Know who the Undertaker should lose the streak to?

[Rocky!Rocky!Rocky!]

I understand where you are coming from on this one, but I really could not see how it would work. Firstly, The Undertaker is such a legendary character that nobody could perform this role like Calloway. Secondly, I reckon it would take a very long time for the WWE to train somebody to be able to almost mimic all of his moves in a way where we will be able to believe that this is the 'same guy'. And thirdly, how long would it be before we started to bash the almighty streak? 30-0? 40-0?? 20-0 is still a believable number of consecutive wins at the biggest event of the year...I understand where you're coming from but as much as I would miss The Undertaker, there is only one in my opinion!

 

[MinistryDeadman95]

I too believe that there needs to be a Undertaker/Sting like character for the new generation. Or as you guys are calling Undertaker 2.0.

Lets face it, Undertaker and Sting are going to be hanging up the boots soon. It will be a shame for us wrestling fans to never be entertained by that kind of gimmick ever again.

However, they just cant debut a new wrestler and call him the Undertakers son and expect people to care about him. IMOP, there is only one way for this to work and its going to be a long process.

"RESPECT" Respect is the key for this so called passing of the dead man's torch will ever work. The recipient of the torch has to be a wrestler that the fans have come to love and respect over a period of time. Its got to be somebody who can have 5* matches, somebody with heart and a never say die attitude in the wring.

Take a look at our current 2.0 stars. According to many of you, Cena is Hogan 2.0, Randy is Stone Cold 2.0, Swagger is Angel 2.0, and some might argue that Morrison is HBK 2.0. The only reason why we as fans can except those superstars as respectable replacements is because over the years we have come to love and respect the hell out of them as wrestlers and superstars. If the Undertaker gimmick get replaced, it needs to be done by someone who has the respect of the fans or it will just fall flat.

So here is my idea...

Lets take a freshly debuting Tyler Black.

I choose him because I feel he has what it takes to eventually garner the respect of the fans. I saw a lot of his wring work in ROH. The man can wrestle. He is definitely capable of putting on 5* matches. His mic work is passable. In time, I am sure it will improve. IMOP, He also has the look to pull of a darkish kind of gimmick.

So Black is the newest member of Wades faction. Over time he proves to be a little rebellious but effective for the group. With in time he becomes IC/US champ. He could be the one guy in the group who insists on doing things on his own. He dos not want any help winning his matches. During the group beat downs, he becomes the one member who is more stand offish, kind of how Sting was in the NWO.

A year passes since Mania 2011. Wade then becomes number 1 contender to the man he could not beat the streak from a almost 1 year ago. Wade is more then convinced that with his faction stronger then ever, he will dethrone the Undertaker at RR.

However, the chink in the factions armor is Tyler Black. Undertaker happens to be the one superstar that Black has looked up to growing up. During the beat downs on the Undertaker, Black is more stand offish more then he has ever been.

As punishment, Wade issues a match between Black and Undertaker. It is a competitive match with many near falls for Black on the Undertaker. However Black made it clear to Wade and the rest of his faction brothers that he dos not want any help. During the end of the mach, Black shows Undertaker the same fighting sprit that has made the Undertaker the man he is in the WWE.

Undertaker has come to show respect for the fighting underdog and at this time, so has the fans. It seems like Black is about to put away Taker and suddenly the faction runs down to the wring and ends up getting Black DQ'ed. The faction then starts to dismantle Undertaker in their last final effort to soften him up for his match at RR against Wade. Only this tame an enraged Black wont let the faction attack the already gas out Undertaker. Undertaker then stands up and offers his hand of respect to Black. Black just walks away.

Back stage Wade ask Black why he came to the Undertakers aide. Black simply tells Wade that he already handed the Undertaker a huge beating during their mach. Anything further cold have put Undertaker on the shelf and Wade would have been out a championship match.

At the Royal Rumble... The faction interferes in the the no dq match up between Undertaker and Wade. Just as Wade is about to deliver the waste land to Undertaker, in retribution for costing him his match, Black kicks Wade in the balls,(You know the fans would go nuts) or something like that to allow Undertaker to retain the tittle.

