Undertaker = Greatest wwe superstar ever?

[jrcongine]

Can it be argued that the Undertaker is the greastest superstar ever? I think so when you think of everything that he has been apart of. The wrestlemania streak, his career longevity, his innovation of matches, seemingly willingness to work with or put over anyone. He should go down as the andre the giant of this era.:undertaker2:

He has been the most devoted person to a character i think ever. How much it must suck to every year be excluded from hall of fames, etc, because he always has to stay in character. You have greats that he can be mentioned with such as hogan, flair, bret, shawn but always there is someone that calls them out as selfish, not being able to put asses in the seat, or hard to work with. but you never here complaints of the undertaker. He seems to have the respect of his peers and people. What else could you ask.

There was a debate about the Mt. Rushmore of professional wrestling and don't remember many listing the undertaker but think he's gotta be right up there. The only thing i think he's missing is that he isn't a regular guy like shawn, bret, hogan, he doesn't have the human characteristics that they can push as their poster boy like cena. but that has also made him the legend he is today.

SO COULD IT BE POSSIBLE THAT HE COULD GO DOWN AS GREATEST EVER?

[OIL]

That honour currently belongs to Hulk Hogan, and rightly so. He is THE name associated with professional wrestling. He helped wrestling become mainstream, and sold out arenas all over the world. Undertaker, is a huge, huge superstar. I would call him an icon, & a legend. He's had some quality matches, and has an intreguing gimmick to boot. The fact that wherever he goes, he get's cheered to the moon & back says a lot. The fans love him, and he's very important to the WWE. Howeveer, greatest superstar ever? Sorry, no. He's not bigger than Hulk Hogan, which is the benchmark. Cena has a chance to become bigger than Hogan, but it's a huge ask.

[kenvin100]

Potentially he is the greatest ever, besides Steve Austin for many reasons:

1) Amazing gimmick: Nuff said..if you werent afraid of the Undertaker when you were a child, or were suprised to see the American Badass, you really should stop watching the WWE..seriously..his WM entrances (With the exception of this yr) are memorable! Mark did say he used them to imitimidate his opponent, and there was no point there since since the chemistry he had with Michaels lasted decades!

2) He can wrestle: He did have great mic skills for his gimmick(s) and man can he wrestle..did you watch last night. One word: DAMN! He can take bumps and sell injuries well..

3) Respect: Honestly, here's a guy who willing to take a back seat to help other superstars out. From Maven to Nathan Jones, to Orlando Jordan, this man is not afraid of losing the spot light, and is willing to go down, for others.

4) No complaints about him: Guys like Bret Hart, and Ric Flair are overly outspoken on how great they are and rant/bitch/moan like crap! From what I know, Taker has never done any of that during his 20 years in the business. He's sucked it in, and kept working! I never heard of any controversy surrounding this individual, which leads me to believe Mark Callaway is a great person overall!

I hope Cena follows this man: a great role model, and a great wrestler. Never bragged on how great he is, never bitched about anything or anyone for that matter. I hope he gets all the respect when he goes 20-0 and goes into HOF: deserves it!

[Rated R SuperFan]

The Undertaker is an all time great but not the greatest of all time AGAIN that honor goes to "NATURE BOY" RIC FLAIR !!! The Undertaker is in the wrestling Observer Hall Of Fame ( The True Hall Of Fame ) he was inducted in 2004 . The Undertaker will be in the WWE Hall Of Fame once he retires which will more then likely be in the next 2 - 3 years . His Mania extrances are great ( except this years Michaels was way better ) but it was cool because Micheal desended from Heaven and Taker arose from Hell so it was symbolic more then anything . Taker will go down as one of the all time greats in WWE history maybe not in wrestling history but not THE Greatest of all time .

Thank you all for reading my post have a good night and enjoy RAW tonight I hope it's a good show .

[DeadmanInc.]

I would say Undertaker is a company man. He does what's best for the company not himself. Even at Wrestlemania where we all know he's going to win, his opponents are usually the ones that dominate. Randy Orton, Edge, Batista, and HBK were either dominant or evenly matched during their WM encounters with Taker. I credit Undertaker for reviving Orton's and Batista's careers when they were losing momentum.

