[2005-04-03-WWE Wrestlemania XXI] Randy Orton vs Undertaker

[cactus]

Undertaker is back to being the Deadman, but he's no longer the slow and lumbering Phenom of old. He's on Smackdown, surrounded by much more physical wrestlers than the ones he was fighting a decade previously, so he has to show that he can still hang with the new kids. You can tell just by way he circles Orton and runs the ropes that he's upping his game. Orton's still growing and not that engaging when he's controlling the match, but he makes up for this with his youthful speed and that Chokeslam to RKO counter was seriously smooth. All the near-falls had the crowd on edge and you can tell that people are finally buying into the Streak. 
★★★★¼ 

[ohtani's jacket]

The video package at the start brings me up to speed with the angle. It's a fairly simple premise but it did give birth to the streak. I'm still unsure whether turning Orton heel was the best choice, but I did love Cowboy's involvement in the angle. He showed that he still had the business in his veins. The match itself is very much the Undertaker segment at WrestleMania. It's not as well laid out as some of Orton's other singles matches (most notably the match against Foley), but it's better than the average Undertaker match at WrestleMania.