The next night Black is attacked back stage by Wade and his former brothers. They destroy Black so bad that he needs to be carted out by an ambulance. As the ambulance is about to leave the arena, Wade and his faction ambush the drivers.They take the vehicle out of the arena where they set it on fire with Black inside. (kayfade)

The next show. It its made clear that when the fire was put out and the smoke was cleared, there was no body inside. However, Tyler Black is missing. Somebody took the body.

And that somebody is the Undertaker. Undertaker retrieved Blacks body and resurrected it from beyond with part of his own spirit.

Its Mania 2012.. Wade won the tittle at elimination chamber. Not only is Undertaker the #1 contender but his streak is also on the line. Wade being the champion makes the match a no Dq. During the mach Wades faction interferes and it looks like Wade is about to end the Streak. The lights go out, eerie music plays in the back round. Then emerges Tyler Black with a new dead man like look. Black clears the wring of the faction. delivers his finisher to Wade and places Undertakers body on top for the 1,2,3.. Streak is not broken. Undertaker then paces the rest of his spirit to Black.

He would have a new look, maybe longer hair. A couple of months off would give him good time to pack on some more muscle. Maybe some face paint or something to make him look darker. I think a half face mask would be awesome. You could also have the Undertaker security mentoring him in the dark arts or something like that. passing on the gift of the darkness..

I know that many, "MANY" of you will hate this idea. But its just how I would have the undertaker pass on his gimmick.

Any thoughts... ?

This is a pretty good way for a new Undertaker to debut. I don't know if it should be Tyler Black, and at Wrestlemania 2012. I really don't think the original Undertaker will make it until then. Just of curiosity, how did the Tiger Masks pass their gimmick?

 

[MinistryDeadman95]

Ohhh, you're saying just pass on the gimmick to different wrestlers?? Yeah, that's not bad, but it is a huge risk though. The Undertaker deadman gimmick is the biggest gimmick in pro wrestling. It would be a huge gamble. They did it with the Doink the Clown character and the Tiger Mask character.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Yeah, sorry but there's absolutely no way that this could work and the WWE would be insane for even attempting it. Mark Calaway is The Undertaker, it's HIS character and has become an inseperable part of his legacy. When Ric Flair assumed the "Nature Boy" persona back in the late 70s, it was like catching lightning in a bottle. He took everything that Buddy Rogers did and made it better, but it was a completely different time. When you factor both television and the internet together, professional wrestling has a degree of viewability, not really a word I know but still, that Rogers or Flair would have never dreamed of during their times. Attempting to make some other big guy The Undertaker when Mark Calaway retires will be met with utter disdain by wrestling fans and wrestling insiders alike.

If the WWE did go through with it, the wrestler they put the mantle of The Undertaker on would be viewed as a watered down, cheap copy of the original. It'd probably also wind up destroying said wrestler's career. In late 1985, Fritz Von Erich brought a guy into his company named Kevin Vaughan and called him Lance Von Erich. The story was that he was Waldo Von Erich's son but the problem was that Kevin Vaughan grew up in the Dallas area and even went to school with Fritz's sons and people knew about it. Fritz thought he could just slap the Von Erich name onto a young, good looking & athletic wrestler and the fans would eat it up. It was an idiotic decision whose stupidity has echoed through the decades and the result was that it ruined Vaughan's career and he faded into obscurity. In this day and age, trying something similar would only be met with even more ridicule and criticism.

I applaud the OP for thinking a little outside the box here but this just wouldn't work. Clark Kent will always be Superman, Bruce Wayne will always be Batman and Mark Calaway will always be The Undertaker. Fuck with that formula and be prepared to endure all kinds of hell.

 

[trouble in pardise]

this is plain and simple wwe will not let taker lose at wm its to big of a risk but I do see someonne trying to keep the fire going as hbk did did with bret hart or cena did with the rock maybe it could be tyler rex or a new face in wwe.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

After looking through all your responses, I think I have come to the conclusion that this idea would not work in this day and age. The Undertaker is too legendary a character to be tampered and played around with and there is no way in which the audience would accept a new Undertaker, announced or unannounced.

However there is only one point which I do still want to talk about.

Would you want a random black guy to come in and be the new Rock? Would you want a random bald guy with a goatee and knee bracers to come in and be the new Austin? It wouldn't work; nor would it be a good idea.

