#8 - THE UNDERTAKER
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Total Points: 398 Points
Total Votes: 25
Highest Placement: 2 (3 Votes)[/center]
Bio: The Deadman has overcome every challenge he's faced in his WWE career en route to becoming one of the the greatest Superstars in WWE history.
From the moment his signature gong fills the air, WWE fans are captivated by Undertaker’s mere presence. The Deadman from Death Valley is usually a man of few words, but can often intimidate even the toughest WWE Superstars with one glance. His somber persona has been a terrifying trademark of WWE for over 15 years, and no list of WWE all-time greats can be considered complete without Undertaker.
At the 1990 Survivor Series, Ted DiBiase introduced Undertaker as the final member of his “Million Dollar Team” for a Classic Survivor Series Match. From the minute he walked through the curtain with manager Brother Love, fans were in awe of the Deadman’s presence.
Undertaker soon left Brother Love in favor of Paul Bearer, and made his WrestleMania debut by defeating Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka in 1991. The Deadman quickly made major waves in WWE, winning the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan within a year of his debut at the 1991 Survivor Series. Hogan received an immediate rematch a week later, defeating the Deadman to regain the championship and end his undefeated streak.
After defeating former ally Jake “The Snake” Roberts at WrestleMania VIII, Undertaker became a fan favorite and found himself embroiled in a rivalry with manager Harvey Wippleman. Over the next year, Undertaker fought off several of Wippleman’s associates, including a victory over Kamala in the first-ever Casket Match at Survivor Series1992. Wippleman next produced Giant Gonzales, whom Undertaker defeated at WrestleMania IX and SummerSlam 1993.
At the 1994 Royal Rumble, the Deadman met Yokozuna in a Casket Match for the WWE Championship. It took nearly a dozen men to help the 700-pound champion defeat the Deadman, and after the match, Undertaker said he would not rest in peace. Months later, Ted DiBiase claimed that he found Undertaker, but it turned out to be only a look-alike, and the real Deadman defeated his impostor at SummerSlam 1994. Undertaker then got his revenge on Yokozuna, defeating the big man in a Casket Match at the 1994 Survivor Series.
1995 saw Undertaker continue to battle Ted DiBiase’s Corporation, who had stolen Paul Bearer’s sacred urn at the Royal Rumble. Undertaker took on and defeated DiBiase’s entire team, including a victory over King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania XI and a Casket Match victory over Kama at SummerSlam.
After a brief rivalry that saw Mabel destroy Undertaker’s face, the Deadman vanquished Mabel in a Casket Match and turned his sights back to the WWE Championship. He took on Bret Hart at the 1996 Royal Rumble, but Diesel’s interference cost the Deadman his chance. After returning the favor to Diesel the next month, Undertaker defeated him at WrestleMania XII for his fifth consecutive WrestleMania victory.
Later in 1996, Paul Bearer turned on the Deadman, casting his lot with Mankind. Following Mankind’s Boiler Room Brawl victory over Undertaker at SummerSlam, Bearer handed the sacred urn to Mankind, who nailed the Deadman in the head with it. Undertaker finally got revenge by defeating Mankind at the 1996 Survivor Series; while their rivalry was not yet over, the Deadman turned away to focus on becoming champion once again.
After narrowly losing a Final Four Match for the WWE Championship in February 1997, Undertaker finally got another chance at WrestleMania 13. There, the Deadman defeated Sid to win the gold for a second time, also pushing his WrestleMania record to 6-0. Throughout the summer of 1997, the Deadman defeated the likes of Steve Austin, Vader and Mankind before an errant chairshot from guest referee Shawn Michaels allowed Bret hart to defeat the Deadman for the gold at SummerSlam.
Following SummerSlam, Undertaker began stalking Michaels, leading up to the first-ever Hell in a Cell Match at Badd Blood. As it seemed that the Deadman was set to win the match, Kane made his WWE Debut, attacking his brother and costing him the match. Undertaker originally refused to fight his brother, but changed his mind at the 1998 Royal Rumble.
That night, Kane helped Michaels defeat Undertaker in a Casket Match, then wheeled the casket into the entranceway and set it on fire. Undertaker returned a month later to challenge Kane to a match at WrestleMania XIV. It took three Tombstone Piledrivers, but Undertaker turned back his brother that night to keep his WrestleMania record intact.
