~PAGE THREE~
~IX. THE BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION~
Speculation was raised for weeks about the possible alliance, but nobody would talk. Even Stone Cold was unsure about the brothers' relationship and warned Undertaker about having Kane interfere in their vendetta. But Taker was steadfast and assured the Texas Rattlesnake that nobody would get involved. Then on August 24, RAW took a shocking twist. The show began with Kane and Undertaker walking to the ring side by side for the first time ever. Kane immediately severed all ties with his father by brutally attacking Paul Bearer. Next, he and Taker delivered a spike piledriver to Kane's tag team partner and co-titleholder, Mankind. They were sending a message that blood was thicker than water, and, by working as a team, the Brothers of Destruction were unstoppable.
At SummerSlam '98, Kane was scheduled to team with Mankind to defend the Tag Team Titles against the New Age Outlaws in a Dumpster Match. When Kane failed to appear, Mankind was at a distinct disadvantage. Suddenly, Kane dashed out of a dumpster and smacked Mankind in the face with a sledgehammer, costing himself and Mankind the win.
Later that evening while Undertaker was competing against Austin, Kane again emerged from the back. Instead of allowing his younger brother to help him defeat Austin, Taker kept his word and sent the seven foot monster from ringside. After an intense battle that mostly favored Undertaker, Austin nailed Taker with a low blow while he was walking the top rope. Just one Stone Cold Stunner later, Undertaker found himself staring at the lihgts while the referee counted to three. A gracious Undertaker then grabbed the title from the referee and handed it to Austin.
As the summer wore on, Undertaker and Kane began their reign of terror by demolishing everyone. After working out a business deal with Vince McMahon, the duo were entered into a Triple Threat title match against Stone Cold Steve Austin at Breakdown, with a stipulation stating that the only way they could win the title would be to defeat Ausitn and not each other.
Kane and Taker worked together throughout the match, and they eventually succeeded in destroying the Texas Rattlesnake. But the brothers simultaneously pinned Austin and were both awarded the contest. The next night on RAW, Mr. McMahon promised to name one of them the new champion, but as he was about to make his announcement, Austin drove a Zamboni to the ring and assaulted him.
Later that night, the chairman was fuming that Undertaker and Kane failed to defend him agianst Austin. He reneged on his agreement with them and ordered the siblings to face each other at Judgment Day for the vacant championship, with Stone Cold as the special referee. But, as McMahon continued to insult the brothers, a melee ensued. Undertaker and Kane systematically tore Mr. McMahon apart and crushed his ankle between the ring steps, sending the manical owner away for a lengthy hospital stay. The Brothers of Destruction were out to prove that nobody was safe from their wrath.
It quickly became evident that Austin wasn't going to properly officiate the match at Judgment Day. When he began baiting and antagonizing both Kane and Undertaker, they soon turned their attention to putting him out of action in hope of getting a different referee to officiate. Meanwhile, Paul Bearer returned form his lengthy absence and came to ringside, pretending to patch things up with Kane. After Kane chokeslammed Taker, Bearer asked Kane for permission to finish off the Phenom with a chair. But, at the last minute, he turned and nailed Kane instead. When Kane sought retribution, his brother came from behind and crushed him with a steel chair. Eventually the match was thrown out when Austin attacked both competitors, declared himself the victor, and left with the WWE Championship.
~X. MINISTRY OF DARKNESS~
After two years of seperation and turmoil, Undertaker and Paul Bearer were on the same side again. The next night on RAW, they revealed that they had once again formed an "Unholy Union." Bearer stoically stated that he had come to lead the Ministry of Darkness in conquering WWE. Undertaker then grabbed the microphone and admitted that he purposely started the fire that tragically killed their parents and burned Kane. Taker went on to say that he would never allow Kane to join the Ministry because he was weak and that this assemblage was going to be made of individuals who were strong in mind and body.
Without anyone to control his actions, Kane quickly became unbalanced and out of control. In fact, during a match between Undertaker and X-Pac, Kane came to the ring and threw a fireball at Taker. But, the Deadman dodged the object, and it struck X-Pac. Although he showed remorse, Kane continued to randomly interfere in other Superstars' matches to release his frustration.
The WWE title was still vacant, and at Survivor Series there was a 14 man "Deadly Games Title Tournament" to crown a champion. After receiving a first round by, Undertaker met Kane in the second round. The Deadman was victorious, but was knocked out in the second round after his brother interfered in the contest and chokeslammed his opponent, The Rock. The "Great One" didn't mind the easy victory, he simply stood back and watched as the siblings fought their way into the back.
