The Undertaker told us that he was coming back soon and that he was going to ensure that WrestleMania no longer defined him. He hasn't appeared since that time, but with the new year approaching rapidly, it's clear that the Dead Man will be making his presence known sooner rather than later.
The legend has taken many sabbaticals over the course of his Hall of Fame career and whenever he returns, it is usually in grand fashion.
These are the 5 best returns of The Undertaker that have occurred during his incredibly long, storied, and downright insane career.
#5 Smackdown 900
Announcing that he was coming back for more than just WrestleMania was exciting. It now looks likeHe will probably start with AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble, possibly returning as soon as this week on Smackdown Live.
It's been a little disappointing that after he said that he was back, he made a threat and has yet to follow through with it. Team Smackdown Live won at Survivor Series, but AJ Styles almost cost his team the match, and he was disrespectful to Taker on Smackdown 900 as well.
Also read: 5 things about the Undertaker that WWE doesn't want you to remember
The rumours had Undertaker interfering in at TLC, but that didn't happen. We are now up to the final Smackdown Live of the year, and WWE wants it to be memorable. We've got title matches and the return of John Cena.
This show needs to end with an appearance from The Undertaker.
#4 Interfering in the Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins match
The lights went out and out of freaking nowhere appeared The Undertaker. Normally it wouldn't be so odd, but who would have expected him to choose a match between Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar more than a year and a half after having his streak broken?
This was certainly a big surprise and led to a series of matches that turned out to be far better than anticipated, including a pretty darn good Hell in a Cell match.
While the timing was weird, it was still a nice surprising moment and the crowd went crazy. It's the kind is moment you look at as a wrestling fan and remember why you enjoy this so much.
#3 Taking on Fake Undertaker
At the 1994 Royal Rumble, The Undertaker was sealed in a casket and put out of action for the majority of the year due to injury. In his absence, Ted DiBiase brought in a man who he claimed to be The Undertaker, even though the fans knew that it wasn’t the real Undertaker.
This went on for many months, and nobody bought into it from the very beginning.
The real deal made his return with Paul Bearer at SummerSlam and easily vanquished his fake foe, ending one of the worst storylines in the history of WWE.
It was a much-needed closure to a poorly-thought-out angle. Brian Lee, who played the fake Undertaker, went on to have a mediocre career in ECW and later in the WWE.
#2 WrestleMania XX
After he was buried alive by his brother Kane at Survivor Series in 2003. Undertaker disappeared for quite some time. Shortly before WrestleMania, eerie things started happening to Kane, and that could have only meant one thing: The Undertaker was back and wanted revenge.
From May 2000 until his literal burial in November 2003, The Undertaker portrayed a character in which he was an actual person, just a pretty mean one in general. Whether it was the American Badass or Big Evil, ‘Taker was no longer the Dead Man we all knew.
People were begging for a return to his roots, and at WrestleMania XX in 2004, that's exactly what happened. The gong hit, the lights went out, druids made their way down the ramp and Paul Bearer himself made an appearance with the urn that purportedly controlled The Undertaker.
Taker followed all of that pageantry and went on to destroy Kane in less than 10 minutes. The match wasn't too good and it took him a while to hit a stride with his in-ring work, but after a nearly 4-year absence, the Dead Man was back.
#1 American Badass
Odd promos started playing on Monday Night RAW, and everyone assumed that they were calling for the return of The Undertaker. The man had been out of action since the fall of 1999, when he was forced out of action due to multiple injuries. The anticipation for his return was huge, as he had been gone for 8 months.
The Rock and Triple H had an Ironman match scheduled for Judgment Day, and when The Undertaker still hadn't shown up by the time their match began, that anticipation grew stronger. What was he going to do in that match? Did he have a chosen ally?
Time was running out and the eerie promo aired on the video screens. This time it concluded with Kid Rock's American Badass song blasting through the arena and a giant of a man rolling down the entrance way on a motorcycle. It wasn't the Dead Man, but it was still The Undertaker!
He destroyed everyone and seemingly unintentionally handed the match to Triple H, as The Rock was disqualified and lost a fall when Taker attacked The Game.
It was a stunning return with a new character, a new look, and a new attitude.
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