Improving The Undertaker Gimmick One More Time?

[TakerDakSide]

1. Over the years The Undertaker has been the conscinece of the WWE for 20 years. Over those years The Pheonom changed/Invovling his Character from the Western Mortican Gimmick to the Deadman, L.O.D to Ministry of Darkness etc. Some of these Gimmicks has changed The Undertaker for the better. Some say for the worse. Which do you think.
2. Then there's the fact that The Deadman gimmick is getting stale & is time for a new one or resuurect an older gimmick of Taker's. Do you agree or disagree with this idea & how.
3. Plus do you think there's still time to decide a Gimmick change for The Undertaker Yes or No?

*Note*: Poll's availiable to express choices too.

 

[GetsHeat]

At this point in his career, he won't be changing much, nor do I think he really should.

Personally I think going back to the deadman gimmick was sort of a mistake, I think that "American Badass" gimmick allowed him to be himself a bit more, his promos were obviously much better, but he still struck fear. But that's all done and he'll retire deadman in it's current form.

 

[HardCoor]

He will not be changing his gimmick. He will keep the Deadman gimmick until his retirement, which wont be very long. He is definitely at the end of his career, he comes back for 2-3 months then takes 4-5 months off... That is how he keeps his gimmick from getting too stale. i feel like the worst thing for him and his gimmick was his recent feud with Kane. It had been done to death so many times before and they put on some terrible matches. Paul Bearer came back and turned on The Undertaker which did not surprise many people at all. I think the best thing for him is to keep the current gimmick, but feud with new people with it. His feud with C.M. Punk was great because it had never been done before, so if they keep him paired up with new opponents it will help keep him fresh for the last bit of his career.

 

[Thephenominal1]

This may sound a little stupid but it might work. What about instead of one character why don't they find some way to mix all 3. Keep the gong at the beginning for like 5-6 of them instead of the 3-4 he uses now. Then stop the music and have the druids come out and line the ramp then have him rev the bike up. As soon as that bike revs play his Rollin music. Have him in the american bad ass bandana but with the current robe and the druids would be there to represent the rest. It would be a nice mix. I have no idea how it would get pulled off but if they could do it then it might work.

 

[Genius_Deadman]

should they? yes. will they? probably not.

i don't think WWE creative can find a new gimmick for Taker in the Deadman phase. not sure where i heard it (i think it was in the This Is My Yard DVD) where Taker says the Ministry Taker was the "high peak" of the Taker character because you couldn't go higher than that, which is true. WWE is banking on nostalgia with Taker right now and you can't really go wrong with that because you got something from the past clashing with the present/future (like Hogan in 2002, where this nostalgic business really started in my opinion, towards the current product).

i think, although you can't really come up with a new Deadman gimmick, you can certainly change his look. maybe tell Taker to stop dying his hair and bring him in Mordecai look. the most logical thing would be to bring back an old persona, with him leaning towards that alternate persona (this Taker hybrid is leaning mostly towards the original Taker character than the others).

 

[MizterColemine]

I actually think bringing back shades of the ministry and american BA Taker would be great for him to go out. It'd be a way of "not having a gimmick" by making him the product of what he's been his entire career. A way of coming to terms with being about done with his in-ring career and sort of make his character self-aware, in a kind of weird "this is it, this is my final year" kinda phase.
In my opinion the way to pull this off would be to come in with his Ministry of Darkness music, no motorcycle, but give his speech and promos like the American Bad Ass Undertaker. He should let the whole "supernatural powers" thing go, because it's not believable when he's not as fast, strong, or agile as he was 10 or even 5 years ago. This alteration in gimmick wouldn't even need a build up, since they can rationalize it as Kane and Paul Bearer having stripped him of his supernatural powers, but the badass American Phenom is still alive and kickin, and has 2 more Wrestlemanias to go and prove he can make it to 20-0 and will always be the phenom, and that it will always be HIS YARD. They could pull this off now if they wanted, or they can wait until his last run late this year before Wrestlemania 2012.
I'm glad you made this thread, because I wouldn't have thought about it otherwise. Brilliant.

 

[WunNightStan619]

no point now. hes about to retire soon. Maybe a year or 2 ago it wud be kool, but he's winding down, doesnt make sence now

 

[Undertaker the 5th]

I don't think they should change it this late in his career. He is already nearing retirement and it would be cool to see him retire like that. If they do change it, then it would be cool to see him bring back some of the American bad ass so that he could speak more when he retires. Other than that I don't think a change is needed. Maybe if they just give him the blue bandanna which made him look badass. I think he only did that once when he tombstoned Paul Bearer before the draft after mania 20.

 

[SSJPhenom]

I'm sorry, but what are you people on about?

The Undertaker is, probably, the last legend wrestling in the WWE right now(unless you count HHH). He's the last of the old guard. 'Taker's gimmick is working fine right now and it is the gimmick that he needs to retire on.

