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Post by The Baltimore Staircase on Jan 6, 2013 15:37:26 GMT -5
He was lazy as s*** and boring as all hell in the ring from 2000-mid 2002, but from the point of the mini Jeff Hardy feud on, he was much better. Still, his in ring skills improved a ton once he started incorporating a more MMA style as Deadman Taker. With that in mind, I'll side with meh on his gimmick. I'm gonna be annoying and jump in to half-defend him here. There was no way his lazy/bloated period lasted that long. I would argue that come 2001 he was on his way to getting a lot better. Didn't he feature on some PWI "worst of 2000" list? Rightfully so, he was just sloppy.
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Post by fuzzywarble, squat cobbler on Jan 6, 2013 15:39:26 GMT -5
On a similar note, is that where Billy Gunn got his 'Famouser' name from? Wasn't he trying to be a western-themed outlaw-type at the time his finisher was named? I don't think he was using the FamASSer until his he was Bad Ass/Mr. Ass (or at least the name). He used it before teaming with Road Dogg, when he adopted the 'Bad Ass' name and wore pants with a southwestern design motif.
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Post by Some Guy on Jan 6, 2013 16:13:05 GMT -5
He was lazy as s*** and boring as all hell in the ring from 2000-mid 2002, but from the point of the mini Jeff Hardy feud on, he was much better. Still, his in ring skills improved a ton once he started incorporating a more MMA style as Deadman Taker. With that in mind, I'll side with meh on his gimmick. I'm gonna be annoying and jump in to half-defend him here. There was no way his lazy/bloated period lasted that long. I would argue that come 2001 he was on his way to getting a lot better. Didn't he feature on some PWI "worst of 2000" list? Rightfully so, he was just sloppy. He had that awful match with Kronik in 2001, as well as the hideous feud with DDP and the feud where he made Booker look like crap and didn't do anyone any favors in the process. Plus, his feud with Power Trip was rather underwhelming and his matches with Austin weren't particularly good at the time. Combine that with beating Triple H who was on fire (I understand in hindsight it's been great for business, but at the time...)... He was also really bad in 2002 until the feud with Jeff and then Rock/Brock. That was partially because of his opponents (a rough Triple H, Hogan), but bah.
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Glitch
King Koopa
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Post by Glitch on Jan 6, 2013 17:51:40 GMT -5
That hoody he wore made him look like a wino.
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Jan 6, 2013 21:59:16 GMT -5
It was amazing. I really miss it.
The Deadman Taker was my favorite when I was say ten; but as I grew up, the love for that character waned a ton. When he went BikerTaker, I LOVED it. I wish he'd have never gone back.
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Post by The Gambler Fan on Jan 6, 2013 22:49:19 GMT -5
My problem with it was that it was too soon after the DOA. I was not a fan of the DOA and Bikertaker seemed like he belonged in that group.
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Post by Cry Me a Wiggle on Jan 7, 2013 0:20:55 GMT -5
The only reason I disliked it was that there was no character progression from Satanic cult leader to tobacco-chewing biker. I mean, had he been dumped into a vat of holy water on New Year's Eve (© 1999 Eric Bischoff), that would have been one thing. As it was presented though, he just... stopped being an undead devil worshiping psychopath.
I think there were ways to do BikerTiker while still retaining some of the old elements of the Undertaker. A hybrid of the characters, as it were. It would have made the gimmick more palpable to those who hated it, while still allowing Mean Mark to evolve his character.
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Post by Henry Mark on Jan 7, 2013 1:09:07 GMT -5
...However it did give him The Last Ride so I can at least give him that. I can't agree with your other comments because I liked him, but I came in here just to say that BikerTaker was when he started using The Last Ride and it is still by far my favorite finisher ever because it looked BRUTAL and worlds better than any other powerbomb I've seen a tall guy do. Vader's was another impressive one because he'd pull his opponent down, but Taker's reigns supreme in my mind due to the height advantage as well as the pull down. Sid's and Nash's looked lazy to me by just hoisting the guy up and letting gravity do the work. Would love to see Big Show do The Last Ride to someone.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2013 2:53:24 GMT -5
...However it did give him The Last Ride so I can at least give him that. I can't agree with your other comments because I liked him, but I came in here just to say that BikerTaker was when he started using The Last Ride and it is still by far my favorite finisher ever because it looked BRUTAL and worlds better than any other powerbomb I've seen a tall guy do. Vader's was another impressive one because he'd pull his opponent down, but Taker's reigns supreme in my mind due to the height advantage as well as the pull down. Sid's and Nash's looked lazy to me by just hoisting the guy up and letting gravity do the work. Would love to see Big Show do The Last Ride to someone. To defend Nash, I always thought the Jackknife had an aesthetic quality to it that really suited Nash's character. Nash has always been a guy who touted that he didn't need much to beat you because he had enough size that it didn't matter. The Jackknife was pretty much the definition of that, it's basically saying "sure, I could lift you higher, I could slam you harder, but this is easier and it's gonna kill you anyways, so why should I?". But I agree, the Last Ride is the best powerbomb finisher. It's amazing in its simplicity. It's just a powerbomb, all he does is lift the guy as high as possible before he brings him down. The move questions why everyone who finished guys with powerbombs didn't do it like that. For as long as the move existed no one thought to go that extra mile until Taker did it(though chances are I'm talking out my ass and Taker isn't the first to do it).
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Post by joebob27 on Jan 7, 2013 3:06:13 GMT -5
I think Albert taught him it. Only problem with that finish was that if it's done to bigger guys, they had to use the contrived corner spot to set it up. That and Ric Flair couldn't do a situp and almost got himself killed.
Would be a great finish to give a big guy now because virtually everyone is small enough to give it to, the right way.
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Magnus the Magnificent
King Koopa
didn't want one.
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Post by Magnus the Magnificent on Jan 7, 2013 7:19:45 GMT -5
My problem with it was that it was too soon after the DOA. I was not a fan of the DOA and Bikertaker seemed like he belonged in that group. Funny you should mention that. Chainz (Brian Lee) of the DOA played the UnderFaker in 1994, and later on the real Undertaker playes an outlaw biker. I guess that completed the circle, or something.
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Allie Kitsune
Crow T. Robot
Always Feelin' Foxy.
Celestial Princess in Exile.
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Post by Allie Kitsune on Jan 7, 2013 9:07:55 GMT -5
Loved, loved, LOVED Big Evil. Even the instrumental version of the "Dead Man Walking" theme (though it sounded weird the first time he came out to it, against Hogan).
Also, for people saying there was no transition from Deadman Taker to BikerTaker, doesn't anybody remember when he was still SatanTaker and in the "Unholy Alliance" with Big Show, and cut that promo about him and Show riding motorcycles out in the desert, letting Show's bike run out of gas, and leaving him there?
Taker had made motorcycle references even before he was the American Badass or Big Evil.
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