I think that's why Undertaker is the most respected superstar. There is hardly a bad word about him because he isn't selfish. He puts on great matches, great promos, puts over younger guys, and he has kept his ridiculous gimmick entertaining and believable for nearly 20 years. I don't think Undertaker will be considered the greatest ever by casual fans (since he can't be a "poster boy" like Cena is), but I'm sure his peers and hardcore fans consider him to be one of, if not the best of all time.

[Thugz417]

The Undertaker is an all time great but not the greatest of all time AGAIN that honor goes to "NATURE BOY" RIC FLAIR !!! The Undertaker is in the wrestling Observer Hall Of Fame ( The True Hall Of Fame ) he was inducted in 2004 . The Undertaker will be in the WWE Hall Of Fame once he retires which will more then likely be in the next 2 - 3 years . His Mania extrances are great ( except this years Michaels was way better ) but it was cool because Micheal desended from Heaven and Taker arose from Hell so it was symbolic more then anything . Taker will go down as one of the all time greats in WWE history maybe not in wrestling history but not THE Greatest of all time .

Thank you all for reading my post have a good night and enjoy RAW tonight I hope it's a good show .


Ric Flair is FAR from the greatest of all time. I love Ric but his career was no where near the caliber as the Undertaker. YES flair has been around for many years, but he has had a SELFISH career. How many superstars did flair legitimately put over? I cant even think of 1 that he put over. When I say put over I mean guys that weren't stars to begin with. Let's take a look at the Undetaker:
Maven, Nathan Jones, he helped Orton develop, he was willing to LOSE to Kane to help put Kane over but Kane refused out of respect. Taker was willing to lose to whoever whenever!

Hulk Hogan= SO NOT the most respectable or most deserving. He used backstage politics to shape everyone of his matches. The match against HBK took WEEKS if not longer to shape the FINISH because Hogan REFUSED to lose to HBK. Much like how HBK refused to lose to Hogan.

The dead man on the other hand, has NEVER used backstage influence to determine match outcomes, has never whined or complained about someone else getting a big push. Hell he was very big in the development of the Brock Lesnar character as well. Think back, he basically sold Lesnar as being totally dominating and in a sense indestructible. You have never heard of any backstage issues or questionable/unethical problems with the taker because he is a mans man
. Dedicated to the WWE, to Vince McMahon but most of all he is dedicated to each and every fan that has supported him over the years. I've seen grown men get emotional (yes i mean crying) at the mere sight of the taker. Whether he is Mark or "Taker" he has the respect of the entire WWE community, the wrestling world and the entire sports entertainment/pro wrestling world.

Undertaker= THE GREATEST WRESTLER WHO HAS EVER GRACED THE SQUARED CIRCLE

[DD84]

He could be if we are speaking just about WWE, as the title says, but he isn't. He is on of the best guys in the WWE, he has backstage power and really doesn't use it like HHH. If he did he could be a 10x World Champ, but he isn't. He is as said a company man, does what is best for the company, which is great, help build for the future. I am glad he isn't as power crazy as others.

[notorious102]

An argument can be made for The Undertaker as the greatest WWE Superstar of all of time.

He's been on top of the WWE since his debut in 1990...... How many other superstars can actually say that ?????

As far as Hogan goes, whoever said that he's bigger than The Undertaker.... I couldn't careless if he's the biggest celebrity in the world... It doesn't automatically mean he's the best ...

Hogan is an actor, take away his movie roles throughout his life, then see how big of a wrestling superstar he would be ...... lol

[OIL]

As far as Hogan goes, whoever said that he's bigger than The Undertaker.... I couldn't careless if he's the biggest celebrity in the world... It doesn't automatically mean he's the best ...

Hogan is an actor, take away his movie roles throughout his life, then see how big of a wrestling superstar he would be ...... lol

Seriously, what the fuck?

He isn't the biggest celebrity in the world. That's obvious. He is, however, the biggest wrestling star ever. He's done more for the business than anyone else has, he helped make wrestling mainstream. Got fans emotionally invested in his matches. He's an actor? No shit. Take it away, and he'd still be a huge, huge superstar. Do your research boy, because you have no idea what you're on about.

[kenvin100]

He could be if we are speaking just about WWE, as the title says, but he isn't. He is on of the best guys in the WWE, he has backstage power and really doesn't use it like HHH. If he did he could be a 10x World Champ, but he isn't. He is as said a company man, does what is best for the company, which is great, help build for the future. I am glad he isn't as power crazy as others.

