The Ministry of Darkness: An Overrated Angle

[The Brain]

Why is this group so fondly remembered? It is very common to read attitude era threads that praise the Ministry as an awesome group and one of the best storylines of that era. I never got it. The group consisted of a Taker and a bunch of low card lackeys. Bradshaw and Faarooq were floundering and didn’t really take off until they became the APA. The Brood were a few green rookies that hadn’t made any impact yet. Mideon and Viscera…are you serious? Those two just flat out sucked. The storylines were just bizarre and inconsistent. The Corporate Ministry just had the feel of a poorly thought out WCW angle. Vince McMahon being revealed as the higher power made no sense at all. From what I remember the Ministry was always against Vince so how did he benefit from being with them all along? That angle is looked at as a highlight of the attitude era by many but I think it’s one of the main things that turned me off about WWF in 1999. The angle only ran for about four months yet people remember it as one of the greatest things ever.

I kind of rushed this thread and was originally going to put this in the spam section so I know it’s not my best work. I decided I’d like to see some non spam responses instead. I should point out I’m normally pretty good at remembering old WWF wrestling. I’ve watched several events over the years many times but I’ve always avoided this timeframe. My memories are from one viewing 12 years ago so I admit my facts may be a little off. If so please correct me. My memory tells me the Ministry was nothing special and is one of the most overrated angles ever. What are your thoughts?

 

[GameOver]

They aren't. more to the point they were a huge part of the attitude era and did the most haneous things of any faction during that time.
and they weren't people, they were portrayed as living evil.

The Ministry did it's job in being a huge thorn in the side of all the big face's of the time which put them all over and it put Taker/Vince at the top of the heel heap.
IMO that was when Taker was at his strongest character wise, at no other time did he on a regular basis really cut great evil promo's and his look was far more impactfull then the usual look.

Agree with you on the whole Higher Power thing that was ******ed and Vince kidnapping his own daughter etc. But it worked it was a huge ratings winner and kept WWF alive along with Austin ofcourse.

Looking back at the time i remember thinking, now they've gone too far i want my 80's era back again when it was a friendlier time, but now looking at the Cena era, i'd give anything to have the constant barage of entertainment that was the Attitude era, even if alot of it was way over the top.

 

[SSJPhenom]

Brain; I respect the hell out of you as a poster; however, you know that you can't say something against 'Taker and me not respond.

To the point, I think that your memory of the Ministry may not be as strong as mine.

IMO, The Ministry of Darkness showed 'Taker as his most evil incarnation. Also; I happen to believe that during this angle, The Undertaker was at his strongest on the mic while being the 'Deadman' gimmick.

I agree that the members of the Ministry were nothing more than just lackeys; however, the point of the Ministry, IMO, wasn't to get those characters over; but it was to get 'Taker back into the spotlight and that's exactly what happened. His feud with Austin during this storyline was one of the better ones that he had with Austin throughout his entire career.

This angle also provided us with many a great Raw moment. 'Taker hanging Austin from his symbol comes to mind. Also, 'Taker trying to embomb Austin and 'Taker trying to marry Stephanie were amazing Raw moments.

I may be a bit biased because I'm such a 'Taker mark; however, the Ministry wasn't all that bad. The Corporate Ministry though? Now that's a different story.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I don't think The Ministry is fondly looked at as a storyline or group as much as it is for the character that The Undertaker played. Don't get me wrong, the group certainly had it's moments and it was a great way to get some lower card guys some exposure, but it was really The Satanic Undertaker that sold it for most people.

although, I agree that when Vince and The Corporation were added to the equation, it was pure unadulterated crap.

 

[I_got_bant_for_idiocy]

this storyline was way to sick and awesome.. like the time undertaker kidnapped steph in the limo.. or when they were gonna sacrifice her and austin came and made the big save. the higher power was another great storyline everybody wondering who it was. and this storyline was the pre-sequal to the mcmahan-helmsley era, when steph turned on her dad hahaha it all made sense back than and the booking was wicked and they actually connected the dots with storylines

not like now days leaving storylines up in the air like when kane buries undertaker than loses to edge and becomes partners with big show and undertaker comes back and HHH wants to wrestle him

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

The stable was itself no great shakes but the angle is a very good one mostly due to Undertaker's transformation into a satanic evil character and the deeds that he performed during this time. The reveal of Vince McMahon as the higher power was also a huge surprise and that is what ultimately makes the angle so legendary.

The stable was all about Undertaker totally losing his sanity to take down Austin and also Kane to an extent. Then it evolved into Undertaker wanting to oust Vince and take over WWE. The angle had a great feel to it because it seemed natural for someone named The Undertaker to be an evil being like he portrayed in this character. Every week we got to see something shocking and over the top whether it be Austin's crucification or Mabel's abduction and his subsequent transformation into Viscera. This angle really built up Undertaker as a dangerous entity, something which we rarely get to see these days.

