Height: 6' 10"
Weight: 328 pounds
From: Death Valley
Finishing move: Tombstone Piledriver; Chokeslam; Last Ride
Career Highlights: World Wrestling Federation Champion (3); Tag Team Champion (5) - current
A Decade of Destruction...
After a decade of destruction in the World Wrestling Federation, the Undertaker is stronger than ever!
When he made his debut at Survivor Series 1990, the Undertaker was a freak of nature beyond this world. Everything he touched, he destroyed. Taker's dominance continued for the next 10 years though two Federation Championship reigns, and memorable battles with Yokozuna, Bret Hart, Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Kane, Mick Foley and Steve Austin. For much of 1999, Taker had the Federation under a reign of terror as the leader of the Ministry of Darkness, and nearly married Stephanie McMahon in a "black wedding."
Shortly after the Undertaker lost a First Blood Match to Austin at Fully Loaded 1999, he disappeared from the Federation to recover from the toll more than 10 years took on his body. In May of 2000, he helped make Judgment Day a night to remember when he returned to the Federation as "The American Bad Ass" and attacked the entire McMahon-Helmsley Faction!
Just like that, Taker was back in the Federation Championship picture, and though he fell short of winning the coveted title for a third time, he did enjoy a brief reign as one-half of the Federation Tag Team Champions (with The Rock). Entering 2001, the Undertaker had his brother, Kane, as his chief ally, and is poised for a feud with Triple H. No matter where the Undertaker goes from here, he was withstood the test of time to become a legend in the Federation -- and the sports entertainment business.
The History of Undertaker
The Debut
At the 1990 Survivor Series, Ted DiBiase promised a mystery partner for his “Million Dollar Team.” That surprise turned out to be the Undertaker, who made his World Wrestling Federation debut at the November spectacular! Led to the ring by Brother Love, the Undertaker dominated in his first bout, utilizing the Tombstone piledriver to swiftly dissect the opposing team! From that moment on, no one in the Federation was safe - a “Decade of Destruction” was about to begin!
The Destruction Begins!
The new year 1991 began for the Undertaker with a new manager, as Paul Bearer joined the Phenom. In March, the Undertaker made his WrestleMania debut, pinning the legendary “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. Throughout 1991, the Taker put together an impressive undefeated streak, which World Wrestling Federation President Jack Tunney felt was worthy of a title match. At the 1991 Survivor Series - just one year after making his Federation debut - the Undertaker pinned Hulk Hogan to win the World Wrestling Federation Championship! The Taker’s reign would be short-lived, however, as Hogan won the title back in controversial fashion the following week.
The fans begin to cheer...
The Undertaker underwent a marked transition early in 1992, as he went from being one of the most hated villains in the Federation to one of the most cheered favorites. At WrestleMania VIII, he dispatched of his former partner, the evil Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Soon after sending Jake out of the Federation, the Dead Man began a rivalry with Kamala, the Ugandan Giant. After an indecisive match at SummerSlam, the two giants waged war in the first-ever coffin match at the 1992 Survivor Series. At that event, the Taker put the 400-pound behemoth into the casket, and sealed the deal on another banner year!
A war between giants
The Undertaker entered the 1993 Royal Rumble with a solid chance to win the event. Indeed, when the Phenom hit the ring, he dominated his competition. But suddenly, an eight-foot monster headed to the ring to attack the Undertaker! The man known as Giant Gonzalez eliminated the Undertaker from the event, and tortured the Phenom in the process! At WrestleMania IX, the Taker would defeat Gonzalez by disqualification. After the bout, Gonzalez choked out the Taker with an ether-soaked rag. But much to his shock, the Undertaker recovered and came back to knock out the Giant! At SummerSlam, the Undertaker pinned Gonzalez in a “Rest in Peace” match, eradicating the Giant from the World Wrestling Federation!
Two Undertakers?
1994 was perhaps the strangest year in the Undertaker’s history. At the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna defeated the Undertaker in a Casket Match when a dozen Federation Superstars helped the 500-pounder to lock the Taker in the casket! As they wheeled him away, however, the Undertaker’s spirit rose high above the arena, and he vowed he would return!
As the summer began, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase claimed to have bought the Undertaker - and indeed, he produced the Phenom! But Paul Bearer claimed that DiBiase’s Taker was nothing but a faker, and at SummerSlam, Bearer brought back the real Undertaker, who defeated the imposter!
At the 1994 Survivor Series, the Taker earned a measure of revenge against Yokozuna, defeating him in another casket match. Movie star Chuck Norris was the special ringside enforcer for this bout!
