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Undertaker is one the greatest wrestler to have competed inside the WWE ring. If we consider his legacy which dates back to the 1990s and run all the way to 2018, Undertaker has accomplished something which not every wrestler has. Undertaker's career lasting more than 25 years is a testimony of the kind of focus that Mark Calaway - the man behind Undertaker, endured in making Undertaker, to what he is today in the wrestling world.
Like every wrestler, Undertaker has had his down moments in his wrestling career, but the Phenom has ruled almost all his time in the WWE industry.
The Undertaker has held the 17 championships throughout his wrestling career. He is a seven-time WWE Champion, a six-time WWE Tag Team Champion, and a one-time WWE Hardcore Champion. Outside of WWE, he is also a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion in WCW. He has also held a one-time USWA Texas Champion and a one-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion. The Undertaker has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for the WWE, including four WrestleManias (WrestleMania 13, WrestleMania XXIV, WrestleMania XXVI, and WrestleMania 33).
In 2007, when The Undertaker won the Royal Rumble, he was adjudged as the longest reigning tenured performer in the history of WWE. A career spanning over 27 years has earned him the nickname, "soul of the WWE."
Let's trace Undertaker's career and the various gimmicks that he donned in his wrestling career
Western Mortician (Debut Undertaker)
Undertaker made his debut as Kane The Undertaker in 1990 and the phase is known as Western Mortician gimmick. Calaway made his WWF debut way back in 1990. Dressed in a trench coat, grey-striped tie, and grey-ringed, black Stetson hat with grey gloves and boot spats, Kane The Undertaker had an impressing debut as a villainous character. The gimmick did not stay for too long and was scrapped a year later.
The Undertaker's debut brought about a sense of eerie in the wrestling fans and the establishment of The Undertaker as a heel was hence registered to be a trademark for his career run. He would later change suites for different gimmicks, but his first appearance as this scary persona was a sight to behold.
The Original Deadman
The Undertaker had already changed his manager to Paul Bearer a year after he made his debut and both started the casket tradition. Undertaker would defeat the opponent, mostly jobbers and bury them in the casket and take them home. This was a time when WWF was considered almost real to the audience.
The first evolution of The Undertaker came as the deadman, a gimmick he would switch throughout his wrestling career. A more gruesome and scary appearance, The Undertaker perfected the art of being the mysterious man who had risen from the dead. The black gloves shifted to purple gloves, and the 8 months hiatus meant, a new character had already resided in the WWF universe.
Big Evil
Big Evil received a cult status among the wrestling fans. While it is regarded as a very weird phase in The Undertaker's wrestling career, the gimmick was perfected to precision by the wrestler. Some people hated Undertaker going about saying, "I want respect" but the wrestler had a very dusty look which justified his persona.
The Undertaker cut his long hair short and called himself the Big Evil and asked wrestlers to respect him. It was at this point that he also became the WWF Hardcore Champion.
The Phenom
The Phenom gimmick took The Undertaker's career to an all new level. WWE was garnering major viewership and wrestlers were becoming household names. When The Undertaker made his return to Wrestlemania XX as The Phenom, it took everybody by surprise. The Undertaker abandoning his non-deadman gimmick and returning to the old mystic persona was a joy to behold.
The Undertaker still had a very good in-ring presence but failed to deliver good wrestling performances during this stage. But it was at this stage that the mystic persona gained a status of its own.
The Ministry of Darkness
The Ministry of Darkness era of The Undertaker was a new high into his already successful career. WWE at that time had something which it is lacking today. The presence of a different faction, all of which were well established and loved by wrestling fans.
The Undertaker's run as the leader of The Ministry of Darkness faction during the Attitude Era amidst other faction like D Generation X, The Nation of Dominion. The Ministry of Darkness era is hands-down the best gimmick of The Undertaker. It was The Undertaker at his heelish best and delivered some amazing matches.
Special mention in the next slide
American Badass
The Undertaker donned the gimmick of an American on a bike and while some people might call it a major step down from the deadman gimmick who scared the audience and instilled a sense of mysticism, he still managed with amazing in-ring performances.
This gimmick is quite popular contrary to popular belief. In the early 2000s when videos and television were gaining momentum at a rapid pace, The Undertaker became a fan favorite. It receives a special mention because of the notoriety with which The Undertaker donned this character. A completely changed character still managed to grab the audience's eyeballs all the more delivering great matches.
