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The Undertaker will bid a final farewell next weekend at Survivor Series and leave behind a legacy in pro-wrestling like no other. Fans of all ages from all over the world love The Deadman. His matches, moments, and overall presence made him a must-see WWE attraction for any wrestling fan.
It isn't hard to see his dedication to the craft in front of live audiences and television cameras. However, The Undertaker is also known for his commitment to creating new stars behind the scenes.
The Undertaker has advised and mentored countless WWE Superstars throughout his thirty-year career.
In this article, we will look at five current WWE Superstars The Undertaker helped at the start of their WWE careers.
#5 The Undertaker helped Big Show early in his WWE career
Paul Wight made his shocking debut at St Valentine's Day Massacre in February 1999. It immediately looked like WWE had a major star on its hands, but for some reason, something just didn't click for the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
The Big Show's career gained a boost after The Undertaker took him under his wing and showed him the ropes in WWE. Although 'Taker showed love, it was all tough love.
The Big Show has revealed that The Undertaker came to him backstage and chewed him out for something he did in the ring that he disagreed with.
“I had to fight really hard to earn Undertaker’s respect because one I got to quote-en-quote ‘sit under the learning tree’ I didn’t get free passes, I didn’t get exceptions. I didn’t get ‘oh, it’s OK. Don’t worry about it.’ My ass got chewed out every single night and the only thing I could try to do was not make the same mistake twice."
The partnership with The Undertaker was a major boost for Big Show's WWE career
Over the coming months, The Phenom's tutelage backstage seemed to pay off as The Big Show joined forces with The Undertaker on screen. The gigantic duo later became tag team champions. Two years later he was WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
To this day The Big Show credits The Undertaker for not only helping him out in the early days of his WWE career but mentoring him and creating his legacy.
#4 The Undertaker was instrumental in Kane's early WWE career
Simply put, without The Undertaker, Kane would not exist.
During their storyline, The Big Red Machine emerged as Undertaker’s long-thought deceased brother come back to seek revenge. In reality, Glen Jacobs portrayed Kane and he was coming off the back of two unsuccessful runs with WWE as Issac Yankem and the fake Diesel.
It was during his run as the evil dentist that he struck up a friendship with The Undertaker. The advice he received from The Phenom led him to get the opportunity to play Kane two years later and this third character was a resounding success.
The Undertaker and Kane became the Brothers of Destruction
The kayfabe brothers went from enemies to a formidable team, The Brothers of Destruction, and they reigned supreme on WWE for years to come.
As the destructive duo, they capture the WWE World Tag Team Championships six times as well as the WCW tag titles. As a solo act, Kane went on to hold a plethora of singles titles.
Kane is synonymous with The Undertaker and he is widely regarded as one of the best characters in WWE history.
#3 The Undertaker was a huge help to Batista in his early OVW and WWE career
The Undertaker was influential in Batista's wrestling career long before he came to WWE.
Batista was part of OVW along with Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and John Cena. The Undertaker would travel down to the promotion to scope out the young up and coming talent as future opponents and WWE Superstars.
Batista was one of the wrestlers that 'Taker had his eye on. The Animal was one of the standout stars of the development federation, OVW. As Leviathan, the developmental territory hand-picked Batista to face-off against The Undertaker at one of the promotion’s big shows.
The Undertaker and Batista would become a classic WWE rivalry
The Undertaker and Batista went on to have a stellar feud in 2007. Their program ran for the entire year and featured a memorable series of matches for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
In an interview with WWE, Batista highlighted his work with The Undertaker as one of his favorite memories with the company.
"He's very intimidating, you know he's in charge, but it's also very comforting because this dude has just seen and done it all."
The Animal tried to pay back the years of sage advice from The Phenom when he attempted to talk The Undertaker out of his, now infamous match with Goldberg in Saudi Arabia.
"I called ‘Taker and said, ‘Is there any way I could change your mind?’ He laughed, and I knew I couldn’t change his mind"
The support and advice Batista received from The Undertaker early on and throughout his career was a significant factor in his transformation into a WWE legend.
#2 The Undertaker was a massive help to Randy Orton in the early days of his WWE career
Randy Orton made his WWE debut in a match with Hardcore Holly on the Apr. 25, 2002 episode of SmackDown. Just four weeks later, Orton faced The Undertaker in a match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. That's a confrontation that certainly doesn't happen by accident.
Speaking on the episode of WWE Untold: The Phenom and The Legend Killer, Orton spoke candidly about how The Undertaker was instrumental in his career.
The Undertaker helped Randy Orton get to where he is in WWE today
The Undertaker was so invested in helping to nurture the next generation of WWE Superstars that he would often visit Ohio Valley Wrestling. The company was famously the feeder system that provided WWE with Orton, Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin, and John Cena. It was here that he would meet Orton. Aware of who he was through his father, Bob Orton, he was one of the young wrestlers that The Deadman scouted as a future opponent.
In 2005, Orton and The Undertaker would embark on a nine-month feud that acted as the launchpad for Orton's successful career while teaching him valuable lessons on how to act in the locker room.
"I see now how wrong that was and when I'm in the locker room trying to teach the young guys and girls about the little things I always go back to where I started. If it wasn't for Undertaker, none of this would have ever happened."
The Undertaker's legacy and impact on the wrestling business will live on through people like Randy Orton, who will pass on his teachings to future generations of wrestlers.
#1 The Undertaker was a huge help to John Cena is his early WWE career
John Cena was part of the OVW class that The Undertaker had his eye on.
Although he made his shocking WWE debut against Kurt Angle in an impressive display, it was the handshake with The Undertaker backstage that put him on the map. The fact that reigning the Undisputed WWE Champion made this gesture for the young up and comer live on TV proved to WWE Universe that Cena was something special.
The two wouldn't cross paths again until a year later at Vengeance. The premise was great; it was New School vs. Old School. Cena was the young and hungry and 'Taker was the grizzled veteran. In the match, The Undertaker dominated The Leader of Cenation, teaching him a lesson in respect. However, Cena would fight back and surprisingly get a ton of offense in.
This match with The Phenom would lay the foundations for Cena's rise to the top and the rest, as they say, is history.
Cena's success and all the other names on this list is a testament to The Undertaker's guidance for young talent coming up through the ranks.
As The Undertaker's career comes to an end, the stories of his selfless acts in the ring and backstage are coming to light. His willingness to share his decades' worth of experience will live on through those who benefitted from it and they will pass on this wisdom to future generations.
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