The Phenom takes over
As 1995 began, the Undertaker was embroiled in a feud with Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation. The issue at hand seemed to be the Undertaker’s prized urn, which DiBiase and his goons had stolen from Paul Bearer at every given opportunity.
At the Royal Rumble, the Taker defeated Irwin R. Shyster and almost got back the urn - until it was again stolen by King Kong Bundy! At WrestleMania XI, the Taker pinned Bundy to regain again the urn.
At the 1995 King of the Ring, the Undertaker suffered an opening-round loss to Mabel in the King of the Ring tournament. As the summer wore on, he resumed his feud with the Million Dollar Corporation. Soon the Corporation again stole his urn - and Kama melted it down to make a necklace!
At SummerSlam, the Undertaker defeated Kama in a Casket Match. Then, at the Survivor Series in November, the Undertaker absolutely dominated! The Phenom single-handedly defeated Triple H, Isaac Yankem, Mabel and Jerry Lawler to win the match for his team!
Be afraid....Be very afraid.
Looking for his second World Wrestling Federation Championship reign, Undertaker started 1996 off on the right foot with a shot at Bret "Hit Man" Hart’s title at January’s Royal Rumble. This was one of the rare occasions that the champion actually walked into the match as the underdog. This turned out to be a re-occurring theme with all of Undertaker’s opponents in 1996, champion or not.
Undertaker wound up defeating Bret Hart at the Royal Rumble, however; the victory was via disqualification. Undertaker was awarded the match when "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel interfered. This incensed the Dead Man and eventually lead to a bitter rivalry between him and Diesel… a rivalry which eventually led to the demise of Big Daddy Cool.
The two big men met at WrestleMania XII. After a long battle, Undertaker delivered the Tombstone to Diesel and pinned him for the 1-2-3. Diesel, a former Federation Champion, was never seen again.
After his victory over Diesel at WrestleMania XII, Undertaker had a hard time finding people brave enough to step into the ring with him. The thought of ending up like Diesel did not rest well in the minds of other Federation Superstars. In fact, Undertaker was left off the following month’s Pay-Per-View due to a lack of competition.
Finally, just when it looked as though nobody was going to be brave enough to step into the ring the Undertaker, somebody came forward. However, the Undertaker’s next opponent didn’t step up in an act of bravery. Rather, it appeared as though he was more deranged than anything else. Undertaker’s next rival turned out to be the deranged Mankind. The next several months would change the Undertaker forever.
At the King of the Ring Pay-Per-View, Undertaker and Mankind competed in a memorable battle. Much to the surprise of everybody, Undertaker actually lost this match to Mankind after Paul Bearer accidentally knocked him with his urn. Paul Bearer’s actions clearly cost Undertaker the match and afterwards, Undertaker fans everywhere questioned whether or not they were accidental.
Two months later, we learned that Bearer’s actions were not by accident. At SummerSlam, Bearer again cost Undertaker a match against Mankind by hitting him with the urn. Shortly thereafter, Paul Bearer made his allegiance with Mankind known to the public and the Undertaker. The Phenom’s long and storied history with Paul Bearer came crashing down right before his eyes.
After two devastating Pay-Per-View losses to Mankind, Undertaker finished 1996 up strong with two victories over the "Deranged One." He defeated him in a Buried Alive match in October and then again at the Survivor Series in November. He then went on to destroy another one of Paul Bearer’s men, the Executioner, at the December Pay-Per-View.
Clearly, 1996 was a year like no other for the Undertaker. Looking at it from a won-loss perspective, Undertaker’s wins in 1996 were monumental. However, never before had he run into a superstar like Mankind, handing him two losses at Pay-Per-View events. In addition, he was stabbed in the back by the one man he trusted through out his career – Paul Bearer.
Taker's horrible secret
It was an emotional year for the Undertaker as he would finally regain his Federation title after five and a half long years, and be reunited with his long lost brother, Kane.
In January, at the Royal Rumble, the Undertaker’s feud with his former manager, Paul Bearer, continued. This time, Bearer’s newest superstar, Vader, took on the Undertaker. The outcome of the match was not what Taker would have wished for, as he lost to Vader.
The feud with Vader carried over to February at “Final Four” In Your House. This Pay-Per-View had a match featuring the Undertaker, Bret Hart, Steve Austin and Vader competing for the vacant Federation Championship. Taker once again fell short, as he was eliminated in this match.
March was a historic month for the Dead Man, as he took on Sid, the Federation Champion, at WrestleMania 13. The Undertaker put on a classic show as he pounded the Champion throughout the match. Taker eventually won the match, and earned himself the Federation title for the second time in his career.
