auph10imitated
Dennis Stamp
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Post by auph10imitated on Mar 26, 2019 11:20:19 GMT -5
I would say it was over, it was what it was, but it produced such a horrible match that's its looked back upon so negatively, but as a story-line during that period of time, it was a popular story-line. It did its job to reintroduce The Undertaker in a unique way.
Although they could have simply had him face Yokozuna since it was Yoko he faced when he left in January, and Yoko literally wasnt doing anything and wasnt even on the Summerslam card.Which is quite a fall from grace from main eventing Wrestlemania.
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Magnus the Magnificent
King Koopa
didn't want one.
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Post by Magnus the Magnificent on Mar 26, 2019 11:27:00 GMT -5
I'm not seeing what was so wrong with Brian Lee. He did a phenomenal job imitating Undertaker's movements and overall ring style up to that point. What more could be asked? 4 inches taller?
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petef3
Don Corleone
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Post by petef3 on Mar 26, 2019 11:46:25 GMT -5
I'm not seeing what was so wrong with Brian Lee. He did a phenomenal job imitating Undertaker's movements and overall ring style up to that point. What more could be asked? 4 inches taller? Good point. Quick: name all the wrestlers active in the U.S. in 1994 who were as tall and thin and pale as Mark Callaway who could do a leaping clothesline and a tombstone without killing their opponent or themselves and who didn't have commitments with WCW or Japan where the real money was at the time. ::taps fingers on desk::
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2019 12:35:05 GMT -5
I'm not seeing what was so wrong with Brian Lee. He did a phenomenal job imitating Undertaker's movements and overall ring style up to that point. What more could be asked? 4 inches taller? I can understand why some might have found that bothersome when they finally stood face to face, but Lee was about as close as they could get without bringing in someone so recognizable that we would all instantly be going "Why is Sid dressed like Undertaker?" Personally, when I finally saw the Underfaker stand face to face with the real deal, it just impressed me by how much bigger and scarier the real Undertaker actually was.
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Post by A Platypus Rave is Correct on Mar 26, 2019 12:44:40 GMT -5
I can understand why some might have found that bothersome when they finally stood face to face, but Lee was about as close as they could get without bringing in someone so recognizable that we would all instantly be going "Why is Sid dressed like Undertaker?" Personally, when I finally saw the Underfaker stand face to face with the real deal, it just impressed me by how much bigger and scarier the real Undertaker actually was. Which honestly is probably what they were going for. Dibiase's being an obvious fake when compared to the geniune article
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Magnus the Magnificent
King Koopa
didn't want one.
I could write a book about what you don't know!
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Post by Magnus the Magnificent on Mar 26, 2019 14:13:40 GMT -5
Good point. Quick: name all the wrestlers active in the U.S. in 1994 who were as tall and thin and pale as Mark Callaway who could do a leaping clothesline and a tombstone without killing their opponent or themselves and who didn't have commitments with WCW or Japan where the real money was at the time. ::taps fingers on desk:: Glenn Jacobs Slightly buffer but not noticably so unless in direct comparison, which was the point anyway.
Skin tone can be faked.
I can understand why some might have found that bothersome when they finally stood face to face, but Lee was about as close as they could get without bringing in someone so recognizable that we would all instantly be going "Why is Sid dressed like Undertaker?" Personally, when I finally saw the Underfaker stand face to face with the real deal, it just impressed me by how much bigger and scarier the real Undertaker actually was. Relax, it was a joke post. Suggesting that Brian Lee should grow a couple of inches would be a pretty good indicator, no? The angle of the above photo is a bit tricksy, so here's another comparison: Brian Lee is billed as three inches shorter than Taker, which seems to be the case here, but with boot lifts in, who knows?
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Post by Hit Girl on Mar 26, 2019 14:18:08 GMT -5
Don't make it the main event of Summerslam 94. Would have been fine as a midcard thing.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2019 14:32:08 GMT -5
Glenn Jacobs might have worked, but aside from being taller he looked even less like Taker than Lee did. Also, I don't feel like having a fake Undertaker who is bigger, taller and scarier than the real one would have been a great move.
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Perfect Timing
Dennis Stamp
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Post by Perfect Timing on Mar 26, 2019 14:57:24 GMT -5
To me regardless of how poor the match was and how dead the crowd was...At least it had one of the greatest Vince McMahon calls when the real Undertaker is introduced. Seriously go back and watch as Takers shadow emerges from the entrance way and Vince is like...."OOooooh my goodness, now THAT....THAT is The Undertaker!"
It was a good feud for the kids, being 10 years old I marked out for that huge URN bearer had with the ridiculous torch inside of it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2019 15:31:11 GMT -5
I was there live and I loved it, I was 5 years old but still. Looking back though it would have been cool if it was a Undertaker vs Bizarro Undertaker thing instead of a straight up clone.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2019 15:31:50 GMT -5
As has been said, having a halfway decent performer as the Underfaker. What would this accomplish, exactly? And "decent performer" in what sense? Being able to do moonsaults? If your job was imitating the Undertaker, then to me that would make you a pretty crappy "performer," instead of decent. The very gimmick of the time almost precluded someone from being able to even be a "decent performer." Lee did as well as possible under the circumstances. As Jim Cornette pointed out, the Road Warriors drew better with Arn & Tully and the Midnights and the Briscos than they did with the Skyscrapers and Powers of Pain. Why? Because the latter feuds were "Rock vs. Rock--you need Paper or Scissors in there." Holy strawman. I feel like there's a pretty big divide between, "They needed to have cast someone who looks exactly like Undertaker but wrestles like AJ Styles," and, "They could have at least gotten someone who was capable of putting on a decent match." As for the drawing thing... If anything that seems to be an argument for why the Underfaker thing was a stupid idea, since... You know, it WAS effectively rock vs. rock because it was two guys doing the same moveset and the same gimmick. Granted I will give that as best I can find the show did well on PPV. Couldn't find a reliable exact number but it seems to have been fine. Found mixed things on the crowd though, some sources saying it was heavily papered and some saying otherwise.
