It must be frightening enough for the average WWE wrestler to step into the ring against a hulking menace of a superstar like a Triple H or a John
Cena, grizzled veterans who know the sport, their bodies, and their skills inside-out, who know what it means to dominate in the ring and understand
what it takes to maintain excellence throughout a career. It must be another experience entirely for even the best superstars, the wrestlers at the
very top of the WWE
heap, to witness the dimming of the lights, to hear the ringing of the chimes, to see the rising of the smoke, the feel the scorching of the fire, to
tremble at the figure that is The Undertaker as he ambles towards the ring, certain of his victory and determined to make it happen at all costs. He's
the one figure in professional wrestling who can make his peers wet their tights at the mere sight of him, never mind when he lands a punch
or executes a perfect Tombstone finisher. And if it's that difficult to face him -- never mind defeat him -- in some Monday night RAW
matchup, imagine the impossibility of facing him at the WWE's showcase event, WrestleMania, where the man has yet to lose in twenty tries, a streak
that dates back to 1991. Indeed, when the WWE's lights are at their brightest, the Lord of Darkness shines above all others. Undertaker: The
Streak is the truncated account of his two decades of dominance inside the WrestleMania ring and the collection of all twenty matches he's won
during a run that's likely never to be duplicated.
Don't bite down.
Undertaker: The Streak opens with a thirty-seven minute film that briefly recounts the history of the streak, examining each matchup by
sifting through the history of the participants involved and constructing a broader picture of The Undertaker as a wrestler. The program begins by
citing some of the most renowned sporting streaks of all time, accomplished by both teams and individuals alike. But in the world of Sports
Entertainment, The Undertaker's 20-0 WrestleMania run remains unparalleled and unlikely to ever be approached, let alone matched or broken. His
story begins with his 1990 debut and first WrestleMania appearance months later, defeating Jimmy Snuka and, in year two, Jake Roberts. He's
taken on Triple H three times, Shawn Michaels twice (and ended his career), and doubled up Big Show and A-Train. He's bested his brother Kane
and defeated a host of others, from
larger-than-life figures such as Giant Gonzalez to legacy wrestlers like Randy Orton, from legendary figures like Ric Flair to modern heroes like Edge. It hasn't always been easy -- it rarely ever is in professional wrestling --
but it has been as close to a sure thing as there is in Sports Entertainment.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot of depth to be found in this release. Unlike the Randy Orton, Edge, Stone Cold Steve Austin, or The Rock releases, Undertaker: The Streak is less a biographical
documentary supported by matches and more a collection of matches tied together by a disappointingly brief documentary. Rather than a balanced
release, the matches are the main highlight here, whereas previous WWE releases built oftentimes riveting Documentaries to enhance the matches
included throughout the set. Yet that doesn't mean this isn't a worthwhile collection, and even the complete absence of suspense -- flash: The
Undertaker wins every match included -- doesn't make this any lesser of a release. Viewers simply need to understand the difference and prepare to
pay for, really, only the twenty included matches. The Documentary runs thirty-seven minutes and covers twenty matches, so simple math says
that it's at best a rapid-fire overview piece, and one that adds little more depth and breadth to the collection than a wrestling website paragraph.
This set is about witnessing domination, not piecing together the man behind the streak. Hopefully a future release will chronicle both the streak
and The Undertaker as a man, but for now, enjoy the wrestling excellence and revel in the further mystery of the Dead Man.
The individual streak matches begin on disc two:
WrestleMania VII. Victim: Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. March 24, 1991.
WrestleMania VIII. Victim: Jake "The Snake" Roberts. April 5, 1992.
WrestleMania IX. Victim: Giant Gonzalez. April 4, 1992.
WrestleMania XI. Victim: King Kong Bundy. April 2, 1995.
WrestleMania XII. Victim: Diesel. March 31, 1996.
WrestleMania 13. No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship. Victim: Sycho Sid. March 23, 1997.
WrestleMania XIV. Brother vs. Brother. Victim: Kane. March 29, 1998.
WrestleMania XV. Hell in a Cell Match. Victim: Big Boss Man. March 28, 1999.