This is when Paul Bearer began blackmailing the Undertaker about revealing his “secret.” This secret was eventually revealed after Taker could not stand Bearer’s blackmail anymore. The secret, according to Bearer, was that when Taker was young, he murdered his entire family by burning the house they were in to the ground. Bearer also claimed that Taker’s younger brother, Kane, who had been horrifically burned in the fire, was in fact still alive.
Over the next five months, the Undertaker successfully defended his Federation Championship against all comers. During this time, he defeated Mankind, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Faarooq, and Vader on Pay-Per-View matches. Then, at SummerSlam, he got his biggest test, when he defended his title against Bret Hart. Shawn Michaels was the special guest referee in this match, and Michaels accidentally hit Taker with a chair, allowing Hart to cover him for the win. This was the spark that started Taker’s feud with Shawn Michaels.
Taker fought the first of two matches with Michaels at “Ground Zero” In Your House. This match was back and forth, eventually ending in a no-contest. In the second battle with Michaels at Badd Blood, he competed in the first-ever “Hell in the Cell” Match. This match was very intense -- like no other match anyone had ever seen before. The Undertaker and the Heartbreak Kid put their bodies and careers on the line in an unforgettable match. Just as the Undertaker was about to put a bloodied Michaels away, the Undertaker’s younger brother, Kane, made his Federation debut. A shocked Undertaker was then attacked and tombstoned by his younger brother, allowing Michaels to cover him for the win! Although the Undertaker fell short of victory in this match, it was one hell of a show that he and Michaels put on for everyone. This was the first time the Undertaker and Kane had looked each other in the face in decades.
Taker and Kane finally face off
1998 didn’t start too well for the Undertaker. At the Royal Rumble, he was defeated by Shawn Michaels in a casket match, after his brother, Kane, who earlier had seemed that he was siding with the Undertaker, turned on him during the match. Kane interfered, and allowed Michaels to earn the victory. After the match, Kane locked the Undertaker in the casket and lit it on fire.
After that, the Undertaker vanished from the Federation for over a month. In February, Taker finally returned much to the surprise of Kane and Paul Bearer. For months, the Undertaker had vowed he would never fight his brother, but upon making his return that February, the Undertaker said he would indeed face off against Kane for the very first time at WrestleMania XIV.
At WrestleMania XIV, the Undertaker took on Kane for the first time. The older brother prevailed in the match, as he tombstoned Kane three times for the win. The Undertaker had won the first of the battles to come. At “Unforgiven” In Your House, Taker and Kane battled once again, this time in an “Inferno Match.” In this match, the Undertaker actually set his younger brother on fire to earn the win. Kane certainly had flashbacks of his childhood disaster, but this time, the Undertaker didn’t feel bad for him.
In the second-ever “Hell in the Cell” match that June at King of the Ring, the Undertaker took on Mankind in probably the most unforgettable match in Federation history. The Undertaker absolutely destroyed Mankind, as he threw him off the 15 foot high cell and then chokeslammed him through the top of the cage! If that wasn’t enough, Taker choke slammed Mankind onto thousands of thumbtacks in the ring. It was brutal, with the Undertaker prevailing.
After going through a hellacious one-on-one battle with Mankind, the Undertaker was forced to team up with Stone Cold Steve Austin as they took on and defeated Kane and Mankind to become Tag Team Champions at Fully Loaded. Their title reign did not last too long, as they soon dropped the belts in a four-way match to Mankind and Kane.
At Breakdown, the Undertaker and Kane simultaneously pinned Federation Champion Steve Austin. They both were awarded the victory. Mr. McMahon forced the two brothers to face each other at the Judgment Day Pay-Per-View. The Undertaker and Kane then turned against Mr. McMahon. This new feud between Taker/Kane and Mr. McMahon would continue for the next couple of months.
Stone Cold was the guest referee for the Undertaker/Kane match at “Judgment Day” In Your House for the vacant Federation Championship. The match ended in a no-contest, but more importantly for the Undertaker, at Judgment Day, he reunited with Paul Bearer.
At the Survivor Series, the Undertaker takes on Kane in the first round of the “Deadly Game” Federation Title Tournament. Undertaker won this match over his younger brother, only to lose to The Rock in the semi-finals by disqualification, due to Kane’s interference.
At the end of the year, the Undertaker took on Stone Cold Steve Austin in a Buried Alive Match at “Rock Bottom” In Your House. In this match, Kane got some revenge on his brother, appearing out of a grave and tombstoning his older brother into it, allowing Austin to bury him alive. The year did not end on a good note for the Dead Man!
