The greatest faces in WWE history - No. 5

In this continuing series of the best babyfaces in WWE history, today we look at a man who has earned many an epithets over his long career in the company, but in summation, would have little argument if called ‘The Greatest Professional Wrestler of the modern era’.

While he has alternated between being a good guy and a bad guy a few times over his 20 plus years in the company, when it’s all said and done and it’s a wrap, you and I will just remember him as the guy we always loved and more importantly, respected immensely.

Among other things, he is known as ‘The Phenom’ and ‘The Deadman’. He is the greatest legend in this business, he is the Undertaker!

Following his debut back at the Survivor Series in 1990 (holy s***, he has been with the company for 23 years!), the Undertaker portrayed an undead, nearly unstoppable force that would tear apart any superstar in his path.

His eerie demeanour and cold stare were perfect for a monster heel, as he would take on babyfaces such as Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, and provide an intimidating foe who would allow them to get over even more.

All this while, the Undertaker had been receiving unprecedented fan response and Vince McMahon knew he had someone who could be a great face on his hands. But how to go about doing a face turn with a guy who was ‘dead’?

Surely, a sudden revelation that the guy walking around as a zombie was essentially a cuddly bear with sensitive feelings would have been hard to believe, huh? So, a turn was put in place that would happen gradually.

In his feud with the Warrior, Undertaker was assisted by another heel and master of ring psychology, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, who would employ the power of the Undertaker to give himself an advantage in his own matches.

Roberts would employ ‘the Phenom’ in his feud with “Macho Man” Randy Savage and his wife Miss Elizabeth, until he attempted to hit Elizabeth with a steel chair.

At this point, the Undertaker stopped his ally from striking the defenceless young lady, instigating a positive crowd reaction for the first time in his career. Roberts would soon question the Undertaker’s allegiances on his Funeral Parlour segment, with the Deadman leaving no doubt in the fans’ minds that he was no longer supporting the Snake’s actions.

Thus, the Undertaker had arrived as a babyface who the crowd could now cheer for and with him going up against Jake Roberts, it was a deed well done. Taker since then has predominantly been a fan favourite, except for a few flings with heeldom during the attitude era and as ‘The Big Evil’ during the early part of the last decade, to the point that it’s virtually impossible to turn him heel again.

The one main thing that I have always felt that separated Undertaker from other bizarre characters that have come and gone on the WWE landscape is the excitement factor that he brings and how that hasn’t changed one bit despite his tenure.

A lot of credit goes to the guy behind the character, Mark Calaway, who has had the wisdom to keep things fresh and adapted his in-ring style many a times and worked on his character to evolve over the years from a Frankenstein wannabe to a better-moving giant to an American bada** biker to the current avatar where he is a little bit of all of them.

Then there is the WrestleMania undefeated streak. Over the years, it has attained a life of its own and in a way, is a special attraction, just like the Mania is.

The undefeated streak is a show of respect and love for The Deadman and where he stands in the annals of history. While his championship reigns may not be record-setting, the WrestleMania streak is second to none in any sport and it shows the impact that the Deadman has had on the industry.

If you weigh in on the fan following that he has had over the years, The Undertaker’s fans have to be the most loyal and consistent. While we have all had our favourites at different times, Undertaker never really went off the list.

If you consider the fact that there has never been a time that the fans turned on him (unlike Hogan, Rock, Michaels, Flair, etc), there is no more proof needed to conclude that the Undertaker is the most respected and beloved wrestler in history.

I dread the day when we hear the gong go off for the last time to be heard no more, because that would signal the departure of not just the best we have seen, but the best we will ever see.

He truly embodies this business like no one else and the younger stars could do well to emulate his example to become successful in the world of professional wrestling. He’s one of a kind, he is The Undertaker!

Read other articles in the series here: Greatest Faces in WWE history