From 2002 till he retired, HBK never changed his character. When a wrestler is in the twilight of their career, as 'Taker is, they usually go out how they came in. 'Taker is bringing closure to this Deadman character and he is bringing nostalgia to legions of fans who knew him first as that character. He remains one of the WWE's top attractions to this day and he will always be cheered in his current form.

If it ain't broke don't fix it!

 

[fredstephenson]

personally ive never really bought into the current gimmick taker has it seems like a half assed hybrid of the american badass and the original deadman gimmick i thought takers best charector was the gimmick he had when he first started he was actually creepy theres a big difference between the early ninetys deadman and the 2000s deadman and i dont mean coz hes a lot older now id change him back to that gimmick if it wasnt for the fact that it would look ridiculous nowadays as hardly any other wrestlers have full on gimmicks anymore so it would be completly unbelevable so its probally best to leave him as he is

 

[nbrew2119]

Ive been a huge WWE/F fan for my whole life(28yrs), and seen the Undertaker's debut...at a house show, he almost ran me over in a rental car lol....anyway, i dont think he needs to change...let his Streak get to 20-0, and call it quits...have a Ric Flair type of send off.

Although, i do agree with the idea of having him face different opponents...like Del Rio, or even Drew McInytre...Wade Barrett(which looks like his Wrestlemania match), Big Zeke...i know he only wrestles like 3 months out of the year now, but, still, have him face different people until he calls is quits

 

[XgringolocoX]

There's no good reason to change it. This is what he built his entire career on. It's only fitting that he keeps using this gimmick til he retires. I'm betting that's either this year, or next year's wrestlemania.
Who else has an entrance like Taker's? What other character is as intriguing? How the fuck do you think the Badass gimick was better? Stop smoking the crack. lol

 

[Loveless]

I've always felt the last incarnation of the Undertaker should be as a white angel of death, much like Mordecai look. As a character progression it's the last logical step and the only route you could actually take if you want a reinvention.

 

[Dzone]

He will keep his gimmick for sure, but I'd like to see an "angel" type gimmick of complete contrast of his deadman gimmick purely to take someone's soul mind you... I dunno I just want him to do something where he's the first man to do it, maybe have holograms of himself in his entrance for WM if when he's 20-0 thats his last. I want him to get more than a normal send off basically...

EDIT!!! OMG!!! I know have holograms of the souls he's taken at WM in his last ever WM entrance... wow that would just be epic...
Guess I agree with Loveless =]

 

[Midgetmania619]

The Undertaker as ABA was weaker. Really, weaker. It was shown clearly when it took not much (compared to his previous gimmick) to take him down. Brock Lesnar made him his *explicit* for 2 months, Undertaker didn't win once. Aside from that, it showed a weaker, emotional side to Taker that could easily be attacked. If he returned as ABA then the character he portrays might even have a chance of losing at WrestleMania.

Hell, as ABA a Wasteland could probably end up pinning him. Why? Because as the ABA he was a mortal, he was shown as a normal human being. I am completely against any return to ABA/Big Evil, however I would like a Lord of Darkness return if possible, that gives him a lot more mic time as well but as the Deadman so he can strike fear, not plotting an attack on his emotions. Another possibility could be Western Mortician but the look of that gimmick has waited far too long. I mean, his look as it would be like a sore thumb in WWE.

Lord of Darkness is where his character really developed. More mic time, better promos, better interviews and even better matches. It was during the Lord of Darkness persona that he had the greatest Giant match with Kane at WrestleMania XIV.

BTW: his current gimmick is a hybrid, a mixture of all others with his powers, speech, attire, etc. I think it is better to leave the Phenom as he is because they've incorporated all other Undertaker personalities into him.

 

[OlderFan]

I never liked the "American Badass" myself. For that matter I never understood why they changed Undertaker's gimmick in the first place. The character was sold as a silent netherworld creature just barely this side of "dead" and Mark Callaway made it not only believable but one of the most popular and enduring characters the WWE has ever seen. Changes just amounted to fixing something that wasn't broken and there were "loose ends" with the 'Taker/Kane s/l so going back to the original UT with Paul Bearer was one of the smartest things WWE ever did. Just like the breaking glass with SCSA was something you never got tired of hearing, UT as UT was something fans never got tired of seeing.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I remember hearing stories of how the Undertaker HATED his gimmick as Big Evil. At this point, the man is a handful of matches away from retirement...if not just one last match at Wrestlemania. I for one would be upset if they pushed him into another gimmick, as there's a real good chance he'd have to retire with it. If they DID happen to give him another gimmick, I think he'd get lost in the constant eb and flow on Smackdown, with the new talent and rising stars taking more control over the show. It just wouldn't be worth it. He's not really a vocal character, and his persona-with the exception of Big Evil-has remained intact for multiple decades. Just let the Deadman rest in peace.