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Many Superstars are considered benchmarks in WWE history, for particular elements or aspects of performance that they have mastered or for the distinction of their service to the company. Some Superstars are praise-worthy as they manage to keep staying relevant through changing eras of programming. Other Superstars are remembered unlike any other for the impact that they created in their time.And then there is the Undertaker, who arguably checks against every one of the aforementioned claims-to-fame. As the longest serving active wrestler, and the undisputed leader of the locker-room, it is hard to knock The Undertaker’s contribution to the WWE.
Yet, not unlike other wrestlers, The Undertaker’s career has been punctuated by its fair share of indigestible and controversial moments that could have been navigated differently by the WWE creative team. Nitpicking over the legendary career of the Undertaker has not been easy, but for what it’s worth, here are 7 things that the WWE could have done different with respect to the Phenom.
1st WWE Championship reign
After signing for the WWE in 1990, The Undertaker’s first WWE title reign ensued just a year from then. He defeated none other than Hulk Hogan for the Title but only served as a transitional champion, dropping it back to the Hulkster(predictably) just six days after first capturing it.
His next title reign, in 1997, would only arrive belatedly. Superstars like Diesel, Yokozuna and Sycho Sid whose contributions to the WWE pale in comparison with that of the Undertaker, all managed to don the Championship gold in this period.
Surely in hindsight, one can agree that the WWE could have entrusted a title reign on the Undertaker much earlier, sparing a thought for the fact that none of those wrestlers who were champion in between the Undertaker’s first and second title reigns are even actively wrestling anymore.
American Badass gimmick
The Undertaker’s aura was damagingly diminished during the American Badass phase, not least because he tattooed his then spouse’s name, Sara, across his throat. It had a sobering effect on the WWE Universe that had up till then, been awe-struck with the Phenom character and the mysticism that accosted it.
In a move that had further diluted the Undertaker’s aura, Sara started appearing on WWE programming and was involved in an angle with Diamond Dallas Page, who had been acquired from WCW after its demise.DDP was not the only one buried in that angle as he was accompanied by the nether-worldly aura that the Undertaker had initially possessed, that by then, had been replaced by a much more humanized version of him. Although why exactly the WWE rocked the boat when the sailing was smooth, your guess is as good as mine.
Marketing
Before the Streak’s import near enveloped that of Wrestlemania, and transformed into a well of marketing potential for the WWE, the company were flummoxed on how to market the Undertaker. Let’s face it – dark, edgy and brooding, coupled with rumours of satanic inclinations equals to a PR nightmare.
They say you can’t have the cake and eat it too. That certainly played out true in the Undertaker’s case as maintaining the integrity of the Phenom persona implied an inherent blunted edge in marketing. Perhaps the WWE were cautious that marketing The Undertaker heavily might evoke a backlash in bad taste, but he never fulfilled marketing potential the way Stone Cold, The Rock or DX did during the Attitude Era, which ultimately lays responsibility and blame on the WWE.
Repetitive Opponents at Wrestlemania
The Undertaker’s vaunted streak, before its demise at the hands of the Beast Incarnate, involved several future(or present) WWE hall of famers who unerringly fell prey to the macabre entity that is the Phenom. However, despite posting 21 victories without being defeated at the Show of Shows, he did not do it against 21 different opponents. Triple H fought the Undertaker thrice with both Shawn Michaels and Kane featuring twice apiece as well.
Agreed, the consecutive matches with Shawn Michaels and his latter encounters with Triple H were classics, but famous names such as Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero are glaringly missing from the list of The Undertaker’s opponents at Wrestlemania.
Although it is understandable why the WWE desisted from feeding Superstars like Stone Cold, The Rock or John Cena to the Streak given that they featured as the face of the company at different times, there is a case to be made that Streak could have looked far more impressive had it comprised of 21 different names instead of the repeat encounters that ensued.
Undertaker vs CM Punk
CM Punk’s departure, while gravely disappointing to many fans, did not take the WWE universe by storm. It was apparent, right from the onset, that Punk was a circular peg in a square hole. Although admittedly, it is an entirely different question if his departure could have been averted.
Despite Punk’s abrasive demeanour, Vince McMahon could have chosen to look past it and work with him for the sake of business, as he did with Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan. Perhaps offering Punk the credence of claiming the Streak at Wrestlemania 29 could have served as a shot in the arm for the revolutionary Superstar, thereby surely extending his affiliation with the company.
As it turned out, the WWE fulfilled neither criteria and CM Punk left for the UFC a year later, and the WWE were left ruing what they didn’t do with the Streak at Wrestlemania 29, and what they chose to do with it a year later.
The Streak and the Beast
The Streak emerged as a singular selling point that made every fan want to watch Wrestlemania for the fear of missing another timeless classic, courtesy of the Undertaker. The Streak will never be replicated, purely because it was not something that was conceptualized from the beginning – it was a thing of beauty that presented itself as his career and legend evolved.
You would concede then, that having the Streak end was a really big deal. Having Brock Lesnar break the streak though, is a decision that has yet to achieve vindication. Of all the Superstars who could have benefitted tremendously from the rub of breaking the Streak, Brock Lesnar was the one who required it the least.
Why exactly the WWE chose to let Lesnar break the Streak is still hazy, with rumours that the decision was taken in the eleventh hour suggesting a total lack of forward thinking on the part of the WWE think-tank.
In the end, unfortunately, the transference of the pre-eminence of the Streak represented but a pale shadow of the significance that it had accumulated over the years.
Return at Wrestlemania 31
In the previous few years, the Undertaker has been battling against his own aging and banged-up body in order to get into shape for his Wrestlemania appearances. His appearances on Raw have been severely curtailed, if not non-existent, and his legend, like his appearances, has exclusively become synonymous with the Streak.
Having portrayed the Undertaker as this super-human who rises every year at Wrestlemania to defend his keep, the WWE did great disservice to their own advertising standpoint when they had him return to fight Bray Wyatt.
One could argue that their hand was forced given how abrupt the demise of the Streak had felt in the previous year, but does not hide the fact that his latest appearance caps off a period of three years when the WWE have muddled up irrevocably with the Undertaker and the Streak.
Surely the Undertaker, and indeed the WWE Universe that is inextricably invested in his legend, deserve better.
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