Heel or Face: Undertaker

[DaNewGuy]

Undertaker is 20+ year veteran of WWE. In his tenure he's been both heel and face at the highest level. The question is which disposition does he play better?

Debuting as a heel, winning his first WWF title against Hogan. He turned heel again in 1998, fueding with Austin whilst briefly aligning with Vince McMahon and with Kane. He then went on to form the Ministry of Darkness, a gimmick that saw him at his most demonic and verging on satanic. For a short period UT and Big Show teamed up, before UT suffered an injury. His last heel run came as the 'Big Evil' biker when he forced JR to join VKM's club, beginning a dominant run.

His first face run began in 1992 and lasted for six years, including fueds with a doppleganger, Mankind and Kane. He returned as a biker to confront the McMahon-Helmsley regime, before taking a major role in the invasion. His current face run began in 2002 and has lasted to the present. It has spanned the end of the biker character, the return of the deadman, and the 'legend face' that he's become in the last few years.

So, Undertaker: Heel or Face?

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

Undertaker plays a great heel and a great face. He draws great heat as a heel and draws loud cheers as a face. I loved his ministry run. It was epic and possibly the most evil character ever. His current face run has also been great. He's feuded with a lot of top talent and he's put over a lot of guys. I wish he'd go out as a heel with one more title run but it probably won't happen. Undertaker won't go out like that because he wants what's best for the business not himself. He's the opposite of Hogan. Either way I like the deadman no matter heel or face.

 

[gers09]

he great at both and i like him as both but the problem now is the WWE universe love and respect him too much for a heel run to work it was same with Shawn they tried to make him some what a heel for his match with hogan and his first WM match with taker but it didn't work the WWE universe still cheered for him. I think it would take a lot a something big to make undertaker a heel again

 

[jajabinks]

Totally agree with the person above. He is that much of a legend, that people will cheer and clap for Undertaker whatever happens. I think people will just be glad they get to see him fight, something he rarely does. The only way he could be a heel is if he makes Cena retire or something

 

[xavyer]

Definitly as a face, not that he wasn't a great heel, is just that as a face, he's completly dominant, and whenever comes an unstoppable beast, the only one who stops him is the Deadman......

 

[Giddy]

He's great at both, but my personal favorite run of his is the Ministry Taker. He was just so memorable because he just seemed so damn evil at the time. He drew great heat, and had great storylines.

But now I don't think there's any way to turn Taker heel again. He's just too well respected, too much of a veteran for people to dislike him.

 

[Green Jester]

The Deadman will always be the ultimate Heel. When he was a heel people stood up and took notice of everything he did. From his arrival in WWE to the Ministy days, NO ONE was as evil and perfect as he was. No one will ever be able to match his intensity, his power and the heat he would create. Damn, I miss the old Taker.

 

[Greg4WWE]

When the UT first turned face, I was only 13 years old.. but I was thinking.. how in the world is a DEAD Man who locked the Warrior in a coffin turning face? He looked way to evil to be a "good guy".. but it worked out pretty well..

His Ministry heel run was genius, but he basically jobbed to Austin most of it.. but it was good story telling in an era of WWE (Attitutde Era) that story telling was at a minimum...

Came back a face to attack the McMahon/Hemsley regime.. then turned heel again with that respect angle.. Then turned face again when Jeff Hardy earned his respect.. then we know he has been face since he came back as "the dead man"

I guess overall i like UT better a face because he seems to be the giant killer that way. I mean guys like Giant Gonzales, Big Show, Kane, The Great Khali.. he wasn't facing guys like that as a heel (except the Big Show)..

 

[DethMetal]

Well, if you want to be real, The Undertaker is a complete heel. Think about it; he draws his power from the grave, takes souls, and threw people in body bags for Christ's sake. There are very few times when Undertaker will do anything for anybody else but himself. There are some people who are utter bad guys whether they're cheered or booed, and Taker is one of them.

Taker is good at playing both roles however. As a face, he recognizes his legions of fans around the world (Creatures of the Night), knows how to get the crowd going. He could do just about anything today and still get cheered. Take when Shawn Michaels retired for example. When the gong hit, Taker got booed, and in less than thirty seconds, he left with applause.

As a heel, Ministry and Big Evil, he showed that he can be the meanest, most sadistic son of a bitch you ever layed eyes on. So Taker is good at being both a face and a heel, but at the end of the day, he's a heel.

 

[JaceEvans]

I would love to see him as a heel one more time. I was still watching WCW at the time of the ministry so i remember the "American Bad ass" version of a heel Undertaker. The ladder match he had with Jeff Hardy was simply amazing, a text book version of a David vs Goliath story told in that ring.

I don't think it would be too much of a problem of getting the crowd to Boo him as Im sure he could think of someway. The only real problem is his limited dates. It would make no sense to turn him heel if he's only going to wrestle 1-2 times a year.

 

[IT Factor]

My favorite Taker role was him as leader of The Ministry. His character was great and his promos were probably the best they had ever been. He said alot of funny things and was also a serious character at the same time. It's alot better than the generic "rest in peace" or "i'll take your soul" crap he usually spouts out.

As a face, his American Badass character was the best. His promos became more reality based and he seemed more comfortable that way than any of his roles before that.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

Loved UT's debut as a heel, as there had never been anyone like him before in the WWF, or the business for that matter. Loved UT's Ministry of Darkness heel run. That was Taker at his most evil, and he cut some of the best promos of his career during that time. His look was great, with the menacing goatee and costume. Really didn't like his "Big Evil" biker gimmick, as he had done too many radical things to change his character. He had become a bit too human, rather than the supernatural character we were so accustomed to. He did have a great match with Jeff Hardy during that run, as well as a decent feud with Ric Flair.
Undoubtedly, Taker will go out a face. Even as a face he gets away with some heel tendencies. He tombstones faces as well as heels. Basically whoever is in his path. He is somewhat morally ambiguous in a sense. Despite this, the fans will always cheer for him. Still, I do prefer his heel personas slightly more. The Undertaker's dark side is a lot more fun to watch than his straight Taker of Wayward Souls routine.

 

[HBsam31]

Taker was a lot of fun to watch as a heel. I remember when he debuted heel and would carry people out in body bags. It legit scared the hell out of my when I was a kid. He was also a very sadistic heel around the time he faced Jeff Hardy in the ladder match.. I believe that was the same heel Taker that made JR kiss Vince's ass. All that said he is a great face to. He is at a point now where I think he would get cheered no matter what, and always got a huge reception as a face and playing mind games. Hard to pick one over the other, but I lean a little bit towards heel.

 

[StrangeEnigmaForever]

i agree that he is a heel and a face. he is also one of, if not, the greatest and most repected wwe superstar in history. i think that, being the dominant force he is, he is mainly a face.