WrestleMania X-Seven. Victim: Triple H. April 1, 2001.
WrestleMania X8. No Disqualification Match. Victim: Ric Flair. March 17, 2002.
WrestleMania XIX. Handicap Match. Victims: Big Show & A-Train. March 30, 2003.
WrestleMania XX. Victim: Kane. March 14, 2004.
WrestleMania 21. Legend vs. Legend Killer. Victim: Randy Orton. April 3, 2005.
WrestleMania 22. Casket Match. Victim: Mark Henry. April 2, 2006.
And conclude on disc three:
WrestleMania 23. World Heavyweight Championship Match. Victim: Batista. April 1, 2007.
WrestleMania XXIV. World Heavyweight Championship Match. Victim: Edge. March 30, 2008.
WrestleMania 25. Victim: Shawn Michaels. April 5, 2009.
WrestleMania XXVI. Streak vs. Career. Victim: Shawn Michaels. March 28, 2010.
WrestleMania XXVII. No Holds Barred Match. Victim: Triple H.
WrestleMania XXVIII. End of an Era Hell in a Cell Match. Victim: Triple H. April 1, 2012.
Undertaker: The Streak delivers the typical WWE visual experience, at least throughout the twenty matches. The thirty-seven minute feature
plays at 1.78:1; clips form older matches
have been stretched to fill the screen, but they never appear distorted. Newer interview clips and footage from the most recent WrestleMania events
enjoy excellent detailing and colors, though those darker scenes featuring the Undertaker entering the ring or celebrating a victory go a deep blue and
lose some stability to general murkiness and blocky backgrounds. Much of the footage appears sourced from film rather than video, featuring a softer
but more visually
impressive appearance, fairly grainy and a bit noisy but mostly unique to WWE releases and a welcome contrast from the video norm. The HD interviews
are steady, colorful, and crisp, exactly as fans expect from recently-created footage found on WWE releases. The two discs worth of
matches follow the usual WWE video formula. The older standard definition matches play framed in a 1.33:1 window with WWE-styled "black bars" on
either side of the 1.78:1 display. As expected, the usual range of video uglies permeate these matches, but the general stability and watchability are
fine considering the source. The newer matches play at 1.78 "full frame" and offer bolder colors, quality details, and a nice and sharp HD video
appearance. Light blocking and banding are troublesome, but front-and-center elements look fantastic. This isn't a jaw dropper, but fans familiar with
the quality of recent WWE Blu-ray releases know exactly what to expect with Undertaker: The Streak.
Undertaker: The Streak arrives on Blu-ray with the familiar Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. There's nothing remarkable about the track, and
there's nothing disappointing about it. This is the norm for the WWE, and it appears to be for the foreseeable future. The good news is that this lossy
track handles everything thrown its way with ease. Narration during the overview piece plays smoothly and effortlessly from the center. Music spreads
nicely and plays with good clarity and some surround support. Wrestler interviews additionally play with precision clarity. The wrestling matches follow
suit from previous WWE releases. The older matches lack sonic range, playing almost strictly through the center with lower clarity and a jumbled sort of
sound. The most recent matches offer a superior sense of space, more range, heightened clarity, and better separation between elements, creating a
more lifelike sound beyond the garbled, mixed-together elements of the older matches. This is no revelatory WWE track, but it suffices in every area.
Undertaker: The Streak could have been so much more, but as a simple compilation release it's tough to beat. Though three discs in length,
this is a fairly linear, straightforward collection: all twenty of The undertaker's WrestleMania victories and little more comprise the collection. It's not a
feature-length Documentary or a
career retrospective -- there's much, much more to The Undertaker's career than this (the Undertaker-Mick Foley Hell in a Cell match is considered
perhaps the single greatest of all time) -- but instead a glimpse into twenty years worth of domination. There's more than enough material and demand
for a future Undertaker multi-disc documentary. This feels more like a teaser -- there's really no way to do a career retrospective without making this
streak the highlight -- to a larger picture. Here's hoping the future sees the complete Undertaker experience brought to life on Blu-ray. WWE's
Bu-ray release of Undertaker: The Streak features fine video and audio. A few Blu-ray exclusive extras are included. Recommended.
