31 Faces of Fear: The Undertaker

For the month of October, we are going to run through some of our favorite wrestlers that inspire fear in their competitors and fans alike.

The Undertaker is too important for just one write-up.

Matt:  I cried at the end of Wrestlemania.  I know, rumors might hint at Undertaker not being done yet, but he should be.  His hat and coat weren’t the only thing left in the ring as he descended through the entrance ramp. He left it all in the ring. The aged legend gave every ounce he had in the tank, just in case, and in a lot of ways he’s done that his entire career.

The Undertaker has always been what we needed him to be. From his debut as the ghastly pale figure in the comedically large tie and torn sleeve button up to his runs as the leader of ultimate evil with the Minister of Darkness, the American Bad Ass Biker Taker, and even now, his final character, the grateful legend. In the pantheon of professional wrestling, at least in my lifetime, there are few who’s name will ever be as synonymous with the sport than The Undertaker.

So while we honor the surefire first ballot Hall of Famer with the Halloween edition of our Faces of Fear series, the truly scary realization is that we might be in a world where wrestling has to completely move on without him. #ThankYouTaker isn’t just us being polite. #ThankYouTaker is a statement. The Undertaker has long set the bar, and few who have come since his debut have even brushed near it. So in the final breath of our Faces of Fear series, we offer one more, resounding, Thank You Taker. Thank you for making this ride as special for us as we hope it was for you.

Jeremy: The Darkest form of The Undertaker has to be the leader of the Ministry of Darkness.  While Austin was opening up a can of whoopass, Undertaker quietly shed the purple gloves for cloaks.  Suddenly dozens of druids would announce his arrival.  He crucified Austin to his symbol when he got out of line.  He was the Deadman and this undead wizard is what interested me most about pro wrestling when I fell into it after the Attitude Era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fmr-lU6Uaw

I didn’t hate The American Badass but I sort of fell away at that time.  There was something pure about the good vs. evil story that Stone Cold almost obliterated.  It was nice to have some black and white to counteract the blurring of faces and heels.

That being said, Taker was almost always a heel but he was so good at what he did that he was really a face.  We suspended our disbelief though because of Mark Calloway’s quarter of a decade commitment to the character.  #ThankYouTaker

With that, we are going to leave our coat, gloves, and hat in the center of the ring.  We hope you’ve enjoyed the series.