I think Taker has the same philosophy as Stone Cold..Austin himself said in HOF it doesnt matter how many times you win the title, its all about filling the seats with millions and millions of people..A quote from Vince: It's all about the mon-aiiii

I also agree with Mr.Wrestlemania..as it is right now: If you ask anyone in the world if they know any wrestlers, the majority of people (who know something about wrestling) will say Hulk Hogan..I never said I respected Hogan, who now has a thing for stepping up for Rock at X8 but it was really the rock who put his career back in the right direction!

And :flair: as the greatest of all time: correction, Flair believes he's the greatest of all time. He's not, cause if he was, he'd realize how much of an ass he's making out of himself and do wat Stone Cold does, say your thanks, in hopes that people will remember your legacy, AND LEAVE! (Damn Jericho was right about these legends loll)

LONG LIVE THE DEADMAN :undertaker2:

[EvilRobotChris]

For someone who was over the Hulkster by around Wrestlemania IV (well, when I finally saw them all in succession at about age 9) it pains me to say this, but the Undertaker has yet to be as synonymous with the WWE as Hulk Hogan.

For anyone who even has the first inkling that wrestling is scripted, there is no question that when you look at the grand scheme of things, the Undertaker surpasses absolute greats like Bret Hart (for carrying wrestling out of the steroid scandal of the early 90's and being the best technical wrestler of all time), Mick Foley (for being a conduit to pop culture and connecting deeply with fans), Shawn Michaels (for having the biggest matches), Steve Austin (for being the biggest Self-Made superstar), Bruno Sammartino (longest reigning World Champion), or even the great Andre the Giant (for being Andre the F***ing Giant).

Even seeing his entrance on television brings chills. He is one of the few superstars who can give credibility to an "over the top" wrestling angle (i.e. HBK in the graveyard with a styrofoam 16-1 tombstone for their 'mania match). He has never been anything less than a monolith of the WWE since his debut.

Unfortunately to those outside the WWE Universe, Hulk Hogan is still the household name. Shame too. Undertaker has done infinitely more work to get to where he is today.

[BlitzSage]

He's definitely my favorite. He's the reason I started watching in the first place. As much as I hate to say it, he's not the all time best, at least not yet (I mean, he's still going and we're comparing him to guys that have retired!).

But he's up there with them, the big names. It's truly amazing what he's accomplished in his career:

He started out as a monster heel. Monster heels like Khali, Henry, etc. have short spans on top, then they sink to the mid- and low-cards. Taker, however, got to the top, and stayed there, defying the norm for characters like that.

His character evolved. It seemed like every match he added some new aspect to his persona or arsenal. He's not just an innovator in the ring (as we all know, so I won't go into that), but he also innovated in character, and no one did that before him.

Many say that Austin started the attitude era, but despite the internet love Taker gets, he often doesn't get credit for how much he changed the industry. We praise Austin, Hogan, and Flair for leaving their mark on wrestling, but Taker has really left just as much of an influence. He was attitude 7 years before everybody caught up. He was also the first real tweener wrestler (merciless, yet somehow the good guy).

I think we should be hesitant about calling him the best ever, (because he is still wrestling) but I think he could be the best someday. His character has always been dominant, and that's not because of the threshold for pain and the undead thing, it's because he's such an astounding performer and stand-up leader backstage, that both the guys in the business and we the fans expect him to win all the time. He's at least one of the top 5 or 3.

[jumperpl]

Undertaker the greatest ever...probably..but only for us few hanging out on the forums. Facing facts Taker only fights PPVs at this point HBK is on TV every show every week, and Hogan has a blender. If Taker wanted to be the best he coud be the best, but he never wanted too, no movie deals, no longterm reigns, no questions over who deserves rights to the Foreman grill. Just in and out, in and out teasing us with some food dangling over a casket every 4 or so weeks. I love the man Mark is my favorite wrestler of all time, but he is not the geatest because he never put himself out there enough. He never went on book or movie tours, never made any rap cds "a la" Cena, he just wrestled, and in the never ending soap opera that just isn't enough.

