wrestling / Columns

The Magnificent Seven: The Top 7 Undertaker Returns

September 4, 2017 | Posted by Mike Chin
Undertaker Dead Man Talking Champion WWE WWE's Dead Man talking Image Credit: WWE

There’s not much I can say about The Undertaker’s legacy that hasn’t been discussed ad nauseam. In terms of longevity, evolution of character, and development as a worker, few, if any, wrestlers can be compare their bodies of work to that of The Dead Man.

But amidst over twenty-five years of work with WWE, The Undertaker did have time away to heal from injuries, to sell his storylines, and, late in his career, just to rest up as he began to show his age. More often than not, when The Undertaker returned to WWE, it was a grand occasion—either one WWE built to through elaborate teases, or one that WWE sold as shocking, because it wasn’t pre-announced and tended to happen in main event segments.

Not all returns are created equally. This column looks back at The Phenom’s top seven returns to WWE, with criteria including dramatic effect and entertainment value, impact on the surrounding product, and impact on The Undertaker’s legacy. As always, personal opinion weighs heavily, and, as a bit of an arbitrary marker, I opted only to include returns that happened after at least two full months of absence (so, for example, stepping out for a few weeks to sell the impact of a beating from The Great Khali then returning with a vengeance was more of a storyline contrivance and did not count as a proper return for this list.

#7. Raw, March 2013

On March 4, 2013, WWE aired one of its “Old School” special episodes of Raw, featuring cameos and tributes to stars from yesteryear, not to mention elements of old school staging and showmanship. While the gimmick is usually harmless fun, this iteration immediately earned a little extra gravitas for opening with an appearance from The Undertaker, who hadn’t appeared on TV since the previous summer, and not as a character with a real storyline since the preceding WrestleMania.

The Dead Man’s appearance paved the way for top stars of the day—CM Punk, Randy Orton, The Big Show, and Sheamus—to express their interest in challenging his WrestleMania undefeated streak. The foursome vied for the right in a Fatal Fourway match, and the fact that four players of this caliber would compete just to face him—not even for a title shot—spoke volumes about The Undertaker’s credibility.

As much as The Phenom’s appearance, in and of itself, didn’t set the world on fire, it did further his legacy, and provide a meaningful catalyst to a big time WrestleMania program—that’s more than a number of Old School Raws have accomplished.

#6. SummerSlam 1994

Let’s clear something up straight off the bat—The Undertaker vs. Undertaker match at SummerSlam 1994 was not good. It’s a real injustice that it got the main event spot over Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart in a classic cage match for the world title (though rumor has it the Hart brothers went over time, and that contributed to the Undertaker match being a dud). No, this return getting a spot on the countdown has less to do with wrestling, more to do with spectacle.

By summer 1994, The Undertaker was a special enough commodity that he could justify a spinoff character in Ted Dibiase introducing his own heel version of The Dead Man, and just the fact that he was coming back after eight months justified main event billing. While two Undertakers didn’t offer quite the spectacle WWE was probably hoping for it, was nonetheless memorable and an indicator of how much of a special attraction WWE would treat the character as for years to come.

#5.SummerSlam 2009

Fifteen years before this night, The Undertaker had returned for the SummerSlam main event. Fifteen years later, he’d return after the main event to cap the show. The Undertaker was enough of a special attraction performer at this point that he could return with no real context, after nearly four months off TV, and transition straight into a world title feud against a guy he didn’t have a pre-existing story with.

Full disclosure, I kind of hated the 2009 Undertaker-CM Punk feud that followed for un-doing much of the credibility Punk had built up in his initial WWE heel run that fall, by putting over The Dead Man so thoroughly, and without even producing any particularly good matches. The launch, however, was on point. Punk’s feud with Jeff Hardy was over and Hardy was heading out of the company. The Undertaker’s return offered an immediate distraction from Hardy’s exit and gave Punk someone ultra-credible to main event against. This return made perfect sense for WWE’s business, besides offering an exciting moment in and of itself.

