411’s WWE Greatest Moments Report: The Undertaker

-Only one episode tonight as this is the finale for the second season of Greatest Moments. This is a show they can run forever because there is so much they can cover, and I hope it comes back for a Season Three. Let’s get to it!

-Michael Cole is our host and narrator!

-At this point we know the ten spot will be his debut at Survivor Series.

10. Deadman Walking
-Survivor Series 1990

-Yep! My review is here. Mark had the character down cold (yes, I said it) from the second he walked through the curtain. He got to look good before getting bounced for the match, but made sure he hit a Tombstone and Gorilla made sure we knew that was the name of the move. They crushed with the character from the get go.

9. Rising from The Dead
-Royal Rumble 1994

-Not sure I would call this a Greatest Moment. Taker gets stuffed in a casket in a match against Yokozuna and it takes about a dozen other guys to help. Taker then appears on the video board and ascends to the heavens. Taker notes this is when the mystique of the character took form. I guess that’s one way to paint the moment in a positive light.

8. The American Bad Ass
-Judgment Day 2000

-HHH and Rock have quite possibly the greatest Iron Man Match of all time when people were worried if they could pull it off. The match ends with DX hitting the ring to help HHH, but Taker returns from injury and is no an American Bad Ass and is riding a Harley. The crowd reaction is something else man. It added longevity to the Taker character as it gave him a fresh coat of paint and let him cut loose a bit more on interviews. It also set the table for the day the crowd would pop to have The Deadman back.

-Commercials!

7. Hell on Earth
-WrestleMania XX

-This is the return of The Deadman as after nearly four years, The Biker Taker was put on the shelf. Kane is here to say Kane/Taker transcends WWE and calls it the best story WWE has ever told. No sir! I mean opinions and all, but running long and having mystical powers doesn’t make it good. My older review of Mania XX can be found here. Taker says Kane deserved what he got at Mania XX. The match was secondary to the character returning. Kane/Taker I was better.

6. Funeral For A Deadman
-SmackDown: Sept. 23, 2005

-This was during the Taker/Orton feud and was set up with Orton having a Taker manequin in a casket to play mind games. He breaks it out again the following week, but this time the real Taker is in the casket. He attacks Orton. Kind of a weak greatest moments considering everything they have to use with Taker.

-Commercials!

5. Buried Alive
-In Your House: Buried Alive

-My review is here! Taker and Mankind had a legendary feud in 1996 that put Mankind over as a huge threat. This was their third PPV Match and the first ever Buried Alive Match. We don’t see much of the match and instead focus on what happened after the match. It’s kind of a repeat of what happened with Yoko in the casket match (though Taker did win this match) as a bunch of heels beat up Taker, dump him in the grave, and slowly bury him. They didn’t anticipate it would take that long to fill a hole by hand I assume. Lightning strikes the grave and Taker’s hand rises through the dirt as Vince yells, “he’s alive.” Taker calls an iconic moment of wrestling history. We are really giving some of these moments way more credit that needed

4. Lightning Never Strikes Twice
-Royal Rumble 2006

-More theater tricks as Taker rides out on a chariot after Kurt Angle defends his World Title against Mark Henry. Angle calls it the greatest entrance of all time. Oh boy! I hope he means Taker’s entrance in general and not just this one. Taker throws lightning bolts at the ring and it collapses with Angle in it. Taker says he would have never lost a match if he threw lightning bolts all the time. Then why didn’t he?

3. Farewell from The Boneyard
-WrestleMania XXXVI

-Now we are talking! The Pandemic shut the world down so we got cinematic wrestling and AJ and Taker killed it. AJ calls it the biggest match of his career. Ciampa calls it the coolest cinematic match of all time. They did kill it as they knew what to do and just went all out. We get the famous moment that has become a meme and it also have AJ Styles a WrestleMania Main Event.

-Commercials!

2. Burying Hulkamania
-Survivor Series 1991

-I thought this would be the top moment, but there is one famous one still out there. My review is here! Taker calls it the biggest match of his career at that point. No kidding! I watched the match through the lines at my grandma’s house and when Hogan lost I wasn’t upset as I knew once they announced a PPV only days later, Hogan was winning it back. They cover Flair sliding a chair in the ring and we get the infamous Tombstone where Hogan’s head never touched, but sent him to the hospital. I believe the Hogan side is not that his head hit, but it got jarred because of how tight Taker was squeezing to make sure Hogan’s head didn’t hit. Taker becomes WWF Champion for the first time.

1. Heaven and Hell
-WrestleMania XXV

-Huh, I could have sworn Hell in a Cell 98 would have been in this spot, but perhaps they consider that a Foley moment. With that said, this match deserves all the love and I am proud to say I was there in Houston for it. Obviously the greatest match I have ever seen live. I can’t describe the reaction in the Stadium as the match was unfolding. HHH says he was watching and knew he and Randy were fucked. Should have gone on second from last HHH. Could have learned from Rock/Hogan. When the match ended I saw people hugging and high fiving because of what they had witnessed.

-The top two moments certainly belonged on this list and helped get this episode back on track. I have never been a fan of all the supernatural stuff the Taker character did and they included a lot of that on this list. I am shocked Hell in A Cell 98 and End of an Era didn’t make the list. Pick any of his Title wins and they could be included over some of the spooky stuff as well. All things considered this goes down as a disappointing episode because of all the moments they didn’t cover in favor of ones that were covered. Thanks for reading!