[Thugz417]

Undertaker the greatest ever...probably..but only for us few hanging out on the forums. Facing facts Taker only fights PPVs at this point HBK is on TV every show every week, and Hogan has a blender. If Taker wanted to be the best he coud be the best, but he never wanted too, no movie deals, no longterm reigns, no questions over who deserves rights to the Foreman grill. Just in and out, in and out teasing us with some food dangling over a casket every 4 or so weeks. I love the man Mark is my favorite wrestler of all time, but he is not the geatest because he never put himself out there enough. He never went on book or movie tours, never made any rap cds "a la" Cena, he just wrestled, and in the never ending soap opera that just isn't enough.

Are you KIDDING me!?

HBK vs taker years ago
Ministry of darkness
Corporate ministry

youtube those. Taker was on tv so much. As he aged his schedule got lighter. Have u watched the WWF? (pre-wwe) or are you a wwe drone?



Calaway appeared in the 1991 film Suburban Commando. He also appeared on episodes of Poltergeist: The Legacy and Celebrity Deathmatch in 1999. His character also influenced the Hollywood film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi in which Brian Lee (who played the false Undertaker in 1994) starred as the Undertaker.

A number of spin-offs have covered The Undertaker's character. Chaos! Comics released an Undertaker comic. In 2005, Pocket Books released a novel, Journey into Darkness, which dealt largely with Kane but also featured Undertaker as his brother, although they are not related in real life.

[RH23]

Undertaker is one of the greatest superstars ever but i think Stone Cold would have to be the greatest. Austin did so many things during his time with WWF/E. He also was one of the main guys to help win the monday night wars. His feud with Vince has got to be one of the greatest feuds ever. He helped bring the WWF back into the mainstream in the late 90's after the WWF's reputation went way down in the early 90's. Plus with Austin you have a believable gimmick, a tough beer drinking SOB.

[RAERAEIZZ....]

Nah I would go with HBK, with Stone Cold a close second, but that's just an HBK fan talking, Taker is still in my top five all time along with Bret Hart and HHH

[milenniumman8]

I'm gonna make my case for why Taker IS the best ever. Its for the entire body of work so to speak. He may not be the name everyone thinks as being synonomous with pro wrestling(Hulk Hogan). He may not be the guy consider to be the best on the mic(IMO Ric Flair). He may not be the best technical wrestler(Bret Hart, but Bret Hart's matches were so boring he needed the other person to spice it up. No one came to see the "Bret Hart skill set"). Taker has combined so many amazing things and rolled it all into one. He's been able to change his character with the times. How many different versions of the Undertaker have there been? But yet they have all been great. His promos have always been awesome. No matter who he works with it ends up being great. Hell he made Maven look good, who else could've done that? He has been involved in some of the most memorable matches/storylines in wrestling history. Yes he is the ultimate company man, but where would WWE be without Taker. You have always been able to count on him, You've never seen Taker "take his ball and go home". You've never seen taker throw his company under the bus when a controversy is present(Hogan and roids). Where would some of these guys that Taker has put over be if he was the backstage politician like the Hogans, HBK's, HHH's? Some of the top stars of today partially got to the top b/c of Taker. Remember Taker was one of the first people Cena worked with when he came up, and he wasn't really established yet, but Taker still put him over. Mark Callaways entire body of work, his unselfishness, and what he has done for the business and his company is what makes him the best ever in my opinion. He sees things in future tense not just in the present. He can see down the road to what this particular superstar could do a few years down the road and thats part of why he puts over people b/c he wants to leave the business in great shape when he his gone. I think alot of people could care less about things like that as long as they get to keep their spots for now and get their big paydays. Not Taker though.

[rk-owned2009]

Simply put the undertaker may be the greatest performer of his era. people seem to forget he was a big part of the attitude era being as big as it was with his cult like faction and trying to embalm Austin on live TV, kidnapping Steph, joining forces with the McMahons he was a huge part of what made the WWF what it was and he has continued to do so!

Best Ever:
1. Hogan (sadly)
2. Ric Flair
3. UNDERTAKER
4. HBK
5. Triple H

Sadly Cena will end up being the best ever which hopefully at some point he wont be all squeaky clean.

[Y 2 Jake]

The only honor I'd give the Undertaker is greatest GIMMICK wrestler ever. The only reason people might call him the greatest superstar ever is because of the length of his time in the company and his Mania win streak.

