Breaking Down Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon

We thought Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 was going to be the biggest MMA fight of the year. Surely no fight could come close to topping a battle between two street legends with their famed reputations on the line. We were wrong.

This Sunday in Dallas, Texas, Shane McMahon faces The Undertaker in a fight for control of the longest running, weekly episodic television show in U.S. history at the biggest event of the year. Not only is this the unquestionable biggest fight of the year, but it might be the biggest fight of all-time given the implications. A company, a career, and a life are on the line.

Working on speed and precision with Coach Hlavacek. 3 weeks and a day away from @Wrestlemania. @WATNYC pic.twitter.com/lO1GX5TlQZ

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) March 12, 2016

On paper, this looks like a mismatch. The Undertaker is 22-1 at Wrestlemania. He’s the best pure striker in WWE history and has a nearly unstoppable submission move. He’s bigger and far more experienced. Shane has heart and is willing to take a beating to give a beating, but he’s never faced anyone as decorated as The Undertaker on this stage.

However, here are a few things to consider: First, Shane is undefeated at Wrestlemania. He’s only 2-0, but one of those matches was against his father and the other was for the European Title. He’s been on this stage before and he’s had success. He’ll never have the accolades that Undertaker has, but his resume is still pretty strong. Second, he’s younger and doesn’t have the wear and tear on his body that Undertaker has. Shane hasn’t fought in seven years. Undertaker doesn’t fight often, but he’s been fighting at least once a year during those seven years and he’s coming off a brutal 2015 that included two fights against Brock Lesnar. Shane is not only fresher, but he’s younger and far more athletic. Finally, Shane has acquired the best trainers in the world to help him for this fight. He’s training under Phil Nurse and Renzo Gracie. For those that don’t know, those are two men who helped mold Georges St. Pierre into the greatest MMA fighter of all-time. If you don’t think this is a big deal, then I would refer you to the recent Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz fight. Diaz correctly pointed out that he was training with top 10 guys while Conor was, “playing touch-butt in the park.” In this case, Shane is training with world-class trainers while Undertaker is playing doctor with Michelle McCool.

Working on a few surprises for The Deadman with long time friend and coach @RenzoGracieBJJ. pic.twitter.com/skG0vodtKL

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) March 16, 2016

Will that be enough for Shane to win on Sunday? Despite his reputation, age, and training, conquering Undertaker is still an extremely tough task. As mentioned, Taker is the best pure striker we’ve ever seen in the ring. His power and accuracy is second to none. He doesn’t do anything fancy like Roman Reigns and his superman punch or AJ Styles and his flurry of strikes. He stands in front of you; jabs, puts a cross behind it, and goes to the body. Taker mentioned that “these (his fists)” are his legacy. Well, “these” finish fights. Shane can’t stand in front of Taker. He has to use his footwork and quick hands to stick and move. He’d also be wise to incorporate leg kicks into his plan of attack. Taker doesn’t move as well as he used to and if Shane can slow him down even more, that would be a huge win for him.

We know what to expect from Taker on the ground. He has the best guard in the game. He can lock on a triangle, armbar, or his famed gogoplata in an instant. The only way to escape the hold once it’s locked is to power out and unfortunately for Shane, he’s never shown the strength to prove he can escape. That means he’ll have to be very mindful on the ground and avoid being in Taker’s guard. He might take a page out of Randy Couture’s book and ride in half guard while raining down punches. Training under Renzo, Shane will definitely have a couple of tricks up his sleeve, but he can’t get too aggressive because he definitely doesn’t want Taker on top of him. While he’s never shown it, I have a sneaky feeling that Taker can lock on the gogoplata from mount.

Spent the morning @WATNYC with @AjarnPhilNurse and the evening with Rolles and @RenzoGracieBJJ. #WrestleManiaSeason pic.twitter.com/sMN6O1wpXu

— Shane McMahon (@shanemcmahon) March 19, 2016

We know that the ref will be very lenient with the rules in this one. I’m not saying this fight is fixed, but Vince McMahon has a lot of power behind the scenes and I guarantee that he’s told the ref that this fight shouldn’t be stopped under any circumstances. Given what’s on the line, I can’t blame him. I just hope that Vince hasn’t used his influence to completely determine the outcome of this fight and he allows both guys to settle things inside the cage.

It’s tough for me to pick a winner in this one. Taker hasn’t looked like himself in his most recent big fights, but Shane is coming off an extremely long layoff. Shane’s age and training program make me lean towards him, but Taker is not going to go down without a fight. I just think Taker is too far past his prime and has lost his edge while Shane wants it more, might have a few tricks up his sleeve, and is willing to die for this victory.