Spotlight on: The Undertaker
The Undertaker is undoubtedly the most tenured and one of the most respected Superstar in the WWE.
His gimmick is one of the most successful ever and this past Survivor Series marked his nineteenth anniversary in the WWE, where he has been a main attraction for practically his whole tenure.
Here is a look at the WWE career of the legendary, one and only; Undertaker.
The Undertaker Arrives In WWE
At the Survivor Series in 1990, there would be a surprise addition to Ted Dibiase’s team.
It turned out to be a tall, stone-faced figure, dressed all in black, void of any emotion.
His name was the Undertaker and he won the match for his team, kick-starting one of the most epic careers the wrestling world will ever likely see.
It was clear early that the WWE had something special with the Undertaker.
A quick scan of the crowds and you could see the effect he had.
Fans looked at him with a combination of awe and fear, not quite sure what to make of him.
In the ring, a few things made him stand out from the rest of the roster.
For one he seemed to be impervious to pain, but the thing that really set him apart was the fact that he was incredibly agile for a big man.
He would often walk the ropes and fly through the air, which was, and still is, very uncharacteristic for a man his size.
His finishing move; The Tombstone, looked as devastating as any move in the WWE.
The Undertaker’s Meteoric Rise To The Top
The Undertaker spent his early days in the WWE (or WWF back then) feuding with Jimmy Snuka (his first WrestleMania victim).
After vanquishing Snuka he moved on to the Ultimate Warrior.
This was a memorable feud that saw Warrior become the first person Undertaker stuffed in a casket, but unfortunately never culminated in a pay per view match.
As Survivor Series approached, the Undertaker was deemed the #1 contender for Hulk Hogan’s WWE Championship.
He was billed as being undefeated (despite losing numerous house-show matches to Warrior) and it was promoted as Hogan’s “Gravest Challenge.”
Taker attacked Hogan in a memorable ‘Funeral Parlor’ segment and had momentum going into the match.
Undertaker would dominate the majority of the match and defeat Hogan by Tomstombing him on a steel chair that Ric Flair had placed in the ring.
Just one year into his WWE career, the Undertaker was the WWE Champion.
However, his reign would be short-lived as he would drop the title back to Hogan just six days later at a one time only pay per view called ‘This Tuesday in Texas’.
The Undertaker Turns Face
Undertaker was starting to get cheered late in ’91 so naturally, he turned face.
On an episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, he prevented former ally Jake Roberts from attacking Randy Savage and Elizabeth and went on to feud Roberts.
Roberts would close a coffin lid on The Deadman’s and repeatedly attack him with a chair so at WrestleMania, Undertaker was out for revenge.
Undertaker defeated Roberts, who was on his way out of WWE, convincingly at WrestleMania.
He would get up from several Finisher DDT’s and put Roberts away with a Tomstone on the floor.
The Undertaker Vs. Random Big Guy
The Undertaker would spend the next several years feuding with every freakish big man that came through the WWE and needless to say, some of the matches were pretty forgettable.
In late ’92 he feuded with Kamala, defeating him in a “Casket Match” at Survivor Series.
This was the first of several gimmick matches that spawned from The Undertaker’s superbly created character.
Others included the “Buried Alive Match” and the “Hell in a Cell Match,” but more on those later.
At the ’93 Royal Rumble, The Undertaker was attacked and eliminated by a monstrous man who was nearly eight feet tall.
His name was Giant Gonzalez.
Undertaker would defeated him by D.Q at WrestleMania IX (in arguably the worst match of the night) then defeated him again at SummerSlam.
Unfortunately, Gonzalez was an awful wrestler with very little mobility (and downright terrible wrestling attire) and it made the matches hard to watch.
At the ’94 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker would once again get a title shot.
The next big man on the docket was the 560 pound WWE Champion, Yokozuna.
The match would be a “Casket Match” and the storyline; Yokozuna was deathly afraid of caskets.
Undertaker was in complete control until an army of about 12 heels came out to help Yokozuna.
Undertaker held his own for a while, but eventually succumbed and lost the match.
Afterwards, there was an eerie vision of Undertaker rising to the heavens after promising to return.
The UnderFaker
Shortly before SummerSlam of that year, several vignettes ran with people who claimed to have seen the Undertaker while Ted Dibiase, who led a group known as the “Million Dollar Corporation”, claimed that he had the real Undertaker and would produce him at SummerSlam.
Paul Bearer, meanwhile, claimed that he had the real Undertaker.
