does, which is something Warrior mentioned during his Hall of Fame induction.  Finally, Nancy Grace's condescending tone implied that she looks down upon the wrestling industry and wrestling fans, but she might want to reevaluate the situation. Pro wrestling isn't perfect and obviously, Nancy Grace isn't either because the show can't report simple facts correctly.

Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker

One of the main selling points and one of the highlights of Wrestlemania the past few years has been The Undertaker's undefeated streak at the event. The matches have become tough to follow because there are over two decades of history behind the streak and it's something that won't be done again. The performances have delivered and there's anticipation for who will be the next opponent to challenge the streak. This year Brock Lesnar will challenge The Undertaker, but will the match live up to the hype?

The pivotal point of any match included in the streak is to put the streak in some type of jeopardy and there has to be some point when the audience believes that there's a legitimate chance that the streak might end. If there's not some believability that The Undertaker could lose, there's not really anything to build the match around and there has actually been a lack of built up to the match on Raw. The segment on Raw this past week was critical because it finally put The Undertaker in jeopardy and made Lesnar look strong for the feud. There has only been a few weeks of build up and Lesnar was attacked during most of the segments on Raw so The Undertaker being attacked was needed to sell the possibility that the streak could end.

In reality, Brock Lesnar is getting paid major money to be an enhancement talent and as I've said before, that's what Lesnar should be used for, considering he's there for the money and putting talents over help the WWE get the most for their investment. Don't get me wrong, Lesnar isn't a jobber and delivers great matches, but considering his run the past few years, how many fans actually believe it's possible that he will defeat The Undertaker? It depends on the match and if they can create some doubt about the streak, but it seems like it will be more difficult to get believability for it because Lesnar has done the job for almost every major PPV match during his most recent run in WWE. That being said, the streak probably won't and shouldn't end. As great as the matches that put the streak in jeopardy are, the majority of the fans don't want to see the streak end and there would probably be a major backlash if the streak was actually ended.

The other aspect of the streak is if the matches can still deliver and it seems as though The Undertaker has showed his age during his appearances on Raw. There are some fans that think The Undertaker should retire, but I think he should retire when he decides to hang up the boots. He has earned the right to retire on his terms and he has earned the praise in the wrestling business as a leader that always contributes to the business. As far as the criticism that The Undertaker only appears a few times a year, he doesn't have anything left to prove and it actually makes it more of a special appearance that he rarely wrestles for major events. Basically, until the matches don't live up to the hype, there's no reason for The Undertaker to retire. I doubt The Undertaker vs. Lesnar will get the fans to believe the streak might end at Wrestlemania, but it should be a good match because as mentioned, the streak has been one of the highlights of the show. It should be extremely interesting to see if String debuts on the Raw and if there will be The Undertaker vs. Sting at Wrestlemania.