Could A Dark Mythical Character Work Today?

[Pay Per Ghost]

....And when I grow up, I wanna have lightning-fire, tombstone-tile and blinding purple booties!

Now why would I open up something so sacred with such skanky lines? Simple reason. Jumping off your couch as soon as the gong of the Deadman would hit, many of us would stare at this mythical god in our eyes, laden with mystical powers and we would dream about being just that. The look, the walk, the ambience little Attitudelets like us would make up a whole world, a darker world, and guess who ruled it? Maybe all this will come off as mere troll-talk but I think there is a psychological significance of how much it made us venture and fantasize about the dark side and acting...kinda weird in public. Pretty sure I have some takers here?





And then he came a hick biker...Yeah?!




But by that time, we were all out of the kayfabe world of ours and knew Undertaker as a solid, loyal worker who was the cornerstone of WWE. We saw an athletic, agile beast compete with the oddest of oddities and the cleanest of performers. Yet we longed for the old gimmick. Knowing full well that it was, all a staged display. It was like the older genration was equally, if not more, clamoring for the return of Mark Calloway as the druid-leading, leather-sporting dark lord. And we got it...



In the year 2012, The Undertaker's character is still dipped in the dark but now with the Streak more important, it really doesn't matter how much he steeps into it. Well, does that create a spot for someone as dark as Taker to appear? We saw WWE try this with Mordecai and Boogyman, who then became a comic relief. Remember Little Boogie? Its just not WWE/F who tried it. WCW would have their go, although Seven is debatable. Some saw Taker Gimmick Breaker, I saw Uncle Fester Tribute. But there were still a-go for launching a mythical persona even in this 'real' age of wrestling. Almost all ended being a joke though. There was period to harbor or cater it seemed. Yet there still seems a chance that if a wrestler is brough in said manner, it would garner some response. Could you fashion a character as such and see it rise to the top?

Could The Undertaker Be Involved In Some Way?

 

[Shotaro]

Part of me thinks that Undertaker is such a timeless gimmick. If there were another big guy who was as solid in the ring and on the mic as Undertaker was, I would say absolutely. Why not have Undertaker, when Mark Callaway retires, continue on as someone else? Imagine it. Mark Callaway stands there in the middle of the ring, announces his retirement. DONG. lights out. DONG. Just the cloak/jacket and the hat are in the ring. DONG. lights out again. Undertaker is stood in the ring, but it isn't Callaway.

I know this would not happen, but I think the Undertaker is SO iconic anything that is even close to his gimmick would be seen as a rip off anyway. The guy has "mythical powers", why not exploit them?

I know a lot of folks will hate the idea and I'm kind of on the fence about it, but it's a possibility and if it were done right they MIGHT pull it off.

 

[lazeric]

I kinda like the idea of Taker passing on his dark legacy to someone new but this would have to be a major build. Idk if he should be an FCW guy who we've never seen before or someone on the main roster who needs a complete image makeover but he's going to have to be everything that Taker is and more. I know 99.9% of ppl are going to hate this but this guy has to be the one who eventually "ends" the Taker gimmick at Wrestlemania, he doesn't need to bet him and break the streak but he needs to end him to show that he's the new dominant force of the darkside. The two of them want exist together forever and the only way for this new character to take of is for him to be the one to take the Deadman out.

 

[The Perfect Max]

I like the idea suggested above about someone else replacing Mark Calloway. I like all of it. Why not give someone who is really deserving a chance at being huge straight away. I get the Undertaker is a legendary and well-respected character, but I see Calloway actually being behind the idea in all honesty. There are two ways I would do this:

1) - Have the Undertaker say his final words, I mean the Mark Calloway version. Have the gong and the lights go out. Have the gong and the lights back on and the coat and the hat laying in the ring in a perfect pile. The crowd imagines he is gone. Have it stay like this for a while. I would then have the gong and the lights go out and come back on again. This time the urn of the Undertaker would be in front of the coat and hat. The gong, lights off, gong and lights on and Paul Bearer is holding the urn in front of a brand new Undertaker.

2) - Have The Undertaker lose his last match. Say for instance against Kane at Survivor Series. Doesn't really matter at the moment, just an example. Anyway, have him lose so badly he can't get up, worse than WrestleMania XXVII. Have Paul Bearer emerge with the druids and a Casket. Those watching should gather that this is the end. Then have the Undertaker placed in the Casket. The Casket could be placed in a Herse for christ sake and then have the Hurse removed from the arena with all of the Undertaker lights and titantron, minitron shit and the flames. Then, similar to when the Undertaker was "resurrected" after the Casket Match many years ago, have the Undertaker once again walk to the ring and have him remove the hat in front of the opponent that beat him, only to reveal a new Undertaker.