The two met at SummerSlam where Brian Lee played the imposter and jobbed for the real deal.
The Undertaker then turned his attention to Yokozuna, who he had unfinished business with.
He would get his revenge at Survivor Series, defeating him in a “Casket Match.”
Undertaker then resumed his feud with the corporation.
He would defeat I.R.S. at the ’95 Royal Rumble, but after the match, the corporation stole the urn (which was allegedly the source of his power) while King Kong Bundy repeatedly splashed the Undertaker.
This set the stage for WrestleMania.
The Undertaker would regain possession of the urn and defeat Bundy at WrestleMania but later lost it again to Kama.
Kama turned the urn into a necklace but Undertaker gained his revenge a few short months later, defeating him in a “Casket Match” at Summer Slam.
Up next for Undertaker was King Mabel, who he also toppled in a “Casket Match.”
As WrestleMania XII approached, Undertaker was feuding with Diesel to find out who truly was the best big man in the WWE.
Of all the big men Undertaker faced during this period, this was probably the best match he had.
It was a hotly contested back-and-forth affair, but in the end, Undertaker came out on top once again.
Next up was Mankind.
They would battle on and off for the rest of the year and spawned the first ever “Boiler Room Brawl,” won by Mankind when Paul Bearer turned on Undertaker, and the first ever “Buried Alive Match,” won by Undertaker.
The Undertaker Wins Second WWE Title
After years of being passed over for World Title shots and sitting by as guys like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels became the top stars in the company, Undertaker finally got his chance.
He would face Sycho Sid for the title at Wrestlemania XIII.
It was a decent match, which Undertaker won with a Tombstone after Bret Hart interfered and attacked Sid.
After five and a half long years, Undertaker was finally WWE Champion again and there couldn’t have been anyone more deserving.
The Undertaker would defeat the likes of Mankind, Steve Austin, Sycho Sid, and Farooq during his five month title reign, certainly better than the six day run he had last time.
Hell In A Cell And The Arrival of Kane
The Undertaker would eventually drop the WWE title back to Hart at SummerSlam, when special referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit him with a chair.
This would lead to the fist ever “Hell In A Cell Match” at Badd Blood.
This was a great match with a very memorable ending as Undertaker’s brother Kane, presumed dead in a fire, showed up and attacked The Deadman, costing him the match.
The Undertaker initially said that he would not fight his brother but after months of provocation, finally agreed to face him at WrestleMania XIV.
It was a classic Undertaker match and after three Tombstones, the he finally emerged victorious.
He would defeat Kane again in the first ever “Inferno Match” the next month, when Kane’s arm was set on fire.
Undertaker Vs. Mankind One More Time
After his rivalry with Kane was put on hiatus, Undertaker rekindled his old feud with Mankind.
They would face off in a “Hell in a Cell” match, which would go down as one of the most watched and talked about matches in wrestling history.
Undertaker would throw Mankind off the roof of the Cell through the announce table, then Chokeslam him through the Cell roof, before finally dumping him on a pile of thumb-tacks.
Mercifully The Undertaker finally pinned him and it was a miracle that Mankind wasn’t more seriously hurt.
This match cemented Mankind’s reputation as the hardcore legend and enhanced Undertaker’s reputation as a ruthless competitor.
The Undertaker, Steve Austin, And The Ministry
The next month, the Undertaker would team with Steve Austin to win his first tag team title.
What he really wanted, though was Austin’s WWE title, which he got a shot at SummerSlam but came up short.
The next month, at Breakdown, he and Kane simultaneously defeated Austin for the title but Vince McMahon took the title and declared it vacant.
This would eventually lead to a Vince Vs. Undertaker feud which incorporated the greatest faction-based rivalry in WWE history.
In early ’99 the Undertaker would form the “Ministry.” A group consisting of the Acolytes, Mideon, Viscera, Gangrel, and a young Edge and Christian.
They would feud with the “Corporation” a group led by Vince McMahon consisting of the likes of Ken Shamrock, Test, and the Big Bossman.
At WrestleMania XV The Undertaker faced the Big Bossman in what was easily the worst “Hell in a Cell” match ever.
Shortly after Vince would reveal himself to be the “Higher Power” behind The Ministry and the merged together to form The Corporate Ministry.
At Over the Edge, Undertaker would win his third WWE title, defeating Steve Austin.