As the year passed, Undertaker became more evil. He viciously attacked Austin with a shovel, causing the Bionic Redneck to suffer blackouts that hospitalized him. Taker followed Austin to the infirmary, captured him, and drove him to a cemetery in a hearse. Once they reached the graveyard, he and Bearer considered burying him alive before deciding on a more fitting end that involved taking him back to their quarters to embalm and sacrifice him. An unconscious Austin was laid out as Undertaker leaned over him to make an incision. Luckly for Austin, Kane interfered and allowed him to escape before Undertaker could use the scalpel. Undertaker swore that he wasn't finished with Austin and declared that he would make sure Austin burned in hell. A short time later, Taker knocked out Austin with a chair, tied him to his iconic symbol, and crucified him in front of a national audience.
Undertaker's sadistic actions led to a confrontation with Austin at In Your House: Rock Bottom, where they met in a "Buried Alive" match. Throughout the epic encounter, Austin and Undertaker used a variety of foreign objects to gain the advantage. Just when it appeared that Austin had finished Taker with a Stone Cold Stunner, he chose to chase down Bearer instead of burying the Deadman. This mistake gave Undertaker more then enough time to recover. Kane raced out, assaulted Taker and delivered a graveside Tombstone before dumping his brother's limp body into the six foot hole. Suddenly, Austin reappeared, driving a back hoe that he used to fill the grave to the brim and bury Undertaker alive.
After a brief absence, the Man from the Dark Side returned with a new look that perfectly suited his altered personality. He wore a black gown with a hood and chanted demonic phrases. Soon, he began recruiting lost souls to join his Ministry of Darkness. First, he and Bearer captured Phineas I. Godwinn, who they brutalized in a dark ceremony where they brainwashed him into acting subservient and answering to the name Mideon. Their next targets were Faarooq and Bradshaw, who they appropriately deemed the Acolytes. Before long, The Brood--Gangrel, Edge, Christian, and Viscera were added to the Deadman's followers. Week after week, Taker claimed that he and his minions were simply doing the bidding of a "higher power."
At St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Undertaker tried to capture the enforcer of Mr. McMahon's Corporation, Boss Man, but the former prison guard escaped before being sacrificed. Taker's actions made Mr. McMahon furious, leading him to form a scheme to stop Undertaker from taking over his company. One of McMahon's ideas was to have Undertaker meet his brother in a second Inferno match. While Mr. McMahon sat at ringisde to enjoy the action, Paul Bearer came down and delivered a special package which contained an old, beaten up teddy bear. As soon as Undertaker won the match by setting his younger brother's leg on fire, he went to McMahon, grabbed the stuffed bear, and set it ablaze. As the event came to a conclusion, McMahon was on his knees, wailing and crying over the burning bear.
Vince assigned the Boss Man with the task of meeting the Deadman at WrestleMania XV in a Hell in the Cell match. A few weeks before the event, Taker attempted to thwart his upcoming challenge by trying to hang the Boss Man on his iconic symbol. However, a group of WWE Superstars foiled his plan, and the local police arrested the Deadman, forcing him to spend a night in jail.
At WrestleMania XV, Boss Man dished out his own brand of punishment by handcuffing Taker to the cage and pummeling him with his night stick. Eventually Undertaker broke free and delivered a Tombstone to Boss Man for the victory. But, Undertaker wasn't finished with his foe. The Brood dropped from the rafters and broke into the cell. Once inside, they lowered a noose for Taker to wrap around Boss Man's neck. Seconds later the cage was raised and Boss Man was hung 10 feet above the canvas.
Soon it was revealed that Undertaker had his eyes on Mr. McMahon's daughter Stephanie. Week after week, the Phenom stalked Vince's family, threatening to kidnap her. Out of desperation, McMahon enlisted the aid of Ken Shamrock--whose sister Ryan had once been kidnapped by the Ministry--to punish Undertaker at Backlash '99. Although Shamrock did inflict some damage to Taker's legs, the Deadman prevailed over the mixed martial arts expert.
Aside from this important victory, Undertaker accomplished what he'd been constantly intimating throughout the preceding weeks--he had kidnapped Stephanie McMahon. The following night on RAW, the Ministry brought Stephanie to the ring on the iconic symbol to take part in a dark wedding. Before the ceremony was finished, Austin rushed to the ring, cleaned house and rescued the reluctant bride.
