Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Miley Cyrus’ topless Instagram photos, placing bets on Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley II, or Felix Trinidad going broke, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
As many of you know, WWE’s The Undertaker finally lost a WrestleMania match earlier this week. Going into WrestleMania XXX, the promotional videos and ‘Taker’s in-ring soliloquies were full of things like, “21 men have tried to stop The Undertaker and 21 have been defeated.” The problem is, The Undertaker did not defeat 21 WWE wrestlers at WrestleMania. He beat Triple H thrice (WrestleMania XVII, XXVII, XXVIII), Shawn Michaels twice (WrestleMania XXV, XXVI), and Kane twice (WrestleMania XIV, XX). While WWE storylines and finishing maneuvers often defy logic, Vince McMahon isn’t powerful enough to defy proper counting. The wording of those 21-0 Undertaker promos always bugged me, but not as much as…
…when boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. brags about his undefeated record. Mayweather has been the most talented pugilist in the sport of boxing for the last decade, but he has also been one of the most obnoxious morons in any sport for the last decade. His boasts about his perfect record make him sound like an even bigger moron. When he was 43-0 he would say, “43 have tried and 43 have failed.” When he was 44-0 he would say, “44 have tried and 44 have failed.” You get the idea. The problem is, he fought Jose Luis Castillo twice. So really, when he was 44-0, 43 boxers tried and failed against him. Mayweather is a known idiot, but I expected super advisor Al Haymon to teach him the finer points of counting.
While I understand that undefeated records are precious things and fantastic marketing tools, you can’t lie about math to embellish undefeated streaks. It’s stupid. It’s annoying. It teaches impressionable youths that counting properly isn’t cool. It’s like The Undertaker and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. were traumatized by Sesame Street and want to negate the counting lessons the show has taught millions. (It’s not really like that, but for some reason I was thinking about the counting segments Sesame Street.)
Perhaps I’m nitpicking, but I’ve always hated when The Undertaker and Mayweather would infuse their promos with improper counting. What do you think? Does it bother me, simply because I think that Mayweather is a complete ass? Or do I have a legitimate point. Leave a comment and let me know (please!).
… and you wonder why movies get “dumbed down” for society?
-M
I actually noticed it immediately when I heard the Undertaker promo. I was watching it on DVR and paused it. I then did research at that very moment knowing it wasn’t right, I just wanted to see how far off.
However, one of those wins was a Triple Threat (WM XIX, Big Show and A-Train).
Another reason why you’re awesome! Even with the Triple Threat match, ‘Taker did not defeat 21 men in his WrestleMania matches.
Right, he’s technically defeated 18.
He should have said “21 TIMES men have tried to stop the streak, and 21 TIMES these men have failed”.