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#4 The Deadman to 'The American Badass' Undertaker
The Undertaker is regarded by many WWE fans, critics, and legends as the greatest Superstar to ever lace up a pair of wrestling boots. For three decades, The seven-time World Champion terrorized WWE and established himself as a force to be reckoned with.
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The Undertaker made his debut for the company at Survivor Series in 1990 and since then he has main evented multiple WWE PPVs including WrestleMania and SummerSlam. 'Taker also holds several records in the company.
Breaking Vince Russo and Jim Cornette update HERE.
His eerie Grim Reaper persona is one of the greatest in history and while it was created by Vince McMahon, The Deadman's portrayal of the character is the main reason behind its success. Although Mark Calaway, the man behind the character, is mostly known for portraying The Deadman, the WWE Universe was introduced to the American Badass, his other character, in 2000.
'Taker debuted the character at WWE Judgement Day during an Iron Man match between Triple H and The Rock for the WWE Championship. He made his entrance on a motorbike with a new theme song, sported sunglasses and a bandana.
After playing a fearsome character for a decade, the transformation was unexpected but it worked. 'Taker acted more human, interacted more and he looked so badass (no pun intended) with the biker gimmick.
It just felt so cool. Hearing that theme song and watching him ride down to the ring was just awesome. The Undertaker was already an established star at that point. He made a giant leap by becoming something completely different from his original persona.
It could've been a bust -- it could've been career suicide, but it ended up becoming very popular. In 2001, 'Taker turned heel and started referring to himself as Big Evil. He cut his long hair short under the new persona.
At WWE Survivor Series 2003, The Undertaker took on Mr. McMahon in a Buried Alive match. During the bout, 'Taker was attacked by his evil half-brother Kane. The Big Red Monster helped McMahon bury The Phenom, thus retiring the biker gimmick.
The Undertaker returns as the American Badass at WWE WrestleMania 36
Years later, many fans called for the return of the American Badass. The Undertaker's career was nearing its end, so many people lost hope that the character would ever appear in WWE again. In 2020, The Undertaker made his return as the American Badass for the first time in nearly 20 years.
At the Grandest Stage of Them All, 'Taker defeated AJ Styles in a Boneyard match and rode to the moonlight on his bike following the victory. It's true what they say; never say never and anything can happen in WWE.
