Shining a Spotlight 08.19.10: The Undertaker’s Returns

SummerSlam was a bit of a mixed bag. The undercard bouts were rough but WWE did make up for it with the return of Bryan Daniel. Kudos to them for pulling off the big swerve on the “smarts” online for so long and having him back will kick the feud up several notches. Melina being back gives the Divas a much-needed boost and having Sheamus retain was a surprise, guess they want to extend his run a bit. The matches could have been better but they paid off where it counted.

One big event was, of course, the return of the Undertaker. We saw it coming but I liked how they teased it with Kane opening the casket a couple of times before the Undertaker showed up in it. Taker did look pretty rough, not sure if he was overselling the “coma” but seeing him taken down by Kane after his big return was an interesting twist on the usual theme. Yes, it is tired seeing these two going at it yet again but it’s what we’re getting.

It was causing me to reflect on how the Undertaker manages his disappearances and his returns. WWE has always been able to pull these off with some flair and remind fans why the man is still such a huge worker after so long in the business. The character has managed to survive longer than anyone expected him to and the way he bounces back is a great reason why.
　

Long-Term Survival
　
I’ve written before of the reasons the Undertaker still remains so popular after twenty years. One thing is that WWE doesn’t break the act with him as much as with other workers. They never mention his real name or much of his personal life, he’s simply the Undertaker. That air of mystery gives him a great aura fans get into. Some may complain about him getting pushes but the reasons for it make sense. For one thing, the guy still has the fans behind him big time. When that gong goes off, it never fails to get a huge pop and WWE pays attention to that. Also, Taker is such a major star that anyone put in with him automatically rises a bit. I’ve never heard a guy complaining about being put in a program with the Undertaker as even when the guy loses, he’s still seen as a bigger star just being put against Taker.

Another key reason the Undertaker has continued is because he (and WWE) have been wise enough to shift up the act now and then. His transformation from the “Dead Man” to the “American Bad-ass” biker in 2000 is a good example as it gave him a new edge. Then, in 2004, he went back to the “Dead Man” gimmick while continuing to deliver great feuds. The downplaying of his supernatural traits also helps; rather than buy he’s got magical powers, fans accept he’s just playing massive mind games with his opponents. That’s a great twist on things that’s helped him stay in the limelight.

So in recognition of his latest return, a look at some of the ways the Undertaker has made his comebacks a huge deal and added to his character more.
　

1994 The first big absence of the Undertaker came in ‘94 at the Royal Rumble. Putting the Undertaker against Yokozuna seemed an obvious move given their giant sizes and Taker’s penchant for battling monsters. But Yoko was busy with his feud with Lex Luger that ultimately went nowhere so fans had to wait until the fall of 1993 where Taker did a great interruption of a promo…

　
They had a great face-off at the Survivor Series with Undertaker getting up from every attack, causing Yoko to freak out majorly. They also teased how Yoko was terrified of the casket itself with Taker building an extra-sized one for him. So the casket match at the Rumble seemed perfect for Taker but the results have become the definition of Wrestlecrap for WWF in the ‘90’s.
　

　
He was gone for months before Ted DiBiase claimed to have bought him off for his new “Corporation.” Paul Bearer, however, said this was not the real Undertaker which (in one of the goofier moments even for ‘90’s wrestling TV) led to weeks of bits where Leslie Nielsen would be searching for the Undertaker. The payoff was at SummerSlam where WWF maybe should have done a better job not saving it for the main event…

　

　
So Taker would move on after that debacle, getting the big win over Yoko at last although he would be pushed aside for Diesel, facing off against various “big guy challenges.” One of these would be against King Mabel who was getting a rather ill-advised main event push, winning King of the Ring and facing Diesel in some ugly matches. They did a bit where Mabel launched an attack on Taker with him coming back boasting a pretty cool piece of face wear:

1998 would see my favorite Taker return. After teasing a reunion between him and brother Kane, Kane attacked Taker at the Rumble, locking him in a casket and setting it on fire. Kane would run roughshod for several weeks attacking various wrestlers until the Undertaker did an awesome return, a coffin hit by a lightning bolt and him sitting up to deliver a great threat on Kane.
　

　

　
After his dark “Ministry” phase in 1999, the Undertaker took a longer break to recuperate from injuries. When he came back, his entire demeanor was changed into the bad-ass biker. He made his return at Judgment Day as the Rock faced HHH in an Iron Man match for the title, the fans popping huge but Taker’s interference would cost the Rock the belt. Still, it set up what would be a few years of him as the “American Badass” that would give the character new life.

　

2004 would kick off with the Undertaker seemingly buried alive by Kane who would boast of his final victory. However, at the Royal Rumble, as Kane trashed through the competition…

More signs would come during Kane matches, making him frantic and setting the stage for Wrestlemania XX. They pulled out the stops with Paul Bearer returning along with a platoon of monks and then Taker coming out in his classic “Dead Man” persona to a monster pop. He followed that with a nice return to Smackdown taking down GM Paul Heyman and reestablishing himself as a major contender.
　

　

In 2005, UT was involved in a good feud with Randy Orton who decided that, as the “Legend Killer,” it was his duty to take the Undertaker down. He came up short at Mania but bounced back, getting his father “Cowboy” Bob Orton to help him out. They seemed to beat the Taker in October, doing the classic “light the casket on fire.” A month later, Orton was the sole survivor of a special “RAW vs. SmackDown” team battle at the Survivor Series when…

Taker would beat Orton at Armageddon and take another brief break before making a dramatic return at the 2006 Royal Rumble and sending a direct message to World Champion Kurt Angle:

The Undertaker/Edge feud was a great highlight of 2008 with Taker seemingly losing a “loser leaves wrestling” match. However, when Edge got on the bad side of Vickie Guerrero, she retaliated by getting the Undertaker reinstated and setting up a Hell in the Cell match between them. Edge and Vickie would reconcile which ended up getting her on the Taker’s bad side…
　

Undertaker proved his great ability to surprise in 2009. Taking months off after his epic Mania match with Shawn Michaels, most thought the Taker would be gone a bit longer. But as CM Punk celebrated his main event win…
　

That brings us to today as the Undertaker made another of his dramatic returns, one that may have been rough but kept with his unique style..

Summation

For twenty years, the Undertaker has been one of WWE’s biggest stars, a reign pretty damn impressive in the changing world of pro wrestling. As I said, the key to his longevity has been his ability to shift up the act and his absences actually enhance his standing. That’s because when he returns, it’s always in dramatic fashion that never fails to hook in the fans. He may be slower now but the man still is capable of giving us some amazing matches and the fans don’t seem to want him to leave for good. In that fashion, the Undertaker has truly matched his gimmick as he’s given himself a reputation that will never truly die.

For this week, the spotlight is off.