 

[jrichardson25]

To answer the title of the post:
Yeah, it could. You have to have the right person and the right promo build. Do what I like to refer to as a slow burn. Get the person exposed, get them out in front of the fans and build them. Have them slowly (aka not in 2 months time) beat members of the roster. Have them push a factor of intimidation but DO NOT replicate Undertaker. That's something that will always be the man that we see now. No one else should use this character.

Could they do something where said character has some sort of relationship with The Undertaker? Yeah, sure they've done it before. They said Big Show as The Giant was related to Andre... (or they were going to... can't remember) As for having Undertaker involved? No, the person portraying said new character needs to stand on their own, unless they go into a losing spiral and the aura is "gone" and they could have a "supernatural experience" where Undertaker shows up...

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

No. It won't work today. BTW I nver liked the "Deadman" Gimmick of Undertaker. In my opinion Biker Taker was much better. After becoming the ABA Biker in 2000 Undertaker should have stayed that way.

 

[TBK]

I'd say the biggest key is just suspension of disbelief. But here's the thing, when we first see the Undertaker, they don't explain his whole backstory. It leaves it up to the viewers. Even today we're not even sure about details on it. We're not even sure if what the wrestler or his manager is saying is legit. That's how it was able to be accepted.

So if they ever want to do another character like this, all I can say is just keep it mysterious. Never give away too much. Coming out and saying "I'm a dead dude from beyond the grave and I have come to take all your souls", that's just going to get a man laughed off. On the other hand, if he wants to just do things "weird" for a while then once people start questioning, start dropping hints or two, then yes, I could honestly see a character like the Undertaker working in a modern setting. Heck, if people could as late as I think 2010 just accept Undertaker popping out of a casket in the middle of Summerslam without calling it stupid, I think that should be a good enough sign people can accept things like this for the sake of storytelling.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

Simple answer - It depends on your mindset.

To the older fans who keep up with the backstage stuff (like I do), it'd be hard to bring in someone new with that type of persona. In today's world where we know pretty much everything about every wrestler b/c of dirt sheets and social media, it would be extremely difficult to get such a character over nowadays. I do agree that you have to suspend disbelief a bit for it to work.

The younger fans (kids up through early pre-teen) may be more able to focus on the fantasy aspect of the character because they don't see the inner workings of the industry. They just watch Smackdown and Raw (at least now in the PG era) and believe what they see as real.

With the characters today being more realistic and less cartoonish or fantasy, bringing in such a character isn't easy. Perfect examples are Ryback and Lord Tensai. Both were with WWE before. Matt Bloom's been gone for a while, but Ryback/Skip Sheffield wasn't gone that long. The announcers are even spoiling the characters a bit now by stating that they are former WWE or NXT superstars returning, although never using their former names. Originally, Ryback's character was a time traveler. Lord Tensai's Japanese theme is a bit over the top, IMO. Things like this could be done 20 or 30 years ago and no one would bat an eye. Nowadays, especially with the younger fans from the 80s and 90s being adult fans today and learning more about the backstage workings, it's hard to bring in someone new or revamp a character too much without it being seen as cheesy.

The idea mentioned of Undertaker "passing the torch" to a new person that would assume the role is interesting to me, but I don't think it would work. As a long time Taker fan, it'd be very hard to see anyone else in that role other than Mark Calloway. But, the concept of making the Undertaker persona itself a living, breathing mystical entity that travels from person to person sounds pretty cool. Unfortunately, I think that idea is about 20 years too late to be taken seriously.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

It could work.

I think a perfect way to do this would be to introduce some sort of legacy angle (not the stable). Have this new Undertaker (who looks like the original did back in the 90's) come out and talk about how every generation has there Undertaker and this one (Calloway) is too old and has been around for too long. Then you build a match at Mania and have the new Taker win ending the old Takers career. This way you keep the streak intact and can continue it with the new Taker.

Now for this to work you better make sure you find the next great big man. The mic skills don't have to be there from the start, but everything else should.

This way if 10 years later the gimmick still works and its time to replace the new Taker you can just find the next one and start the gimmick all over again.

Is this out there, yes. Will it happen, great chance that it doesn't. But if it did (or something close to this) I think it would be pretty cool and increadibly risky.

 

[Havoc]

I think it could work in today's wrestling era it just can't be too goofy. I know that's hard to say when you see the things that Kane & The Udertaker can do but if it's given the right type of believability I thintout can get over with today's fans.....

