The moment that made you realize The Undertaker was one of the best

[byrnside]

6 time World Champion.
7 time Tag Team Champion.
2007 Royal Rumble winner.
19-0 at Wrestlemania.

Now I know this is probably a very broad subject but ever since Wrestlemania I've been on a big Undertaker kick. I'm standing by my opinion that he and Triple H put on one Hell of a match, but that discussion is a part of a completely different thread. What I want to know is when did you realize The Undertaker was one of, if not the best? The Undertaker has given us so many memorable moments from defeating Hulkamania [twice] to levitating above the "titan tron" at the 1994 Royal Rumble to throwing Mankind off the Hell in a Cell.

While I have been a long-time Undertaker fan since I was probably 6 or 7 years old when he first turned face in 1992, I think realization first set in for me during WCW Invasion in 2002.

[YOUTUBE]EZjEBLehiYQ[/YOUTUBE]

Now this is not by any means the best promo I've seen The Undertaker give but as one of the leaders of Team WWE The Undertaker was the leader of the WWE locker room. Obviously at this point WCW was all but done and their ratings leading up to the buy out were garbage. I was about 16 when this happened and I was by no means a fan of WCW. I watched occasionally but I absolutely bought into the Invasion angle because for years I had watched the WWE's ratings dwindle compared to WCW. This was when a huge epitome occurred to me, although at this point The Undertaker had only won two world titles [as if that weren't enough] I realized The Undertaker was so much more than world titles, he was and is "the baddest dog in the yard" to quote JR. So what are your Undertaker moments when you became a huge fan?

 

[poppycock]

Ever since I first saw him lose to Hulk Hogan on a best of Hulk Hogan VHS. I loved everything about him..I was and always have been into Horror movies and he summed up everything I loved as a kid. He was a real life Horror movie character..(well real to me as a young kid who believed in the Dead Man persona) I never had Sky growing up so I got my WWF fixes through buying videos when ever I had enough pocket money. Then around 1996/1997 I made friends at school with a kid who would record PPV's and houseshows for me..I saw for the first time the new Undertaker persona and I loved him even more.

These Mankind buried alive promos definitely made my Undertaker love grow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcH4jfDBis0&feature=related

 

[OlderFan]

There are 2 many "big" moments in UT's career to pick one. Consequently it may seem silly for me to have remembered this so well but what stuck in my mind was the first time I saw him walk the top rope. That kind of balance for a man that size .........

 

[boozinjedi]

The first moment for me would have to be WrestleMania VIII.

I have never seen anyone at that point in time TOTALLY DESTROY Jake "The Snake" Roberts!!

He got so high for a flying clothersline..I swear he had to reach down to make contact with him!!

 

[Rasha]

That's a really interesting question. Undertaker has had a special career arc as he debuted with a lot of hype as DiBiase's "mystery man" at the 1990 Survivor Series and was almost immediately a Main Eventer, feuding with guys like Warrior and Savage before becoming World Champion just a year later when he beat Hogan. It's almost like he never really had a "breakout" moment; he's just been dominant since day one.

But I guess one way to look at this is what cemented him as an iconic legend, and for me that was the Ministry storyline. If Undertaker had suddenly retired before that angle, I probably wouldn't remember him much more than I do someone like Yokozuna or Goldberg; a huge deal for a while but relatively brief. But when he turned up the evil and had that epic feud with Austin, he went to that special level in my wrestling memory that's reserved for the all-time greats.

 

[Cena's #1 Fan]

still waiting for that moment.....

Haha yeah I bet you're john cena's biggest fan!!!
Idiot.


Well, probably when he took the belt from Hogan at Survivor Series 91. Hogan was the man and had been the man for a while and Taker beat him. Even most of the fans were for Taker(as he stated in his 2001 This is my yard)

People got tired or seeing "super" hogan. watch sid eliminate him from the 91 or 92 rumble i believe, the fans ate that shit up.

Taker has been the man since 1991. So from there, the rest is just tacking on the accolades.

 

[Rockyfolifebo!!!]

Wow, one moment in particular stands out. Now, i know this might not be the most popular choice, but when the undertaker returned in 2000, it was like Wow! I forget how the undertaker left in 1999 (i kno he had an injury), but he wanted Mcmahon and appearantly DX! We saw the promos, and video packs with the 3 little girls praying. Then on Judgement day (i believe), DX was in the ring attacking The Rock, then the girls come on "As a i lay me down to sleep, i pray my soul is mine to keep. As i step outside this bed.... Now back from the dead!" GONG!! ARE YOU SCARED?? HE'S HERE!!!! Then you see the man with long brown hair, scarf, shades and a trenchcoat, you're like who the hell? Kid Rock's American Badass hits, Then Taker charges down on the bike, and starts kicking ass left and right!!!! Truely the moment that made me say, OK Undertaker is official!

 

[TheKingHustla]

I knew he was the man because when I was young, me and my cousins would wrestle. I was always shawn michaels and my older cousin was always Undertaker. I didn't pay too much attention to the undertaker at first.

In 97, I was 10 and a huge HBK fan. I followed HBK like he was my dad. The Undertaker had a match against Bret Hart, which he lost, and Shawn was the ref. I really didn't pay attention to it that much. At Bad Blood HBK had a hell in a cell match against The Undertaker and it was great. Ever since then, I had a huge amount of respect for the deadman.