The reveal of Vince as the higher power was a great moment too. It made you realise how paranoid Vince had become in trying to get the belt off Austin. He was willing to sacrifice his very on daughter to get one up on Austin. And this was a very believable scenario because everyone knew how big of an egomaniac Vince was. He was actually supporting a guy whom any sane man would have locked up in a mental asylum and kept wrapped in a straightjacket.

I fail to see how this angle is inconsistent. Everyone played their parts well and the transformations of their characters was perfect. Take Undertaker for instance. He started out on a mission to defeat Austin and Kane but as he started gaining more and more power, or as some would say getting more and more paranoid, he actually started believing that he could usurp the WWF from Vince. Vince actually supported this paranoia of the Undertaker because he was desperate to get one up on Austin. The rest of the starcast were merely pawns in this game.

Criticize the stable all you want but criticizing the angle is unwarranted. Oh well, it seems like the perfect example of the Attitude Era negativity that has hit the forums this days.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I kinda liked it.. I was about 7 when this was happening and I believed wrestling was real soo to me it was awesome to see this go down in the WWF.. I was scared the hell out of Taker and what's worse is that his group consisted off other scary wrestlers.. Viscera especially..

We saw a lot in 99 with Taker, 99 IMO was about Taker and Austin and this storyline, like some above mentioned, we saw some great moments, we saw The Rock and Austin team up for the first time I think, we saw The Rock get put in a casket, Not only Austin, But Taker also got caught on his own Cross symbol..

For me, it will always be good, because I was at the time of my life where I was really into the WWF/E!! I will always have great wrestling memories from 1999 because of this storyline..

 

[Ming]

He was willing to sacrifice his very own daughter to get one up on Austin.

I felt that the entire angle was nothing but to enhance the hatred and the feud between Austin and Vince. I mean obviously the stable wasn't very good but I think it got over strictly because of the number and the size(Viscera, Undertaker) of the members.

Vince's revelation as the "higher power" strangely enough was one of the big moments during the Attitude Era I thought. It was a big twist and it showed how much defeating Austin had consumed him.

 

[byrnside]

As per usual I'm inclined to agree with you, Brain. I never particularly liked the Ministry especially after Vince was revealed as the higher power. I think it was just a way for Vince to cram/get as much use out of all the talent he had to "compete" with WCW. I think, along with most of what happened in 1999, it was kind of forced. The only good thing I feel that really came out of it was the genesis of the APA.

 

[The Corporate Champ]

As a faction; you're probably right.

In terms of their impact, I think that the attention it receives is just about right. Like many said, the purpose of the faction itself wasn't to be strong in terms of the members it had, but in terms of the impact it was to make on the Federation.

Yeah, Vince being revealed as the Higher Power was ******ed, but everything prior to that was executed so that it would keep people gripped to their seats.

Besides, I dont think anybody would forget the classic line: "So.. Where to, Stephanie?"

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I thought the Ministry was a great angle personally, but looking back it probably has become overated by many, as the Attitude Era has in most scenerios (even though it is still my favoruite period in WWE history). The Ministry really only had Undertaker who meant anything at that time- Mabel/Viscera has always been worthless, The Brood were still new, Mideon was a waste of space and the Acolytes didnt mean much until they became the APA. Really, the only star the faction had was Undertaker.

However, 'Taker was phenomenal in his role as the Satanic cult leader, he really scared the hell out of me that point, with his long ropes, satan beard and the eye rolling. He freaked me out, but I had to keep watching. The whole abduction storyline with Steph and Vince where you saw her teddy bear burning and the "Where to Stephanie?!" made for classic WWF tv. I particularly loved the scene where Steph says "The only place I feel safe, is when I'm with my Dad!", and then it turned out that Vince had been behind her abduction as "The Greater Power". I was not expecting it at all!

Once they linked up with the Corporation though, the impact of the faction declined and it tailed. But for a period of time it was awesome, and really shocking. Seeing Austin crucified on the Undertaker's symbol, the black wedding etc...great memories of a great period in wrestling history.

 

[Chris1-16]

It was the Corporate Ministry that isn't well liked. Vince McMahon joining up with them was just another way to have more Austin vs. Vince, which by the summer of '99 people got tired of it. In retrospect everyone may think that people were never tired of the rivalry, but trust me, people groaned over it by mid '99, that's why they ended it at Fully Loaded that year. After Fully Loaded Austin and Vince still interacted a bit up until Survivor Series 1999, but in the fall it became HHH vs. Vince instead of Austin vs. Vince.

 

[NathanFantastic]

The Corporate Ministry was freakin' awesome. I was only a kid though so it was a typical group of hard looking good guys vs unique stable of bad guys you would see in a film.