My primary example for this would be this: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dXKwufV5EII
(fast forward to 2:11)

 

[DirtyD79]

The key to doing such a character is you can't go too over the top with it anymore. If they tried to bring in Undertaker now like they did in 1991 he would get laughed out of the building even by the little kids. The closest you can come to doing a new Undertaker nowadays would be to make a wrestler Gothy or like a Satanist. You also need to build an air of mystery around him. In other words a guy who talks very little and speaks more through his actions. No wisecracking, no smiling, no Twitter, no catchphrases. Just pure old fashioned kicking ass and riding off into the sunset. Maybe get a manager to do the talking. Kind of like Abyss when Abyss didn't suck.

And please, for the love of all things holy, don't have him floating and shooting lighting bolts or saying he came back from the dead. The Rock N' Wrestling era was the last time that act still played. People don't want cartoony crap like clowns, garbagemen, and zombies anymore. You'll scare the audience away. They want guys to have some basis in reality. Undertaker gets a pass because being The Deadman is his thing and he's been grandfathered in, but a new guy trying to play it straight up? Fuhgeddaboutit! He'd be lucky to get out of the backyard with a ridiculous character like that

 

[Jason08]

Kharma (Awesome Kong) in her WWE debut, was what I would say is as close to that kind of image that could work today. Someone who is huge, dark attired, scary as hell, and put the whole locker room on notice. Obviously, having a dude with the power to turn on the lights and surrounded by Bela Lugosi style horror themes isn't really going to be taken too seriously, today.

I'd say someone who can capture the imagination of an audience is something lacking when the Undertaker isn't around. Kane was great at his debut, and his "resurrection" was cool for a few minutes, but I'd enjoy seeing a new character emerge who can fill that void without being completely silly about it.

 

[Psyclone]

I like the idea suggested above about someone else replacing Mark Calloway. I like all of it. Why not give someone who is really deserving a chance at being huge straight away. I get the Undertaker is a legendary and well-respected character, but I see Calloway actually being behind the idea in all honesty. There are two ways I would do this:

1) - Have the Undertaker say his final words, I mean the Mark Calloway version. Have the gong and the lights go out. Have the gong and the lights back on and the coat and the hat laying in the ring in a perfect pile. The crowd imagines he is gone. Have it stay like this for a while. I would then have the gong and the lights go out and come back on again. This time the urn of the Undertaker would be in front of the coat and hat. The gong, lights off, gong and lights on and Paul Bearer is holding the urn in front of a brand new Undertaker.

2) - Have The Undertaker lose his last match. Say for instance against Kane at Survivor Series. Doesn't really matter at the moment, just an example. Anyway, have him lose so badly he can't get up, worse than WrestleMania XXVII. Have Paul Bearer emerge with the druids and a Casket. Those watching should gather that this is the end. Then have the Undertaker placed in the Casket. The Casket could be placed in a Herse for christ sake and then have the Hurse removed from the arena with all of the Undertaker lights and titantron, minitron shit and the flames. Then, similar to when the Undertaker was "resurrected" after the Casket Match many years ago, have the Undertaker once again walk to the ring and have him remove the hat in front of the opponent that beat him, only to reveal a new Undertaker.

I was thinking along similar lines, however I would do things a bit different... I'd have Undertaker (Mark Calloway) continue wrestling as long as he wants to (even if it's just the streak).. Have him continue to win but when A) he wants to retire and B) HE chooses who should continue this.. (only if both options are met is this to happen) Have him in a casket match (only non wrestlemania) but whatever match it is have him taken to the limit... Have him beaten, have him down and out, have outside interference, have everything you can throw at him (fire ladders chairs blah blah blah whatever over the top thing you can get in a PG environment..) Have all of this and just barely by the skin of his teeth have taker win... (some fluke or something random).. He throws whoever it is into the casket to win but the bad guy escapes from the casket lid and he and whoever else beat the crap out of taker... they throw him into the casket and then (in an echo of what went on with taker and yokozuna in their casket match, have a video feed from the casket where taker delivers a promo..) He talks about how the Undetaker will never truly die.. He talks about his triumphs, he talks about his failure's, and how again and again, undertaker rose again... He talks about how "insert wrestler who just beat him." thinks that he has destroyed him, how he has truly buried him, but mentions that you can NOT bury the undertaker... you can not stop the darkness... That no matter what occurs, there will also be the undertaker.... (he will end it the same way he did in his yoko encounter...) I WILL NOT... REST IN PEACE......

