7 Things WWE could have done differently with The Undertaker

American Badass gimmick

She totally killed his aura!

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angle as he was accompanied by the nether-worldly aura that the Undertaker had initially possessed, that by then, had been replaced by a much more humanized version of him.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

Seems like the WWE had no clue how to market the Undertaker in the 90s...

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.