[Austinfan87]

The greatest superstar ever?...that would have to go to Austin with undertaker being right behind him....before stone cold came along...undertaker was THE MAN...no doubt about it...i remember when he used to come down to the ring and the lights would flicker out with the lights would go off...just the feeling...it was something so new...that nobody..not even hogan....could do.....and im sick of people saying hogan is the face of wrestling..bullshit....if hogan would have never got into the movie stuff....he would be half as popular...and probably wouldve been forgotten along with WCW....yea along with Andre, Hogan brought wrestling to huge heights in the 80's...But Stone cold..completely saved WWF'S ass in 1997.....and im not even talking about his in ring work...stone cold is considered the greatest ever and rightfully so....FUCK HOGAN...

The all time Greats are...

Austin
Shawn Michaels
Undertaker
Ric Flair
Bret Hart
The Rock
Kurt Angle
Chris Benoit

when these guys were in wwe...wrestling was still alive

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

I'd agree with Jake but i'd have to add his part to play in countless WWE innovations, plus his willingness to put others over. He also has a rep for wrestling with serious injuries as well. ie he had a broken foot during the '98 HIAC. He had that arm injury in '07 and still had an awesome LMS match with Batista. And there was that time years ago when he broke his orbital bone and wrestled with that mask on for a while in the early 90's.

Undertaker the greatest ever...probably..but only for us few hanging out on the forums. Facing facts Taker only fights PPVs at this point HBK is on TV every show every week, and Hogan has a blender. If Taker wanted to be the best he coud be the best, but he never wanted too, no movie deals, no longterm reigns, no questions over who deserves rights to the Foreman grill. Just in and out, in and out teasing us with some food dangling over a casket every 4 or so weeks. I love the man Mark is my favorite wrestler of all time, but he is not the geatest because he never put himself out there enough. He never went on book or movie tours, never made any rap cds "a la" Cena, he just wrestled, and in the never ending soap opera that just isn't enough.

Oh dear.

Dude, Taker is a guy who is dedicated to maintaining kayfabe. If you meet him in the street, he'd run across the freeway to avoid people seeing him as a normal human being. During his Badass run, he did appear on talk shows and do more tv appearances. He was even a part of that UFC ppv ages ago (but that might have been after he went back to the Deadman gimmick, i can't quite recall). I don't want to insult the guy, but he's not going to be doing any movies is he. He's a former bouncer/debt collector with a huge fondness for motorcycles and has dedicated nearly 20 years of his life to make $$$ for Vince McMahon. Can you really see him appearing in movies like the ones Cena and Austin have been doing when he's done with the wrestling business? Hell no. The man's got a real estate business to fall back on.

Saying he's not as good as Cena and Hogan because they do other stuff in the entertainment world is a joke.

[Hulkster84]

No Chance!
Hulk Hogan is the greatest of all time!
The proof is in the pudding!

1) Hulk Hogan
2) Steve Austin
3) The Rock
4) Andre The Giant

Then in no particular order follow - Undertaker, HBK, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior!

We are talking star power here people...popularity...and the ability to put butts in seats! The greatest sports entertainer ever...not the greatest 'wrestler'

Whos the greatest wrestler ever? (in no particular order)
Kurt Angle, Bret Hart, Brock Lesnar...etc etc

[jrcongine]

yeah you can argue that hogan rock austin and andre were bigger stars at one point over undertaker but it was taker who didn't have a problem laying down for them that put them over.

Hogan was great but didn't want to job to anyone so as a business aspect he sucked.

Austin and rocks runs at greatness were relatively short considering their careers and fans often turned on rock and booed him when he was a face and that never happened to taker.

Andre was a myth wwe lied about his statistics to make him a legend. sure hew was great and woulda beena legend regardless but wwe most work into him to make him a legend.

[BlitzSage]

....FUCK HOGAN...

The all time Greats are...

Austin
Shawn Michaels
Undertaker
Ric Flair
Bret Hart
The Rock
Kurt Angle
Chris Benoit

You can fuck Hogan as much as you wish......................

Really? come on! I don't like him personally either. He supposedly acted like a D-bag backstage and he did a reality show (and reality shows are meaningless junk with no substance, and that means he has no soul now).

But you can't take anything from him in wrestling. He's the best, right now at least, of all time. The Rock, Austin, Taker, they all benefitted from the world he created. Without him, wrestling would be what it once was, and we wouldn't have what we all love today. I'm not saying that those three guys I mentioned aren't as good, but Hogan was an excellent entertainer.

