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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev., PWTorch.com Reader
Over the course of the past several months, Vladimir Kozlov's claim of being undefeated has been further and further altered. First, he was undefeated (period) until a DQ loss to Jeff Hardy in December 2008 changed it to "never having been pinned or submitted."
It changed again after a Royal Rumble Elimination to "never been defeated in one-on-one competition." After Raw on March 2, Kozlov's definition changed again to "never been beaten on Friday nights." It was changed again when he lost on Smackdown this past Friday. There is the possible card that Kozlov has never submitted yet to play, but his tough tale has been spun more times than a spider web.
The one-two punch ending Vladimir Kozlov's undefeated streak are heading to WrestleMania 25: Shawn Michaels and Undertaker. Undertaker has yet to be defeated at WrestleMania, standing at 16-0.
This past Monday, March 9, Shawn Michaels (with a below average 6-9 record) sold the idea that while Undertaker may be undefeated at WrestleMania, Undertaker has never beaten him. But is it a true statement to make, considering how Kozlov's "undefeatedness" kept changing to fit the context? Let's look at the history of The Heartbreak Kid and The Phenom:
August 18, 1997, Raw: Undertaker/Mankind defeats Shawn Michaels/Hunter Hearst Helmsley by DQ. By changing the wording of Kozlov's undefeated streak after the DQ loss to Jeff Hardy, it's acknowledged that a loss is a loss no matter how it happens. Taking that into consideration, Shawn Michaels already has no claim whatsoever to his statement to Undertaker. The record starts at 0-1-0.
September 9, 1997, Ground Zero (what these days would be Unforgiven): Michaels vs. Undertaker ends in a no contest. Undertaker didn't beat Shawn, but Shawn didn't beat Undertaker, either. The record goes to 0-1-1.
October 5, 1997, Bad Blood (what these days would be No Mercy): Shawn Michaels beats Undertaker in the first-ever Hell In A Cell match. It has yet to be noted on TV that Shawn got a little help from the debuting Kane to win after basically being beaten to a bloody pulp. The record goes to 1-1-1.
January 18, 1998, Royal Rumble: Shawn Michaels beats Undertaker in a casket match. Shawn's effort to continue through this match should be noted as this is the match in which his back injury occurred. That aside, like with the HIAC match, Shawn had an assist in the win, this
time from DX. The record goes to 2-1-1.
Fast Forward to 2007. Injuries to both men, time, and a brand split keep them apart for nearly ten years. The current Michaels-Undertaker record is 2-1-1 on paper, but Shawn Michaels has yet to truly defeat The Dead Man.
January 18, 2007, Royal Rumble: Shawn draws #23; Undertaker draws the dubious #30. A handful of competitors come and go before Undertaker is last man standing. The next to last man: Shawn Michaels. Shawn Michaels lost to Undertaker and no one else that night. The
record goes to 2-2-1.
February 18, 2007, No Way Out: John Cena/Shawn Michaels beat Batista/Undertaker. It should be noted that John Cena pinned Undertaker during this match and not Shawn. Shawn Michaels was on the winning team, but did not "win" the match. The record goes to 3-2-1
March 26, 2007, Raw: Batista/Undertaker beat John Cena/Shawn Michaels in a re-match. During this match, Batista pinned John Cena. Shawn Michaels was on the losing team, but Undertaker did not win the match. The record goes to 3-3-1.
January 27, 2008, Royal Rumble: Shawn Michaels (starting at #2) eliminated Undertaker (#1). Though outlasting Undertaker, Shawn is immediately eliminated afterwards by Mr. Kennedy and does not finish the Rumble. The record going to WrestleMania 25 is 3-3-2.
There may have been other wins and losses that are unaccounted for as the cameras weren't there to capture the moment, but these moments that were captured poke holes in Shawn Michaels's claims of "undefeatedness" against Undertaker. This is turn undermines what could have been the "money angle" for what should otherwise be a very good match.
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