That summer, Kane & Undertaker continued to battle, and the Big Red Machine found an ally in his brother’s arch-nemesis, Mankind. Mankind battled Undertaker in an infamous Hell in a Cell Match at King of the Ring 1998; the Deadman won the match, which provided one of the most breathtaking visuals in WWE history when he threw Mankind off the Cell through the Spanish announcers’ table nearly 20 feet below.
A month later, Undertaker teamed with Stone Cold to defeat Kane & Mankind for the World Tag Team Championship. They would lose the gold shortly thereafter, and Undertaker would lose to Austin at SummerSlam 1998 in a classic battle for the WWE Championship.
After SummerSlam, Undertaker reconciled with Kane, and the two simultaneously pinned Austin in September during a WWE Championship Match. The controversy surrounding the championship led to the Deadly Game Tournament at Survivor Series; Undertaker beat Kane in the first round but later lost to The Rock, who went on to win the tournament and his first WWE Championship.
Early in 1999, Undertaker recruited the Acolytes, The Brood, Mideon & Viscera to form the Ministry of Darkness. They targeted Mr. McMahon and the Corporation, with Stephanie McMahon being Undertaker’s ultimate target. The war between Undertaker and the McMahons led to the Deadman defeating Big Boss Man in a Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania XV; soon after, the two groups patched up their differences and merged into one super group, and Undertaker defeated Steve Austin for his third WWE Championship in May 1999.
Undertaker later lost the gold back to Austin, and after that loss, he shifted his focus. The Deadman formed a team with Big Show, and together they captured the World Tag Team Championship twice in the fall of 1999. Later that fall, Undertaker refused to participate in a Casket Match against Triple H, leading to Mr. McMahon suspending the Deadman indefinitely.
He would not return until May 2000, when he began a rivalry with then-WWE Champion Triple H and D-Generation X. Reconciling once again with Kane, Undertaker ran roughshod over WWE, nearly winning the WWE Championship on several occasions. That December, Undertaker teamed up with The Rock to win the World Tag Team Championship, a reign that would last only three days.
Despite that loss, Undertaker went on to have a big year in 2001 After defeating Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven to improve his WrestleMania record to 9-0, the Deadman teamed with Kane to win the World Tag Team Championship that April. Undertaker also helped Mr. McMahon fight off the ECW/WCW Alliance’s invasion, and Undertaker & Kane won both the WCW and World Tag Team Championships that summer. Undertaker was also on the victorious WWE team at Survivor Series, putting the Alliance out of business.
Following that win, however, his attitude began to change. He won the Hardcore Championship from Rob Van Dam at Vengeance in December, then began a rivalry with Ric Flair after Flair cost him a match at No Way Out. The Deadman defeated Flair in a No-Disqualification Match at WrestleMania X8, marking the Deadman’s 10th consecutive WrestleMania win. Regardless, Flair chose Undertaker as RAW’s No. 1 pick in the brand extension draft that April, and the Deadman paid immediate dividends by defeating Hulk Hogan for his fourth WWE Championship at Judgment Day.
After losing the gold at Vengeance, Undertaker became a fan favorite once again, taking on the Un-Americans. After defeating Test at SummerSlam, the Deadman moved from RAW to SmackDown, where he became a top contender to WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. After a bitter rivalry, Lesnar finally defeated the Deadman at No Mercy in a bloody Hell in a Cell Match, and the two put their differences aside. That same week, Undertaker was injured by Big Show, putting him out of action for three months.
The Deadman returned at the 2003 Royal Rumble, where he entered No. 30 but was the last man eliminated by eventual winner Lesnar. Undertaker set his sights on Big Show, and at WrestleMania XIX, he defeated Show & A-Train in a Handicap Match to get retribution. The rivalry between Big Show & Undertaker continued throughout 2003, with Lesnar and Kurt Angle once again getting involved during the summer. Finally, Mr. McMahon got involved, helping Lesnar defeat the Deadman at No Mercy.
Undertaker then challenged McMahon to a Buried Alive Match at Survivor Series. McMahon was victorious with help from RAW Superstar Kane, who attacked his brother to help the WWE Chairman bury him alive. Undertaker would not be seen again for four months, but made his presence felt wherever Kane went. After two months of mind games, Paul Bearer and the Deadman returned at WrestleMania XX to defeat Kane for a second time at WrestleMania in an inter-promotional match.
Following his return to SmackDown, Undertaker took on all comers, but was forced to leave Paul Bearer behind. Eventually, he found himself as the top contender to WWE Champion JBL, and the two met at SummerSlam. JBL won the match by disqualification, but the rivalry was only beginning.