Now, in my opinion, Austin may be better, I mean he just had a presence. But before 3:16, he was floundering. So was Rocky Maivia. Hogan is the only one that has been consitent through his entire career. He had been wrestling since the 70s when he had his best moments in the mid-80s to mid-90s. I'm saying you can hate him, but he's one of, if not the, best. Think about him like Michael Jackson or OJ, legends but bad, crazy people. Know what I mean?

I do, however, like that Hogan's taken a nosedive, because it makes Taker look better. But I'll be truthful, and I think we all should be. Taker has not, and will never be, a guy like Austin or the Rock or Hogan. He's not a household name, synonomous with wrestling.

But to say this

The only honor I'd give the Undertaker is greatest GIMMICK wrestler ever.
is just wrong. I'll be truthful again, he's not bad without the gimmick, but he's not a legend without it. If he started out with ABA, he wouldn't be the legend he is today. But it's not because he's a gimmick wrestler. The Deadman character is his legacy though. He was able to take a monster heel and turn it into what it is today. He's not a household name like Hogan and Austin, but I'll argue that he was a bigger innovator.

All of you can say that Hogan brought mainstream, or Austin invented Attitude, but I will argue with any of you that Taker should be given credit for starting the Modern Era of wrestling. So... yes he is one of the best ever.

BTW, Cena isn't one of the best

[hollowpoint]

The Undertaker is one of my favorite wrestlers and no doubt the minute he retires(if not before then) he will be inducted into the WWE HOF. that being said, he will never be mentioned as the greatest wrestler of all time. His performances are legendary, but his influence on the wrestling world as a whole fails in comparison to the likes of Hogan, Stone Cold, and the Rock. You have to remember this is also an entertainment business and that portion of it is what creates revenue for the WWE. So great wrestler, no question. Greatest of all time......I dont think so.

[thepoo62]

Everyone that says Taker doesn't use his influence backstage is first of all 1)probably uninformed because none of us have ever really been there and 2) probably wrong because all we ever hear about is new guys having to pay their respects to Taker and basically kissing his ass because all he has done. I think he wil even tell you that he is realy lucky that he stumbled onto the "Zombie Lord" gimmick that has kept spectators gawking for seemingly generations even if it totally borderlines "Wrestlecrap" on a weekly basis. He is a deserving Legend no doubt though.

[BlitzSage]

The Undertaker is one of my favorite wrestlers and no doubt the minute he retires(if not before then) he will be inducted into the WWE HOF. that being said, he will never be mentioned as the greatest wrestler of all time. His performances are legendary, but his influence on the wrestling world as a whole fails in comparison to the likes of Hogan, Stone Cold, and the Rock. You have to remember this is also an entertainment business and that portion of it is what creates revenue for the WWE. So great wrestler, no question. Greatest of all time......I dont think so.

I've said it many times, while I think he has a huge following on the internet of people that believe he is the best (both current and all-time), I think his influence has been underestimated.

Look at the championship reigns before and after his matches with Hogan. Before '91, title reigns were extremely long (Hogan had a 4 yr. reign). After their two championship matches (Taker won first, Hogan the second), title reigns became significantly shorter. His very short reign signalled a change in pacing for all of wrestling, not just the WWE. The entire title picture became much more volatile. I'm not saying that he's completely responsible for this, but this series between the two sort of became a marker for this change.

But what he (or I'll concede, his character) did do, is create the concept of a tweener character. While he did make a turn while in a feud with Jake Roberts, his character's persona never really changed. He was still a bad S.O.B. Unlike Hogan in '96, and Andre in '87, his turn did not mean a completely new direction in character as their turns did. And this was a time when you could clearly say who was heel or face.

But to be apart of the conversation of "the greatest of all time", you must have something completely unique. For him, this is his truly phenominal athleticism, and (most importantly) his ever evolving character. The entire look and mindset of the Deadman gimmick are mindblowing. And you can see that in every match, up to the present.

So, while he's not as popular of a choice as Hogan, Flair, Andre, Austin, Rock, or any other name you would place in the conversation, he still needs to be in the conversation.

[I Am Phenom]

I've read this post and everyone who has voiced their opinions are right. My opinion is, that Taker is the greatest of all time.

