[2013-04-07-WWE-Wrestlemania XXIX] CM Punk vs The Undertaker

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[supersonic]

Red-hot match from almost beginning to end, with Punk trying every tactic possible in order to pull off the impossible. This had the story of Taker going after Punk at the beginning, pissed over Punk's disrespect, only for Punk to use an arm-drag when Taker tried the vintage arm-twist ropewalk chop. Other top moments include both men countering each other's finishers, Taker turning a simple pinfall attempt by Punk into a Hell's Gate, and the nearfalls that had the crowd erupting. If this does indeed turn out to be Punk's last ever WrestleMania match, not a bad one to finish with and his best ever on the Granddaddy of 'Em All. ****1/4

[Superstar Sleeze]

CM Punk vs The Undertaker - WrestleMania XXIX 

This was the second WrestleMania I attended and I have much better memories from this because I had much better seats. I was sitting in the lower bowl about halfway down directly into side of the ring. No obstruction. It was a great time and I remember this being our (my brother & mine) favorite match. It has been six years. The only thing I remember crystal clear was Punk’s elbow drop to the Taker on the announce table. 

Totally forgot the build, WWE video packages are the best. It is really what they are good at and they do useful five years or so after the fact. Punk was so great as irreverent well punk mocking Paul Bearer’s death and doing everything he could to get in Taker’s head. This theme of disrespect would be a consistent thread throughout the match. This match was very stripped down compared to the epics of the HBK & HHH Matches. This made for much more consumable viewing.

Punk slaps Taker at the bell and it is on. For the most part there is a great vigor to this match. Punk really unleashes the strikes only for Taker to go on a tear. Taker had to earn his shine and he kicked Punk’s punk ass on the floor. He goes for Old School but Punk drags him down. Then in a sign of disrespect Punk hits old school! Oh shit! I had forgotten that but as soon as I saw it the memory came back. I liked the brief flurries to break up the Punk Control segments. It made it feel more competitive. Punk runs out of ideas apparently...tries Old School again, but he lands on his balls. Big punch by Taker. Taker wants the five but Paul E. Makes himself useful as a human shield. Punk hits a flying clothesline and his elbow drop. This is when Match picks up into a rousing home stretch. We get G2S attempt into a MASSIVE CHOKESLAM! That memory came rushing back. Great strike exchanges follow. I could watch these two stand and bang. There is a longer exchange toward the end of the match but the short stuff ahead of that was great. Taker goes for The Last Ride through the table but Punk evades and hits a tremendous roundhouse kick. Then comes that famous elbow drop from the the top rope and it doesn’t break! I forgot that! They milk the countout as part of the story Punk said a DQ or countout Counts as a loss. Different from the HBK and HHH that wanted clean wins. So this was a good nearfall. They do the submission exchange. Hell’s Gate -> Anaconda Vice. Best part of this was Taker did his Zombie Sit-up and CM Punk damn near crapped his pants. Now that’s something I totally missed by being In the stands. That’s my new favorite moment. I thought everything after that is gold. G2S into Tombstone was molten hot. They stood and banged in a great strike exchange, good stuff shots. I loved the red bump and Punk hits Taker with the urn to Avoid the Last Ride! What a great heel nearfall! Punk does the throat slash wants the G2S but it is a Tombstone! Great finish!

The first half was solid but the second half was red hot. A really great stadium style Match with lots of highspots and drama. ****1/4

[ShittyLittleBoots]

Punk had been playing some big time mind games leading up to this, so it only made sense for Taker to start all hot n' fiery, and I love how Punk continues those mind games in the beginning w/ them slaps. The whole little cat & mouse game they play is pretty fun. Taker gets a nice lil' segment to kick Punk's ass in slowish, more methodical fashion, and it's solid stuff -- Punk gaining the control by reversing the Old School & then a minute later successfully doing the move himself was a great dick move. Punk on top is pretty good, but maybe not the most compelling he could be. I did really like his cut-offs of Taker's comeback attempts, and talking about those, Taker teasing the dive was such a great moment; I remember in 2013 thinking that there is no way he is gonna do that move, but they got me good w/ the tease. Another GREAT bit was the count out tease after Punk's Elbow Drop -- genuinely one of the better big match count out teases there has been. They kick the thing into its finishing gear after that, and it's all about them big time moves, counters & nearfalls; my favorite moments from that section of the thing are Taker rising from the ground & staring a hole through Punk while Punk had the Anaconda Vice locked in + the Tombstone kickout after Taker bounced off the ropes to do it. Now the match isn't as amazing as I wanted to remember it being -- it's still really damn good, but the wrestling isn't quite as compelling as I remembered. Def 100% worth the watch though, as it's definitely one of Taker's best WM matches, and all in all just a really nice big time WrestleMania style banger. ***3/4

[The Man in Blak]

This one doesn't really work for me, mainly because the Undertaker is so washed at this point that they almost work a comedy match to make up for it.

The cat-and-mouse opening is good -- Punk's slap in the corner is pitch-perfect -- but the action meanders a lot early and then descends into tired shot-trading late, with an especially egregious Tombstone right on the heels of a GTS. Punk actually getting to pull off Old School was a cute moment, but the real high watermark is the elbow drop to the outside and what follows. Unlike the Rock at Elimination Chamber, Undertaker actually does the full countout tease and just barely crawls in at 9.5. Once he's in, he traps Punk into a Hell's Gate attempt, but he can't really clinch it; Punk eventually wears him down from that into an Anaconda Vice for a pinfall attempt...and an absolutely hilarious zombie sit-up with both guys being bug-eyed in the middle of the hold. I expect a bit of silliness with Undertaker matches and that sit-up was just what the doctor ordered. Punk nailing Taker with the urn for a nearfall (complete with the tongue-out RIP troll cover) would have been an incredibly ballsy way to end the streak, but alas.

Outside of the funny spots, none of this really coheres into anything. Maybe there could have been a good match hiding between these two if they had actually played it straight with The Streak on the line, but there was no way that was happening here with all of the Paul Bearer storyline stuff leading up to it. **1/2