Why I Love Wrestling: The Undertaker

 

The current longest tenured in-ring performer for WWE, since 19-goddamn-90, is the Undertaker. He is also the perfect man to wrap up Geekade’s coverage of spooky wrestlers. The Undertaker is the quintessential spooky wrestler. Since his debut at Survivor Series he has been scaring kids and parents alike and pretty much being the coolest motherfucker in town. He is not just a reason I love wrestling but one of the greatest performers of all time.

Making his debut in 1989 as Texas Red, The Undertaker, real name Mark Calloway, quickly signed with WCW. After a year there he left for WWE and has never looked back. His debut match was a squash at the Survivor Series where he destroyed the opposing team by himself. He came out to a funeral march in all black with a trenchcoat and hat. (you know, like an undertaker) He went on a crazy run after that including his first Wrestlemania win against Superfly Snuka. His gimmick, the deadman, saw him gain powers from an urn that contained someone, I suppose. He was booked as an absolute unkillable monster. He sustained a back injury early on in his run that further enhanced his mystique. When he returned he was the lord of darkness. His character would continue to get darker and darker throughout his run. He abducted Stephanie McMahon, crucified Steve Austin, and basically became a cult leader for a few years. There were definite satanic undertones to his character yet the strength of his work allowed him to be a fan favorite. His in-ring work has always been stellar. Not just for a big guy either. Undertaker has always been one of the most gifted in-ring workers. He moves like a cruiserweight in the body of a beast. For the last twenty years he has truly been the phenom.

Taker is better seen than told though. Watch the clips below. The darkness in his character is off the charts. The work in the ring is absolutely incredible. We will look more in depth at his career later but for now, in the spirit of Halloween, bask in the glory of the Undertaker.

 

 

Dan Ryan

Dan Ryan was once the most feared and respected luchador in the world until the "Great DDT Disaster of '85" where Dan unfortunately DDT'd his opponent so hard into the ground that he opened a gate to the underworld that let unholy things into this world. After that, Dan refused to wrestle anymore but he's found new life writing and talking about his favorite hobbies here at Geekade. He pens the weekly Why I Love Wrestling series, co-hosts The Stone Age Gamer Podcast, expertly pairs video games with beer, and much, much more. Dan is a personality that Geekade simply would not be the same without.

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