I could tell you a long story on how he is the greatest or how he has the best character or how he is a good wrestler for his size, we've all heard it. Just do some research and watch some interviews from ppl who have had the honor to wrestle the man. Many call him the greatest professional they have ever worked with and if you add in drawing power and the respect of fans and all of his peers(something no other wrestler has except for him) than he is the best of all time.

[!br-marella!]

He is definitely top 5 for sure.He puts people over,wrestles through injuries and always manages to put on a good match,some stealing the show.I wish there was someone to follow in his footsteps.

[Dragonslayer]

Now I personally love the Undertaker, he definitely has to be one of my all-time favorites when it comes to wrestling, right up there with Hogan, Bret Hart and The Rock, which make up my personal pinnacle... but I would not go so far as to name him the greatest ever.

I feel that this title belongs to no other than Hulk Hogan, since he has done infinitely more for wrestling than anyone else has. Period.

However, I like to see The Undertaker as probably the "Greatest supporting character" in wrestling of all time. Sure, he had his runs as champion, he had his time as "main man" - but his gimmick simply would never allow him to be THE face of the entire business the way Hogan, Bret Hart, HBK, Stone Cold were or now John Cena is made out to be. He is whacky, but that is part of his appeal; he is a freak sideshow character, and the greatest one ever to set foot into a wrestling ring. I think for his size, he is an amazing in-ring competitor (I've never seen any other guy his size do a rope walk or that scary suicide dive over the top rope), and this skill supports his "slightly supernatural" gimmick just perfectly. It really looks a bit out of this world when this huge guy just litterally takes off and flies over the top rope.

But I guess Taker's biggest advantage (his gimmick) is also the thing that will keep him from being the "greatest ever". He is just too much "out there" for people to be able to relate to him in a personal way the way they can relate to guys like Austin, Hogan, or even The Rock and John Cena. Those characters, by all their over-the-top attitudes (but hey, it IS pro wrestling we're talking here, after all), still seem like "one of us" - even if they are technically "improved/better/volume-turned-up" versions of the persons we are or we would like to be.

However, I don't think anyone really would want to identify with an Undertaker, of all people, who at one time was leader of some pseudo-satanic sect, who crucified his opponents, who of course buried his opponents in caskets under tons of earth, and who has other supposedly supernatural abilities. That just doesn't work. But he played his part as a side character, as an antagonist to so many great stars throughout the generations so well, no matter if he was on the face or heel side of the pairing, that this is what makes him so great.

Every superhero needs a great villain, or else he is boring. I feel Undertaker became such a huge star by being a great villain in the beginning, and later by being just a great opponent for anyone - for even when he is the face of a feud (e.g. his feud with Edge), the simple fact of Edge fighting The Undertaker and matching him (almost) step for step also makes Edge stand out even more. I believe Undertaker thrives off being a great opponent to his adversaries, no matter if "good or evil", and less off being THE "main superstar", the main focus himself.

Over the years of course, we have grown to like the Deadman, and he has rightfully achieved his legendary status, and now definitely deserves praise as one of the greatest ever. Not THE greatest ever, in terms of overall statistics, but in my book, definitely the greatest supporting character in the history of wrestling.

[BlitzSage]

[QUOTE=Dragonslayer;993936]But I guess Taker's biggest advantage (his gimmick) is also the thing that will keep him from being the "greatest ever". He is just too much "out there" for people to be able to relate to him in a personal way the way they can relate to guys like Austin, Hogan, or even The Rock and John Cena. Those characters, by all their over-the-top attitudes (but hey, it IS pro wrestling we're talking here, after all), still seem like "one of us" - even if they are technically "improved/better/volume-turned-up" versions of the persons we are or we would like to be.

However, I don't think anyone really would want to identify with an Undertaker, of all people, who at one time was leader of some pseudo-satanic sect, who crucified his opponents, who of course buried his opponents in caskets under tons of earth, and who has other supposedly supernatural abilities. That just doesn't work.QUOTE]

I don't think you become the greatest by being someone other people want to be. You are a wrestling great if you can entertain/wrestle/perform. There might be better guys, (Austin, Hogan, Flair) but he's oneof them, not just a supporting character.

But if you are going to judge based on that, then think about this: he's not the guy we would like to be (AKA "Role Model"), he's what we wish we could be. When we're angry, we wish we could turn into an unstoppable monster that can't be killed, and kick ass.