In an even more shocking turn of events, Shane McMahon revealed that he was secretly partnered with Undertaker and his Ministry. This alliance morphed Shane's Corporation--without Vince McMahon--and Taker's Ministry into one all powerful faction known as the Corporate Ministry. As the groups merged and took control of WWE, Undertaker revealed that in the near future, the higher power would make his presence known. In the meantime, Undertaker received a title shot against Stone Cold with both Vince and Shane McMahon as special referees. During the contest, father and son began bickering, and Shane shoved his father into Undertaker, who fell on top of Austin. Shane quickly dropped to the mat and delivered an extremly fast three count, awarding Undertaker his third WWE Championship.
On June 7, 1999, millions of viewers tuned in to witness the disclosure of the higher power that Undertaker had been referring to for the past few months. There was speculation ranging form Jake "the snake" Roberts to the "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase. The questions were answered when the mysterious druid slowly made his way to the ring and revealed himself as none other then Vince McMahon. Immediately, Vince's face lit up with a sadistic smile as he expressed how his deep seated hatred for Austin had left him no choice except to fool everybody--including his own family--in order to screw Stone Cold.
At King of the Ring, Undertaker successfully defended his title against The Rock, but the next night on RAW, he was defeated by Stone Cold Steve Austin. The crafty owner then decided he needed to put everything on the line in order to make Austin's life a living hell. To achieve this goal, McMahon created a "First Blood End of an Era" match with stipulations that cited if Undertaker won the match Austin would never receive another title shot, but if Austin were victorious, then Mr. McMahon would have to leave WWE. In the time leading up to Fully Loaded, Taker and Austin took turns attacking each other, leaving both their heads with unhealed wounds. As Taker came to the ring to battle Austin, his head was still oozing blood from where Austin has busted him wide open earlier in the evening. With such a clear advantage, it was just a matter of time until the referee stopped the match and awarded it to Austin. Undertaker had failed his boss, and the "Austin/McMahon Era" was officially over.
~XI. AN APPRENTICE OF MAMMOTH PROPORTIONS~
As a new era in WWE began, Undertaker somewhat disbanded the Ministry and began looking for badder cohorts to watch his back. After having somewhat resolved things with his brother prior to Fully Loaded, Taker asked Kane to dissolve his union with X-Pac and join him on the dark side. In the meantime, Undertaker revealed his secret association with Big Show--whom he'd taken under his wing as an apprentice--knowing that a trio involving Kane as well would be virtually unstoppable. Kane pondered the offer, but eventually chose to stand faithfully by X-Pac's side. Hoping to teach his younger brother a lesson for making a bad business decision, Taker and Big Show unleashed their rath on Kane's big hearted friend. The vicious attack sent X-Pac to the hospital and Kane off the deep end. Before too long, the four Superstars agreed to settle their differences through the use of violence.
At SummerSlam '99, Taker and Show--managed by Paul Bearer--battled X-Pac and Kane for the WWE Tag Team Championship. In a skirmish that involved three giants, X-Pac was clearly overwhelmed by the tremendous size difference. Eventually, this weak link was exploited as Undertaker and Big Show captured the titles.
Their reign lasted only eight days before they were defeated by the Rock'N'Sock Connection of The Rock and Mankind. The titles went back to Taker and Show again in the first week of September when the tandem defeated the Rock'N'Sock Connection on SmackDown! in a "Buried Alive" match. In a scheuled "Dark Side Rules" match, Undertaker ordered Mideon and Viscera to act as his substitutes and team with Big Show to defend their title. But, Taker's three cohorts were unsuccessful as Mankind and The Rock re-captured the prize.
~XII. THE EXODUS~
Upon seeing Undertaker's irrespnsible actions, Vince McMahon ordered him to battle Triple H in a casket match the following week on SmackDown!, but Undertaker wanted no part of it. He then let Vince know that although the Chairman owned WWE, nobody could tell him what to do or when to do it. This defiance angered McMahon enough to remove Undertaker from an upcoming "Six Pack Challenge" for the WWE Championship at Unforgiven. Calmly, Undertaker told Vince that if he wanted to stop him from competing in the contest, then maybe he wouldn't be participating in WWE anymore. And with that statement, Undertaker walked out of the building and ended an unequalled nine year run without even looking back.