PHOENIX – One could argue that it wasn’t Shawn Michaels who lost on The Grandest Stage of Them All Sunday night. Yes, Michaels fell in defeat to The Phenom, who extended his unbeaten WrestleMania streak to an unprecedented 18-0. However, by ending The Showstopper’s illustrious career, The Deadman effectively provided the WWE Universe with perhaps its greatest collective loss in WWE history: the end of an icon’s ring career.

Their rematch was destined to happen – many believed that as soon as their epic first confrontation at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania concluded one year prior. It certainly remained foremost in the mind of HBK, who demanded another opportunity against The Phenom at The Show of Shows since last December’s Slammy Awards ceremony on Raw. Yet after months of calling out The Deadman and coming up short in bids to earn a rematch, Michaels finally succeeded after costing The Undertaker his World Heavyweight Title inside the Elimination Chamber last February.

Of course, garnering The Undertaker’s sole, undivided attention is a double-edged sword. The Phenom finally agreed to face The Showstopper one more time at WrestleMania – with the stipulation that it would be Shawn Michaels’ last time as a WWE Superstar, should he fail to end “The Streak,” a prize that many would equate to a World Championship … or perhaps hold in even higher regard.

Sunday’s rematch between HBK and The Undertaker was only the fourth such contest to end a WrestleMania without championship gold on the line. However, it was, by far, the most important of those matches. Furthermore, indecision or controversy was all but eliminated by the stipulation that this “Streak vs. Career” Match could end only via pinfall or submission.

“I wouldn’t have agreed to this match if I wasn’t at a place where I was ready to take on the inevitable, which is the end of my career,” Michaels told WWE.com in an exclusive interview hours before the confrontation. “I like to be a man of my word. I’d like to honor what I said to The Undertaker … that if I don’t beat his streak, I will walk away.”

That said, Michaels was more than ready Sunday night. Before a capacity crowd inside the University of Phoenix Stadium, fans’ loyalties were divided as “Mr. WrestleMania” gave the Showstopping performance of his career – and a match that must have left The Undertaker wondering, even if just for a moment, whether or not he could defeat HBK at a second consecutive WrestleMania.

Though it seemed impossible to conceive, Michaels and The Deadman outdid their epic confrontation from last year – a match that was deemed universally as 2009’s Match of the Year. The tide turned multiple times Sunday night, but when Michaels connected with the Sweet Chin Music that has silenced 25 years’ worth of ring opponents, posters stating “17-1” began popping up sporadically in the crowd.

Unfortunately for them, The Phenom wasn’t quite ready to relinquish his unbeaten WrestleMania record, a streak that is unparalleled in the history of WWE

WWE WrestleMania 2010 PPV Results in detail – Undertaker retains Streak

At WrestleMania, The Undertaker will put his 17-0 undefeated streak on the line against Shawn Michaels’ storybook career, in a rematch so highly anticipated and potentially explosive that it could only occur on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

The showdown between The Demon of Death Valley and HBK at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania one year ago had seemed like destiny. The Phenom – never bested in the history of WWE’s greatest pay-per-view – would finally clash with Mr. WrestleMania himself. Although The Deadman ultimately reigned supreme over Michaels in a match many consider as one of the greatest of all time, the epic battle only fueled their mutual legend as well as the WWE Universe’s insatiable thirst for a return confrontation.

After coming so close to a WrestleMania triumph over his legendary opponent, the highly-competitive HBK became obsessed with getting another opportunity. Yet no matter what he did, every one of his efforts over the past few months came up short. After suffering devastating losses in the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match on Raw, Michaels decided to take drastic measures of such magnitude, that The Undertaker would be forced to take notice. At WWE Elimination Chamber, just as The Phenom looked ready to finish off Chris Jericho to retain his title, Michaels suddenly emerged from under the steel grates of the demented structure, then delivered a jaw-shattering Sweet Chin Music that cost The Deadman his “holy grail.”

The Undertaker emerged on Raw one night later, seething for retribution. He finally agreed to HBK’s challenge on one condition: that The Showstopper put his career up against his 17-0 WrestleMania record.

Michaels accepted, claiming that if he can’t beat The Deadman this time around, there’s no reason why his career should continue.

What will happen when two of the greatest Superstars in the history of WWE decide their fate on The Grandest Stage of Them All? Find out at WrestleMania, March 28, at 7/4 PT, only on pay-per-view.

—————————————————————————————

This is the Poll results so far

SAN ANTONIO – With a bone-jarring Tombstone, World Heavyweight Champion Undertaker stopped the raging Batista inside the packed AT&T Center.

But the victory was not without controversy.

With chairs scattered about the outside of the ring from the start – and entirely legal to use against the opponent – the match could only end in pinfall or submission.

After exchanging chair shots throughout the brutal encounter, The Animal appeared to have captured the World Title after capitalizing on an ugly low blow he delivered to the champion. With The Phenom dazed from the dastardly deed, Batista struck with a chair shot to the head, followed up with the apparent pinfall.

However, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long ordered the match to be restarted, after explaining that although chairs were legal, low blows were not.

An angry Deadman seized the opportunity, stopping The Animal cold with the Tombstone.

Ever since regaining the World Heavyweight Title earlier this year at Hell in a Cell, The Undertaker has shown no signs of accepting anything but victory. The Phenom chalked up subsequent wins at WWE Bragging Rights, Survivor Series, and tonight at WWE TLC.

As 2009 comes to a close and Royal Rumble looms, The Phenom appears to be on course to successfully defend his inhuman 17-0 record at WrestleMania XXVI.

To find out if The Animal – or any Superstar – will try to derail the champion as 2010 approaches, don’t miss the next edition of SmackDown this Friday at 8/7 CT on MyNetworkTV.

WWE PPV TLC 2009 Results in Detail – Undertaker retains title

Undertaker is expected to retain the World Heavyweight Championship through the Royal Rumble, at which point he will drop the title to Batista.

There has been talk of running the match at WWE’s annual January pay-per-view spectacular with Batista heading into WrestleMania with the belt.

The feud has already commenced as Batista defeated Kane at last night’s SmackDown taping in Bridgeport, Connecticut to become the No. 1 contender to Undertaker’s World Heavyweight Championship. The two megastars will square off in a Chairs Match at next month’s WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view.

WrestleMania Update

There is a feeling in WWE that something special needs to be done with The Undertaker for WrestleMania 26. WWE knows that more and more fans are tired of the same old matches and want to deliver a match that fans have not seen before. The Dead Man’s health continues to deteriorate and he’s less mobile now than he’s ever been, so his year as a Wrestlemania draw are certainly winding down. Right now, a match with John Cena is being strongly considered as the main event for WrestleMania.

- There is also talk of a Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 26. The two have wrestled each other many times before, but not in several years and never on the grand stage of WrestleMania. While DX is still one of the top babyface acts in WWE, this one makes sense and WWE may have planted the seed for the match at Survivor Series with HBK superkicking the Game in the opening moments of their triple threat match with John Cena.

- At one point, there had been a plan for a CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio Hair vs. Mask match at WrestleMania 26, but this is unlikely to happen now considering Mysterio’s injury problems.

WWE Vice President Shane McMahon Looking To Buy Part Of UFC