Think about that one person who annoys you, who puts you down all the time. Don't you want to summon druids, and play some mind games. (not all the time of course, cause I don't really want to be undead, just some of the time).

Seriously though, it is his character that has made him unique, and while he may not be the best ever, he is definitely the guy we all expect to win every night, or the guy that we would choose first in a tag team because of his toughness, recovery ability, and mindgames. But he definitely is in the Pantheon of Wrestling Gods.

[Backlash1RKONick]

its really tough to chose between hbk or undertaker :icon_confused:

[truk24]

Maybe 10 years ago I would say this, but looking back at it now I am stuck between Bret The Hitman Hart & HBK. Either one of those two men I just mentioned are far more superior than Taker. I'm not talking about number of title wins, or Royal Rumble victories, or even Wrestlemania matches and or streaks. For me it boils down to feuds, actual wrestling matches, and how their character was acted out, you know the depth of character, believability.

When it comes to this kind of entertainment you have to say to yourself "Who makes me believe that this shit means something", because it is all just an act, in tights, rubbing up against another man, and mediocre acting for most. Notice I said most, and not all. When I think of all those things coming together the only two people I can name are Bret and Shawn. Fuck the Rock & Austin feud. Neither of those two men had long WWE careers. Yes, Bret retired as a former WCW wrestler, but the WWE own's rights to that company forever, so in all honesty he is still a WWE(F) superstar.

Anyhow I remember the classic feuds Bret had over the IC title, and his matches against solid wrestlers like Bulldog, Piper, and HBK were classic. The feuds to those matches were great. Go back and think how solid was that IC title feud Piper, and Bret had back in the day. Shawn had an epic match with Razor in a ladder match for the IC title amongst other matches over that same title. Both men were invovled in two well known tag teams during their WWE careers. We watched them both blossom over long periods of time.

Taker has none of those things going for him. Taker is like "The Devils Hulk Hogan". He is not your typical big man wrestler though, as he is very gifted for a man his size period. Easily the "greatest wrestler" over 6'5 to ever walk the face of this earth period. Taker came in and he was an immediate gimmick, but he wasn't too over done. I was a huge Taker fan, but as I got older I realized how unentertaing he was, but still respected the character as it evolved. It was practically a year, and Taker was already facing Hogan in a title match. HBK, and Bret didn't receive pushes like this so early in their career.

That being said I can't sit here and say that he is the greatest superstar of all time. He is in the top 5, but not number one. His character grew, and I would have to say that he was actually the first "bad-good guy" character, and not Stone Cold Steve Austin. Taker set that bar first imo. The only classic feud that sticks out with Taker for me is his feud with Foley as Mankind. That was classic, because Foely was literally the perfect fit for Takers character. Mankind enjoyed pain, and Taker easily delivered it. Yes, all the stars had their shot at Foley, but his Taker feud was gold. The characters clashed well.

I always felt that Taker's gimmick was "gimmicky" at times. It wasn't over the top, but it was still a gimmick that stood out. HBK, nor Bret have characters like this. They have characters that are more realistic. Both of these men were able to make you feel like it was meaningful. Not that Taker couldn't do this, but Hart/Michaels were household names just as Taker's immediate push came about, or were on the verge of.

If Hart, and HBK hadn't become main eventers, then the matches with Taker would have meant less. Taker, and Hart had classic matches. Many fans were wishing to see them fight, and the only way we could was through a video game on the SuperNES. Once they had a match it was a classic, because they went a few years without stepping in a ring. Could Hart make Taker tap? How would Taker's character tapout. It was intriguing because yes Taker's character provided that what if, but if Hart wasn't a household name it wouldn't have happened.

In that match we saw just how well of a technical wrestler the Undertaker was. Bret was able to wrestle with anyone, but Taker kept his pace. We don't have that scenario today with any two wrestlers. Taker lost to HBK in the HIAC match, and no one knew that would happen. We don't have that type of match today, and the last time it happened it was with Taker/HBK at WM 25. Other than that we won't have something that original again.

Both Michaels, and Bret have these types of impacts on the history of the WWE, that Taker does not have. Taker's story is more fantasy which is cool, and I'm glad his character came in to the WWE. However I like the characters of Hart, and HBK much more. They were more realistic characters that didn't rely on such a non-realistic type character.