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petef3
Don Corleone
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Post by petef3 on Mar 26, 2019 21:34:43 GMT -5
What would this accomplish, exactly? And "decent performer" in what sense? Being able to do moonsaults? If your job was imitating the Undertaker, then to me that would make you a pretty crappy "performer," instead of decent. The very gimmick of the time almost precluded someone from being able to even be a "decent performer." Lee did as well as possible under the circumstances. As Jim Cornette pointed out, the Road Warriors drew better with Arn & Tully and the Midnights and the Briscos than they did with the Skyscrapers and Powers of Pain. Why? Because the latter feuds were "Rock vs. Rock--you need Paper or Scissors in there." Holy strawman. I feel like there's a pretty big divide between, "They needed to have cast someone who looks exactly like Undertaker but wrestles like AJ Styles," and, "They could have at least gotten someone who was capable of putting on a decent match." As for the drawing thing... If anything that seems to be an argument for why the Underfaker thing was a stupid idea, since... You know, it WAS effectively rock vs. rock because it was two guys doing the same moveset and the same gimmick. Granted I will give that as best I can find the show did well on PPV. Couldn't find a reliable exact number but it seems to have been fine. Found mixed things on the crowd though, some sources saying it was heavily papered and some saying otherwise.
My point was, the very gimmick of the Undertaker almost precludes "putting on a decent match." The very few good ZombieTaker matches at this stage involved either a.) a fast opponent just relentlessly throwing everything they have at him, or b.) Yokozuna, about the only effective-working big man who can actually make Undertaker look like a sympathetic underneath babyface.
I think we agree on the second point.
Evaluating attendance might be tricky because I imagine the United Center itself was a bit of a draw, sort of like SkyDome at WrestleMania 6 though to a far lesser degree. Remember that SummerSlam was the first event in the new building.
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Post by Mister Pigwell on Mar 26, 2019 21:39:24 GMT -5
Yeah this was over as hell with a 10 year old me.
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thecrusherwi
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Post by thecrusherwi on Mar 26, 2019 21:46:22 GMT -5
To me regardless of how poor the match was and how dead the crowd was...At least it had one of the greatest Vince McMahon calls when the real Undertaker is introduced. Seriously go back and watch as Takers shadow emerges from the entrance way and Vince is like...."OOooooh my goodness, now THAT....THAT is The Undertaker!" It was a good feud for the kids, being 10 years old I marked out for that huge URN bearer had with the ridiculous torch inside of it. I agree with this. Vince selling the siloette of the real Undertaker made it an awesome moment. That was also the debut of the super cinematic Undertaker entrance that became the standard. This storyline was still a strange booking choice, but it was much cooler at the time than it looks in hindsight.
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Post by Aceorton on Mar 26, 2019 22:54:59 GMT -5
This thread has succeeded in reminding me how putrid the WWF was in 1994.
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auph10imitated
Dennis Stamp
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Post by auph10imitated on Mar 27, 2019 9:28:26 GMT -5
Good point. Quick: name all the wrestlers active in the U.S. in 1994 who were as tall and thin and pale as Mark Callaway who could do a leaping clothesline and a tombstone without killing their opponent or themselves and who didn't have commitments with WCW or Japan where the real money was at the time. ::taps fingers on desk:: Glenn Jacobs Slightly buffer but not noticably so unless in direct comparison, which was the point anyway.
Skin tone can be faked.
I can understand why some might have found that bothersome when they finally stood face to face, but Lee was about as close as they could get without bringing in someone so recognizable that we would all instantly be going "Why is Sid dressed like Undertaker?" Personally, when I finally saw the Underfaker stand face to face with the real deal, it just impressed me by how much bigger and scarier the real Undertaker actually was. Relax, it was a joke post. Suggesting that Brian Lee should grow a couple of inches would be a pretty good indicator, no? The angle of the above photo is a bit tricksy, so here's another comparison: Brian Lee is billed as three inches shorter than Taker, which seems to be the case here, but with boot lifts in, who knows? Should have called them Double Take(r) and given them the tag team titles.
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Ultimo Gallos
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Mar 27, 2019 11:16:19 GMT -5
Didn't see this angle as it was happening. I was 20 and only wrestling I watched was old tapes and WCW Saturday night.
Finally saw it in the mid 90s...it was ok. Brian Lee was entertaining in SMW and ECW. But felt like something was missing in his WWF runs.
Honestly never been much of a Undertaker fan. I get why he has a huge fanbase. And respect how he took a crap gimmick and ran with it.
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Post by wildojinx on Mar 27, 2019 11:36:24 GMT -5
They also should have let Underfaker do his own promos (have Taker coach him on how to imitate him) instead of just dubbing the real Undertaker voice over.
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auph10imitated
Dennis Stamp
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Post by auph10imitated on Mar 27, 2019 12:11:09 GMT -5
They also should have let Underfaker do his own promos (have Taker coach him on how to imitate him) instead of just dubbing the real Undertaker voice over. Did that happen? I actually dont remember that. I didnt know he even spoke.
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Post by abjordans on Mar 27, 2019 12:51:28 GMT -5
It got over exactly as it happened.
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