From there the casket will do something crazy (with even better special effects than could be imagined with the incident i remember with yokozuna..)

anyways cut to a few weeks or months later... after some teaser video's... have the gong hit during "whatever wrestler caused undertaker to die's" match (PPV or not..) Hvae the music hit.. have the casket wheeled out.... nothing happens for a while... then have a spotlight hit the entrance ramp... lo and behold theres Mark Calloway, however he's in full suit and tie HOLDING AN URN!!!! Cut to Casket, Cut to fire/lightning, cut to "New Undertaker" cut to Mark Calloway leading "the undertaker" into the ring (undertaker dressed in classic undertaker with the wide brim hat and gloves)....

This way, whoever is chosen (again by mark) as the new undertaker doesn't get immediately buried by the wwe universe by not being "the undertaker."

Anyways thats my idea for that.. I do have to say that was a great idea whoever brought up the undertaker constantly staying a presence in the WWE...

 

[Peoples_Champ]

I think a dark, mythical character could definitely work today. I use the Boogeyman as an example, when he debuted, he had tremendous heat on him. Kids were awe-struck and the IWC couldn't wait to see him again. Eventually he faded away, but if he had in-ring talent and was 15 years younger, he would have been similar to Kane and Taker.

The problem with a dark, mythical gimmick is that it takes someone around 7 feet tall to be believable and there aren't many wrestlers that height. That's probably why the Taker gimmick won't be continued forward either.

Speaking of which, I like the concept of continuing a gimmick. Comics have it all the time where there's a new superhero because of something tragic to the original. But I don't think Taker's gimmick should continue. Taker was never known as Mark Callaway, he was 'The Undertaker' and if he gets put into the HOF, how would be be put in? Undertaker #1? Will they have roman numerals like Wrestlemanias? And again, where can WWE find a talented, tall wrestler that can mimic Taker's moveset without botching?

Good idea in concept, but very difficult to execute.

 

[PowerHouse]

I don't know about a Dark character I mean Undertaker basically has that covered for the most part and I believe he will eventually pass the Undertaker torch onto someone at some point. You def could do a character that is gritty edgy mysterious Violent and derranged. I think you need to stay away from the Dark aspect of it. With Undertaker and Kane you kinda have two dark characters right there. You could try a witch doctor like Gimmick if it is done right and not to cheesy. I still say go with a character who is edgy,gritty,violent,mysterious and derranged in nature. Make the character antisocial and psychotic. Derranged an absolute Lunatic!!!! But methodical in his demeanor not a nutward type who needs a straight jacket. Then I think the character could work. Now finding the right person to fit that mold and pull it off is another thing entirely.

 

[Diet Soda]

With the dark mythical thing, everything that even came close completely flopped.

Look at Gangrel (vampire), Mordecai (cult zealot, almost an antonym to the Undertaker), The Boogeyman (childhood nightmares personified), Kevin Thorn (another vampire, portrayed by Mordecai).

Looking back to when the Undertaker debuted, it was a time where every superstar had a clearly defined gimmick, no matter how outrageous, just like the different versions of Barbie dolls. Nowadays, the dynamic of the professional wrestling industry, and the audience, have shifted. Not only is WWE a bigger company, but the fans are more in tune with how the business operates, i.e. we know it's fake, even the Cenation.

With that in mind, a superstar with such a surreal character could not be taken seriously today. Do you really expect the Google generation to believe that a wrestler could possess the power to summon forth lightning or come back from the dead?

 

[Terry Gyimah]

I kinda like the idea of Taker passing on his dark legacy to someone new but this would have to be a major build. Idk if he should be an FCW guy who we've never seen before or someone on the main roster who needs a complete image makeover but he's going to have to be everything that Taker is and more. I know 99.9% of ppl are going to hate this but this guy has to be the one who eventually "ends" the Taker gimmick at Wrestlemania, he doesn't need to bet him and break the streak but he needs to end him to show that he's the new dominant force of the darkside. The two of them want exist together forever and the only way for this new character to take of is for him to be the one to take the Deadman out.

If Taker were to pass on his dark legacy to someone new, yes I agree it would have to be a major build, and as for who this person could be, I would say if Undertaker's son were to become a WWE wrestler, his son could take on his dad's gimmick since Undertaker's oldest son is 18, so in a few years he will be old enough to wrestle in the WWE

 

[wrestlingfanatic98]

If you are going to go for a dark character, do not use perhaps similar traits to the undertaker. Make it different, not Gothic like taker, look at how the WWF forged the kane character, it was dark creepy hideos, but what the kane character had was? he was different to his brother, it was not a rip off character but a combination if Michael Myers and predator. That is what they have got to do, but the problem is? how do you create a dark character, that you put time and effort to perhaps become a main eventer. That is the problem. And the character can be 6 ft 5, 6ft 6. Heck undertaker and kane or no bigger than 6 ft 8 6 ft 9