Hell unleashed!
As 1999 started, the Undertaker changed his look and personality. He formed a group that would become one of the most powerful and dominant the Federation has ever seen - the "Ministry of Darkness." His first three members were Mideon and the Acolytes. Soon after, Taker added Edge, Christian, Viscera and Gangrel. Taker’s “Ministry” was all based around the doing the bidding of the so-called “Greater Power.”
As the alliance gained more momentum, the Undertaker immediately went after the two people he hated most, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon. At WrestleMania XV, he took on and defeated one of Mr. McMahon’s top hands in the Corporation, the Big Boss Man, in a “Hell in the Cell” Match.
At “Backlash” In Your House, Ken Shamrock was out to get revenge for Mr. McMahon. Shamrock fell short in this match, as the Undertaker’s strength and power prevailed. That night, the Undertaker kidnapped Stephanie McMahon in a limousine and the abduction began. The following night on RAW, the Undertaker tried to abduct Stephanie in a black wedding, but she was saved by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Three days later on SmackDown!, the Undertaker’s “Ministry” joined forces with Shane McMahon’s “Corporation.” Both wanted to get revenge on Mr. McMahon. This newly formed “Corporate Ministry,” was created and was an extremely powerful force in the Federation for the next few months. On June 7, the “Greater Power” was finally revealed. It was Mr. McMahon himself.
In May, it was history once again for the Undertaker, as he defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin to become Federation Champion for the third time in his career. However, it would be a short title reign for the Dead Man, as he was defeated by Austin on June 28 at RAW.
At Fully Loaded in July, Taker once again lost to Stone Cold, but this night was historic because it started the alliance of the two most powerful men in the Federation - the Undertaker and the Big Show. Over the next few months, this powerful duo took the tag team field by storm. They defeated X-Pac and Kane to win the Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam, only to drop the belts eight days later on RAW to Mankind and The Rock. This would not be the last time these two teams met, as Undertaker and Big Show won the belts back on September 7 at SmackDown! in a buried alive match.
Two weeks later, in a “Dark Side Rules” match, Taker told Mideon and Viscera to take his place. They both teamed up with the Big Show to defend the titles and lost the match to Mankind and The Rock. As a result of refusing to wrestle Triple H that Thursday on SmackDown!, Mr. McMahon took Taker out of the “Six Pack Challenge” match at Unforgiven. Taker then said that if Mr. McMahon was going to take him out of the match, then he’d walk out of the Federation.
The American Bad Ass
The Undertaker returned with a bang at Judgement Day in May 2000! As Triple H battled The Rock in an Iron Man Match, a biker-clad Undertaker rode his Harley to ringside! The look had changed, but the Taker was back! The American Bad Ass cleaned house of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction -- and by chokeslamming Triple H, the Taker inadvertently helped the Game to win the World Wrestling Federation Championship!
The following month at King of the Ring, the Taker teamed with Kane and The Rock to take on Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Triple H. One of the most spectacular moments of the match came when the Undertaker chokeslammed Triple H from the top rope, through a ringside table!
The Undertaker would then cross paths with Kurt Angle. Through a series of mishaps and slip-ups, Angle drew the wrath of the Taker. At Fully Loaded, the American Bad Ass met the American Hero, and it was the Bad Ass who emerged victorious.
Just weeks later, Kane turned his back on the Undertaker. Kane claimed to be a monster, and he said he would destroy his brother. At SummerSlam, it was instead the Undertaker who dominated -- even unmasking Kane for the first time ever.
The brothers would meet again at Unforgiven in September, as the Undertaker and Kane were participants in a Fatal Fourway Match for the World Wrestling Federation Championship. Chris Benoit and The Rock were also involved in the bout, which saw Rock successfully defend his title by pinning the Rabid Wolverine.
Kane would have the last laugh at Unforgiven, however, as he chokeslammed his brother, injuring the Dead Man. The Taker was out of action for over a month before returning just prior to the Survivor Series. When he finally did return, he opened up "Dead Man Inc." and vowed to take the World Wrestling Federation Championship from Kurt Angle at the Survivor Series. Angle would retain his title at the Survivor Series, tricking the Undertaker by using his brother Eric Angle to confuse the Dead Man.
At the Survivor Series, the Undertaker celebrated a "Decade of Destruction," as it was 10 years prior -- at the 1990 Survivor Series -- that the Taker made his World Wrestling Federation debut!
In December 2000 at Armageddon, the Undertaker vowed to make someone famous in the Six Way Hell in the Cell bout. That competitor turned out to be Rikishi, as the Taker threw the 400-pound giant off the top of the cell!
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