This is kinda stupid! It's like saying Terry Bollea has to retire; but why does Hulk Hogan hav to?

I’m surprised no one has mentioned that an idea like this has already failed. Remember the new Diesel and new Razor Ramon from 1996? Jim Ross said just because Kevin Nash and Scott Hall weren’t with WWF anymore didn’t mean Diesel and Razor couldn’t be. He found two younger guys to play those roles. You know what happened? The fans hated it. That idea lasted about four months. It was a failure back then and considering how much more Taker is respected than Diesel and Razor were I think it would be an even bigger failure now.

See, I know Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock are all legendary characters. To an extent so are Diesel and Razor Ramon. But in their case it makes no sense for their characters to be continued as they are mortal figures. The Undertaker is an immortal being and as I have discussed in my OP I really think there is no way that is good enough to retire The Undertaker. That is why I came up with this idea but I agree that even this idea would not work out very well.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

There are characters/gimmicks that can't be re painted such as The Undertaker. Because to fans it isn't just a gimmick, it is THE gimmick that has stood the test of time going through the eras of Bret Hart, HBK, Stone Cold, The Rock, etc and has a following that is sizable against Hulk Hogan but with replacing Mark Calaway as the character is just making a second rate and obvious copy. It isn't just the mannerisms and the clothes it comes down to the look that Calaway and having phenomenal presence that he conveys.

 

[MinistryDeadman95]

Like others said that the fans would hate it, I kind of disagree. It depends on how talented the wrestler is, how well the WWE builds up the storylines, and how over they put him. If the WWE wants to make it happen, I think they could.

 

[vermilion]

This is, nicely put, a horrible idea. The Undertaker isn't a faceless masked wrestler that one can imitate. The Undertaker IS Mark Calloway. There's no separation. You could have another supernatural gimmick but we've seen how well those have gone down (Boogeyman, Mordecai anyone?). Taker works b/c he's from a different era. Same with Kane, they are from a time when that was acceptable in wrestling. The ONLY way I could see it working is if they treat it like it was in the Attitude era, where the McMahons acknowledged he was a character and that he's going crazy and believing the gimmick (Ministry of Darkness). They openly called him Mark in at least one interview. Basically the guy has to be completely nuts to think he has real powers, but that makes him quite dangerous and dark.

Btw, Sting didn't have supernatural powers in storyline. He was just a guy in the rafters with a bat that came down on a bungee. It was never portrayed that he was anything magical. He was only "mysterious" for like 2 years out of his long 25+ year career. He kept the Crow makeup but after 1998, he was pretty much old Sting in new paint/clothes.

 

[MizFit]

I see what you're saying, but the risk isn't worth the reward.

The streak is the Undertaker. It is what sets him atop everyone else. It isn't something you can use to give an up and coming star a mega push. What if (insert streak enders name here) can't survive in the main event? What if he just isn't main event material and fades into obscurity. He'll be remembered as the guy who ended the streak and nothing else. Now there is a chance the push will help launch someone into superstardom, but is it really worth tarnishing Taker's legacy? In my personal opinion it isn't, and I hope the streak never ends.

People always have the idea of Undertaker "passing the torch" to another incarnation of the Underaker, but I don't think there is a need for another one. In my mind, there is only one Undertaker and always will be, Mark Calaway. He is the Undertaker character, and no one else can be. Just let the character die, and leave it alone. No need to restart one of the greatest characters of all time. I would rather see it respectably retired for good.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

Call me crazy, but I can completely see Drew McIntyre in a "Twilight" type of gimmick where he becomes a face-vampire. He's young enough at 25, has the look, and has already been hand picked as a future main eventer. Worth a shot to get him over anyway.

It would be a supernatural type gimmick that we have seen before on people like Gangrel and Mordecai, except Drew is much more talented and all that Twilight crap is popular in the PG age group. It perfectly targets the demographic.