He dropped the belt back to Austin a month later, before losing subsequent rematch at Fully Loaded in a “First Blood Match”, which stipulated that Vince McMahon could never appear on WWE programming again, a ban that was lifted shortly after.
A couple of months later, Undertaker was suspended by Vince McMahon for refusing to take part in a match.
The American Badass
When Undertaker returned in ’00 he dropped the “Deadman” gimmick and became a tough guy biker.
This gimmick allowed him to be more human and was a refreshing change, albeit not that well received at first.
Around this time he began teaming with his brother Kane as the ‘Brothers of Destruction’, claiming the Tag Titles while feuding with Austin and Triple H.
Wrestlemania XXVII And The Invasion
The Undertaker’s opponent for WrestleMania XVII was none other than Triple H.
Triple H was at the top of his game at the time and was considered the best in the business, so it was one of the few times where you felt there was a chance that Undertaker might lose at WrestleMania.
In the latter stages of this epic encounter The Undertaker went for the Last Ride (which was his finisher at the time) but Triple H nailed him in the head with a Sledgehammer.
It looked like Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak was coming to an end but somehow, he kicked out.
He would later hit the Last Ride out of the corner and defeat The Game, something that didn’t happen very often by this point.
A couple months later the “Invasion” angle began and one of the most memorable angles featured DDP stalking Undertaker’s wife Sara.
The Undertaker would finally get his hands on him at King of the Ring and give him a good beating.
He would later be a part of the WWE team that defeated team WCW at the Survivor Series.
Undertaker Turns Heel
Late in ’01, Undertaker would once again turn heel.
This time, he did it by attacking Jim Ross and forcing him to kiss Vince’s ass.
Soon, Undertaker would set his sights on the legendary Ric Flair.
In order to get The Nature Boy to face him at Mania XVIII he provoked him week in and week out, even attacking Flair’s son David.
Flair eventually agreed and the two had a memorable match, which was eventually won by Undertaker, making him 10-0 at Wrestlemania.
At Backlash, Undertaker defeated Steve Austin to become the #1 contender for the WWE title.
The champion at the time was an old rival – Hulk Hogan.
At Judgment Day, over a decade after first defeating Hogan for the WWE title, the Undertaker did it once again and became a four time WWE champion.
During this title reign, he had a memorable program with Jeff Hardy which culminated in a great Ladder match, which Undertaker won.
After the match, he raised Jeff Hardy’s hand in a sign of respect, something he would later do for a Blue Chipper named Randy Orton.
He eventually lost the gold in a 3-way at Vengeance when The Rock pinned Kurt Angle.
Undertaker Moves To Smackdown
Undertaker made the jump to Smackdown late in ’02 and began feuding with Paul Heyman and his pet WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
The Undertaker would lose to Lesnar in a memorable “Hell in a Cell” match at No Mercy before taking a break after The Big Show threw him off the stage.
Upon his return, he would continue to feud with Big Show, leading to a match at WrestleMania XIX.
The Undertaker defeated Big Show and his partner A-Train in a pretty forgettable match, akin to the one against Bossman.
Late in the year the Undertaker would face Vince McMahon in a “Buried Alive” match, which McMahon would win with the help of Kane, which again saw The American Badass take some time off.
After months of playing mind games with Kane, the Undertaker finally returned at WrestleMania XX, where he had Paul Bearer by his side once again and reprised his “Deadman” gimmick.
He continued his streak, making Kane the only Superstar so far to be victimized twice by Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Undertaker would feud with WWE champion JBL later in the year but would come up short in his quest to win the championship.
Undertaker vs. Randy Orton
Early in 2005 and young, up-and-coming superstar named Randy Orton vowed to take on the challenge of facing Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Undertaker once again prevailed at ‘Mania, despite Cowboy Bob Orton’s interference.
The feud would not end there, however.
They would face off again at SummerSlam, and this time, Orton would get a measure of revenge, defeating the “Deadman.”
Orton, along with his father, would topple the Undertaker again at No Mercy in a handicap “Casket Match.”
After the match, Orton would set the casket on fire with Undertaker inside.
Somehow, Undertaker survived and returned to get the last laugh on Orton, defeating him in an excellent “Hell in a Cell” match at Armageddon.
New Feuds For The Undertaker
At Wrestlemania XXII Mark Henry became the next in a long line of victims before Taker moved on to have a mostly forgettable feud with The Great Khali and a slightly better one against Mr. Kennedy.
