In a rather biting commentary on the “dirtsheets” that report professional wrestling news, former WWE writer John Piermarini contests the claim that Triple H and The Undertaker finalized plans for their WrestleMania match recently.
According to Piermarini, “Reason #121 why you don’t believe everything you read in dirt sheets. They were reporting Undertaker vs. Wade Barrett, Undertaker and Kane vs. The Corre and other incarnations of WM matches for Taker but this match was planned since last August. Now that it’s out there I can reveal that.”
But Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer, who had been the source of a lot of Undertaker-WrestleMania gossip, contends that Piermarini is wrong–logic and common sense support Meltzer in this case.
One wondering whether WWE truly had Triple H vs. Undertaker locked down for WrestleMania last summer need look no further than WWE’s attempt to book Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker. If WWE had already slated ‘Taker for a WrestleMania match, it would have made no sense for The Undertaker to “work an angle” with Lesnar at UFC 121. It similarly would have made no sense for Vince McMahon to call UFC President Dana White about clearing his former champion for the WWE show.
Multiple sources, including one which is now agreeing with Piermarini’s claims, also reported in January that The Undertaker went to a SmackDown! taping to discuss his forthcoming angle with Wade Barrett. With the Lesnar-Taker match off, WWE moved towards Undertaker vs. Wade Barrett, and the fact that they were meeting about their angle suggests it was in the cards as late as January of 2011. The Observer adds that Barrett was largely moved to SmackDown! so that this angle could be set up.
A logical match due to their veteran statuses and joint connection to Shawn Michaels, Undertaker vs. Triple H has very likely been discussed for a long time. But the evidence indicates that it was not part of any concrete plan until recently.