 

[King_of_Swing1520]

well if taker was to lose at mania this isnt the worst idea. it would be difficult to pick some1 and then make sure the gimmick gets over. not sure if the fans would accept a new taker. i like the examples you gave of the second versions of certain gimmicks but the undertaker is the undertaker. he's outlasted all the others. and i honestly cant thing of some1 who could carry the gimmick the way he did.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

I'm sorry, but the risks are heavier than the rewards on this one. Even if they were to find someone willing enough to take on the role of Taker 2.0, that person is going to be subject to the HARSHEST EVER criticism from the IWC and the live fans, that would be like trying to get an HBK 2.0, you just don't do it. Let's revisit a BAD idea, when Kane originally showed up as a knock-off Diesel? Do we remember that?

Of course people love being compared to legends like Undertaker, and I'm sure he'd like to have the superstars of today be compared to him in terms of ability or other things they do, but no matter how hard one tries, you CANNOT and WILL NOT ever get a replacement, or Junior of him. Even the Big Show as Andre's kid got swept under the rug because that was kind of a brain fart by creative, and didn't really have the wheels to go anywhere.

Undertaker has a long relationship with WWE and they've always been good about his ideas, it would be so stupid of them, should the rumors be true, that he wants to pass the torch on to Barrett. I mean, technically Barrett and his Nexus cost Taker the belt at Bragging Rights 2010. You don't just brush off one of your veterans who have been with you since the first RAW, and especially if someone of Mark Calloway's status is hand picking and watching someone, you surely would NOT want to say "Oh yeah, we'll think about it" and then decide to not do what he's suggesting. They'd be crazy, especially when they've always been so good with his input for creative in the past, you KNOW there is no way in hell that this would really come to fruition when people would more expect him versus someone who would actually bring it to the stage. It would be even more complicated to bring another unknown at this point in time and try to explain their appearance this close to WM, when your better bet is to work up the skills of someone who's already appearing on our televisions right now, or about to comeback. Believe me, WWE and Undertaker are probably already taking care of business and I'm sure the 'illegitimate kids' angles are something they will seriously reconsider after the McMahon secret kid debacle.

 

[ZLT-truth316]

Ok I agree about what you have said the Undertaker's gimmick is one of the most successful gimmicks in history so if your gonna even think about breaking the streak then it has to be broken by a rookie just starting their career in the E and has to be one of the Undertakers final matches before retiring. One victory over the Undertaker can help boost that persons career and he can have a whole gimmick and do stuff the way the undertaker has done and maybe even start a feud with Kane also? and maybe Undertaker in a one time match or smaill stint return or something?

 

[mikead]

I still think if hes going to lose, or even if its just his final WM fued, it needs to be Ted Dibiase. It would take some time, and certainly couldn't be this year since WM is too close. Theres a lot of ways it could go, but Ted Sr. would need to be involved. He could cost Taker the title, and two could really mess with him for some time before a final match between Taker and the younger Dibiase. They could make Ted into a really dark character, embracing the Takers persona, maybe he turns on his Father at some point and take Paul Bearer I don't know.

I think bringing the Undertaker character full circle is a good way to end it, he doesn't even have to lose. For those saying Dibiase isn't a worthy opponent, Taker has fought worst in the past, even at WM. He fought freaking Mark Henry and Price Albert (although it was with the Big Show) in past Manias.

 

[pessimism101]

Some people have suggested that the Undertaker gimmick should be taken over by someone else when Mark Calloway retires. Let's take a time machine back to 1994. The Undertaker lost a Casket Match to Yokozuna at the Royal Rumble. At the start of the summer, Ted DiBiase brought back "the Undertaker" and, until Paul Bearer returned claiming he had the TRUE Undertaker, the fans rejected this new Undertaker (most likely because they knew it wasn't the "real" Undertaker). So, if the Undertaker character was portrayed by a different person, do you really think the fans would accept it, especially when it's a lot easier to figure out that the person portraying the Undertaker isn't the same person than it was 17 years ago?

When Mark Calloway retires, so, too, should the Undertaker gimmick. It simply won't work being portrayed by someone else and it would be an insult to Taker's legacy to even suggest such a thing.

To answer the actual question of who should the Undertaker lose his streak to? The answer is nobody. While 18-1, 19-1 or 20-1 is still an impressive statistic, it is nowhere near as iconic and legendary as 19-0, 20-0 or whatever the final number is. Yes, defeating the Undertaker would put someone over huge, but so would being in a Triple Threat Match between Taker and someone else and not being pinned by Taker.