Undertaker stalked JBL for months, but was unable to win the gold. Heidenreich’s interference helped JBL win a Last Ride Match at No Mercy; because of this, the Deadman shifted his focus to go after Heidenreich instead. He would defeat Heidenreich at Survivor Series, then once again in a Casket Match at the 2005 Royal Rumble.
It was around that time that RAW’s Randy Orton was looking to do something big at WrestleMania. After much deliberation, the Legend Killer decided to try to slay the biggest Legend of them all, challenging the Deadman to a match at WrestleMania. Despite the best efforts of both Orton and father Cowboy Bob, the Deadman defeated the Legend Killer to make it a perfect 13-0 at WrestleMania, injuring Orton’s shoulder in the process.
Orton would strike back in June, costing Undertaker a match with JBL after being drafted to SmackDown earlier in the night. Orton then helped JBL defeat Undertaker again in July on SmackDown, and the Legend Killer and the Deadman were set for another showdown at SummerSlam. This time, Cowboy Bob’s interference helped Randy defeat Undertaker, but the war was far from over.
Undertaker haunted the Ortons throughout the fall, leading to a Handicap Casket Match at No Mercy. Randy & Cowboy Bob were victorious, but after the match, they lit the casket containing Undertaker on fire, seemingly burning him alive. It was not to be, however, and after Orton was the sole survivor to help Team SmackDown defeat Team RAW at Survivor Series, Undertaker made his triumphant return.
Two nights later at the SmackDown special, Orton tried to take out the Deadman again, driving him through the stage as he clung to the back of a lowrider. It didn’t work, and the two were put into a Hell in a Cell Match at Armageddon. Undertaker finally got revenge that night, defeating the Legend Killer with a Tombstone Piledriver.
At the 2006 Royal Rumble, the Deadman set his sights back on the World Heavyweight Championship, challenging Kurt Angle for the gold after Angle defeated Mark Henry. The match was set for No Way Out, and after a classic encounter, the champion was able to pin the Deadman to retain the championship. Undertaker said he wasn’t done with Angle yet, and a rematch was set two weeks later on Friday Night SmackDown.
During the match, it looked like the Deadman had the gold won once again when Mark Henry interfered. The World’s Strongest Man viciously attacked Undertaker, splashing him through the announcers’ table at ringside. The following week, after Henry & Randy Orton faced Angle & Rey Mysterio, the Deadman’s voice filled the air. He challenged the World’s Strongest Man to a Casket Match, which Henry readily accepted immediately. The next week, Henry called Undertaker out to meet face to face at Saturday Night's Main Event; the Deadman responded, attacking Henry and giving Daivari a Tombstone onto the lid of a casket.
Finally, Undertaker defeated Henry in the Casket Match at WrestleMania 22 to improve his perfect WrestleMania record to 14-0. Henry requested a rematch the following week on Friday night SmackDown, but the match served only as a backdrop for an attack on the Deadman by Henry's manager, Daivari and his new protege The Great Khali.
Khali came into the ring and nailed Undertaker with a vicious chop, leaving the Deadman down in the ring. For weeks, the Deadman was not seen or heard from, leading Daivari to claim that his spirit had been broken and he was afraid. Finally, Theodore Long announced that the Deadman had challenged Khali to a match at Judgment Day; Khali accepted, and the confrontation was finally set.
Coming into Judgment Day, Undertaker had successfully turned back every other challenger he had faced in his long and illustrious WWE career. However, the 7 foot 3, 420 pound Great Khali proved to be an exception to the rule. Never before was Undertaker manhandled in such a fashion as he was by the threatening Khali. Daivari's new monster disposed of the Phenom with ease, leaving all to wonder if Undertaker will ever be heard from again. He turned down an invitation to be on Piper's Pit on the June 2 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, furthering speculation that there may be truth to Daivari's earlier claim that the Deadman's spirit has been broken by Khali.
At The Great American Bash, the Phenom survived the most fiendish, barbaric match in WWE history: the Punjabi Prison Match. Undertaker was scheduled to collide in the Prison with his nemesis, Khali, until SmackDown GM Teddy Long replaced Khali with Big Show following a backstage ambush by both Show and Khali. After being dominated for weeks by The Great Khali, the Deadman rose to the occasion and prevailed in a match never before seen in the Western world.
Video Link: Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle (No Way Out 2006)
helped $lim jinx NXT. Woops
;D