Undertaker Vs. Batista
As 2007 approached, the Undertaker had pretty much done it all in the WWE, except for one thing – win the Royal Rumble.
He entered at #30 and it would come down to him and fellow legend Shawn Michaels.
It was one of the most exciting ending sequences in Rumble history and after several teases, Undertaker finally eliminated Shawn Michaels and won his first Rumble, earning him a title shot at WrestleMania XXIII.
His opponent was The Animal; Batista who claimed that although he respected the Undertaker, he was not afraid of him.
They had a very good Mania encounter, but in the end The Undertaker emerged victorious once again and won his fifth World Title.
The Undertaker would face Batista again in a “Last Man Standing Match” and a “Steel Cage Match,” both ending in draws.
After the “Steel Cage Match,” Undertaker would be attacked by Mark Henry before Edge emerged and cashed in his “Money in the Bank” contract, becoming the new champion.
After getting his revenge on Mark Henry, the Undertaker once again set his sights on Batista, who had regained the title by this point.
After coming up short at Cyber Sunday, he would get his rematch at Survivor Series and it would be his speciality – “Hell in a Cell.”
Unfortunately for The Deadman, Edge infiltrated the match dressed as a cameraman, gifting Batista the win in order to once again embarrass Taker.
Undertaker Vs. Edge
At WrestleMania XXIV, Undertaker would challenge Edge for the World title.
They had an excellent match which as you’d expect The Deadman won to pick up the title once more.
The Undertaker would defeat Edge again by submission at Backlash which led to Vickie Guerrero stripping Undertaker of the title, claiming his ‘Hells Gate’ submission was an illegal choke hold.
Undertaker defeated Edge by count out at Judgment Day but Vickie ruled that the vacant title could not be won on a count out, leading to a memorable TLC match at One Night Stand which Edge won.
According to a stipulation placed on the match, Undertaker would be banished from the WWE forever.
Unsurprisingly he was reinstated a few months down the line and defeated Edge at SummerSlam in a “Hell in a Cell” match.
From here Taker feuded with The Big Show once more before stumbling into what would be one of the best rivalries of his career.
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
As Wrestlemania XXV approached, Vladimir Kozlov, JBL, and Shawn Michaels all expressed interest in challenging the Undertaker. Predictably, it was Michaels who would get the chance.
Michaels would get the upper hand going into WrestleMania, playing The Deadman at his own game with numerous mind-bending segments and opportunistic attacks.
When they eventually met in the ring the result was simply breathtaking. Many consider it the greatest WrestleMania match ever, but it was undoubtedly the match of the year.
The two veterans showed that they still had it and after a hard fought back-and-forth match with countless near falls, the Undertaker finally put Michaels away with a Tombstone.
Undertaker vs. C.M. Punk
After taking some time off, The Undertaker returned and set his sights on current World Champion C.M. Punk.
Undertaker lost to Punk in a “Submission Match” at Breaking Point, branded “The Montreal Screwjob part 2.”
Undertaker recieved a rematch at Hell in a Cell where he came out victorious, although if the rumours are to be believed there was more than a hint of backstage politics involved in the decision.
At Bragging Rights, the Undertaker successfully defended his title against Punk, Batista, and Mysterio before doing the same again at Survivor Series against the Big Show and Chris Jericho and again against Batista in a Chairs match at TLC.
Looking Ahead
In the coming months it looks like the Undertaker will either continue his feud with Batista or rekindle his feud with Chris Jericho.
He will likely lose the title before WrestleMania, where a rematch with HBK has been teased.
One thing is for certain, they will have their work cut out to top last year’s match.
Undertaker’s Legacy
The Undertaker is unquestionably one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time and will be remembered as much for his longevity as his title reigns and stand-out matches.
He has had one of the longest runs as a top star in WWE history, seeing many superstars come and go over the last nineteen years.
He perfected the “Deadman” gimmick from day one, always gives it his all in the ring and always performs at the highest level, regardless of the event.
His greatest legacy, though, is his undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
His victims are a who’s who of WWE superstars. Guys like HHH, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Batista, Edge, and Kevin Nash have all succumbed to the Undertaker at ‘Mania.
Some knock the Undertaker for not putting guys over and taking a spot away from a young guy but the fact is that when the situation has called for it, Undertaker has put guys over and he has earned his spot by remaining one of the most popular superstars and consistent performers in the WWE.
I, for one, hope the Undertaker’s health holds up for a few more years and we have the privilege of continuing to watch this legendary performer.
Frank Leal