#4. Raw, February 2011

In terms of physical effort and quality of dialogue, this return has no business on this countdown. In terms of stage presence and uniquely minimalist, but nonetheless effective storytelling, it’s a masterpiece that I almost placed higher.

In the build to the February 21, 2011 episode of Raw, vignettes hinted at a big return/arrival. While there were rumblings that it could have been Sting, finally signed to WWE, most smart fans assumed The Undertaker was coming home. Sure enough, when the time came, he made his slow walk to the ring.

Before The Phenom could speak a word, however, another long gone superstar’s music hit. Suddenly, Triple H was there. After a brief, tense stare down between the two, the both of them turned to face the WrestleMania sign hanging from the rafters and it was immediately clear they’d stage an epic showdown at the Showcase of the Immortals.

This wasn’t my favorite Undertaker WrestleMania match or program by a long shot, but a clash of two scarcely seen legends of this caliber did add a match with star power to a relatively lackluster card at WrestleMania 27 and set up their better return match a year after that.

#3. Survivor Series 2005

While some Undertaker returns were memorable for his mystique and the theatrics, This one will always remain among my favorites for portraying The Undertaker with a vengeance. After Randy Orton had burned him alive at SummerSlam, The Dead Man showed up to spoil The Legend Killer’s party as he celebrated a big win for Smackdown at Survivor Series 2005. For as fun as the Raw-Smackdown feud of 2005 was at points, it didn’t mean anything in WWE’s long-term storytelling. The Undertaker’s return to confront his old rival said to hell with this petty, contrived brand rivalry. I’m here to end my blood feud.

The Undertaker stalked to the ring and promptly destroyed all comers. Orton got away that night, but the message was clear that they would finish their long-term rivalry imminently.

#2. Judgment Day 2000

In retrospect, Biker ‘Taker doesn’t get much love, and that’s particularly true within WWE’s own ranks as Vince McMahon purportedly hates the gimmick for undermining the more serious Dead Man gimmick. Just the same, it fit its time when WWE skewed more adult and more realistic, and allowed The Phenom to open up his style with more rugged brawling to counterbalance his lurching big man offense.

It all got (pardon the pun) rollin’ at Judgment Day 2000 when The Undertaker inserted himself in the world title picture by taking out the McMahon-Helmesley regime and ultimately hitting a chokeslam and Tombstone on Triple H. The sequence both set up The Undertaker as a challenger to Triple H and created intrigue as his attack on The Game would cost The Rock his Iron Man Match with Helmesley, and by extension the WWF Championship.

This return for The Dead Man reshaped the main event landscape and introduced a brand new phase for The Undertaker gimmick in one awe-inspiring stroke.

#1. Battleground 2015

At Battleground 2015, WWE seemed to have booked itself into a corner. Brock Lesnar quite justifiably got his world title rematch against Seth Rollins. While WWE had moved on, and Rollins set up to be the guy, Lesnar was nonetheless a still a special, protected talent whom it wouldn’t make sense to job out to The Architect.

Enter The Undertaker.

By 2015, The Undertaker had mostly vanished from the WWE landscape. Fans only really expected to see him during WrestleMania season, so a surprise return at Battleground really was shocking and kick started a white hot summer program between The Dead Man and The Beast Incarnate after The Undertaker returned to cost Lesnar the title, and to avenge his loss at WrestleMania over a year before.

A part of what made the return so electric: not only was The Undertaker that rare talent with the credibility to challenge Lesnar, but in clearly kicking Lesnar in the balls to get the advantage in their exchange, he established this would be anything but a clear-cut good guy vs. bad guy program, but rather a war with all kinds of shades of gray.

I’d argue this was the last truly great return for The Undertaker, and it’s my personal pick for his best, period.

Which returns would you add to the list? WrestleMania 20 and Survivor Series 1995 were my closest misses. Let us know in the comments.

Read more from Mike Chin at his website and follow him on Twitter @miketchin.