 

[Xemmy]

I realized The Undertaker was the greatest of all time sometime in the last 4 years. There is no actual moment that's made Undertaker the best. I think 5 men can make a claim to being the greatest ever- at least in televised history. Ric Flair ruined that reputation when he continued to wrestle after being given the biggest send off anyone's ever gotten. Hulk Hogan's reputation was tarnished a long time ago. Stone Cold career was short in retrospect, and Shawn Michael's past personal issues and time off from back injury get in the way for me. The Undertaker has been company loyal, main event status, and built a non-stop legacy over the last 21 years in WWE with no personal blemishes, or anything else to really ruin it. Is he the greatest in ring preformer of all time? No. Did he have the best storylines? No. But he does have the greatest gimmick ever. And no one's ever protected theirs like he has.

All that factored in, and I say he's the one.

 

[An Angry Blonde]

Before I begin I want to make 1 point VERY clear.....
I've only been watching WWE since like a week after No way out 2008....

During that period of time taker was feuding with edge, and I don't know exactly why, but I really got behind Taker, so all the matches between No Way Out and WM 24 really helped me get into Undertaker, and at Wrestlemania 24 he became my un questioned favorite Wrestler, and even though I watch some old clips of other people, I just can't get into them like I did with Taker, and he has definatly earned his spot as a legend and one of the greatest and LOYALEST(sp?) superstar ever. I know some people hate the term "superstar" but he has EARNED the right to be called a superstar. He was the only wrestler that I've never seen or heard of before, and needed a decent build before I started to like him.Well I'm done for now....
BTW great pick OP, really great promo and it shows why hes a leader backstage and a legend.

 

[ajnitro13]

and now i know u r probably one of the morons who thought the hhh/taker was a classic....i actually am a cena fan, the rock is my personal favorite, and i think HBK is the man. every "great" undertaker match i have seen i feel has been great because of the other person, not so much him. great character, average wrestler...i can actually say the same about cena decent character (great as the rapper, kind of stale now), average wrestler. when it is all said and done taker and cena will both be top 5 wwe guys. it is clear u r a cena-hater and i dont like the undertaker

 

[longlivetheBrood]

From the get-go. I remember seeing the promos, wondering who the mystery man was going to be, afraid it'd be Butch Reed beating up on my heroes. Once DiBiase got on the mic and said "Being led to the ring by Brother Love, from Death Valley..." and he started his slow walk to the ring, I was hooked. I was a 'Taker fan right out of the gate and was the only person I knew that was pulling for him to beat Hogan for the belt. Outside interference be damned, Hogan was beatable and 'Taker looked invinceable. He captured my imagination and started my love for heels and for years I've hung on every word he's said but have only gotten the chance to see his entrance live once (he beat the Sultan how's that for a throwback?).

 

[Cena's #1 Fan]

and now i know u r probably one of the morons who thought the hhh/taker was a classic....i actually am a cena fan, the rock is my personal favorite, and i think HBK is the man. every "great" undertaker match i have seen i feel has been great because of the other person, not so much him. great character, average wrestler...i can actually say the same about cena decent character (great as the rapper, kind of stale now), average wrestler. when it is all said and done taker and cena will both be top 5 wwe guys. it is clear u r a cena-hater and i dont like the undertaker

It was not a classic actually, good match, great story telling, and the BEST match on the card. Hands down.

Yeah I am a one hundred percent Cena hater. And I also know how to spell you and are correctly.

Yeah, okay, Taker gets carried. He's the only one who i've ever seen make a good match with mark henry, great khali, yokozuna, papa shango,

The guy wrestles with torn muscles, ligaments, and broken bones. He is a walking legend. He took the belt from hogan in 91, if cena were around back then, he would've been fluffing hogan before the match.

Holla if you hear me

 

[EastCoastFan]

I remember when he was brought out as the 4th member of Ted DiBiase's Survivor Series team in 1990. My friend and I went nuts that Mean Mark Callous was now in the WWF. But the moment that really solidified it for me was when he beat Hulk Hogan a year later to become WWF Champion. I HATED Hulk Hogan back then and anyone who beat him was OK in my book.

 

[poppycock]

and now i know u r probably one of the morons who thought the hhh/taker was a classic....i actually am a cena fan, the rock is my personal favorite, and i think HBK is the man. every "great" undertaker match i have seen i feel has been great because of the other person, not so much him. great character, average wrestler...i can actually say the same about cena decent character (great as the rapper, kind of stale now), average wrestler. when it is all said and done taker and cena will both be top 5 wwe guys. it is clear u r a cena-hater and i dont like the undertaker

The Undertaker is definitely a lot more than just an average wrestler. Espeically for sombody his size. I will admit for the early part of his career (maybe all the way up until he feuded with Mankind) he wasn't anything special in the ring. I am not sure if that was because of his gimmick and what he was told to do or because of his in ring ability at that point but all he had to do really was undersell and walk around like a zombie. Foley bought out things in the Undertaker that we had not seen before and I think he has grown inside the ring ever since.

 

[darbare]

being a long-time fan, he used to truly frighten me as a young child....the moment I knew he was something more than a regular wrestler, was when he put Stone Cold on the cross....being like 7 years old, I had never witnessed anything like this in my young life thus far lol...it was just scary...from the rolling eyes, the jibberish in his scary ass theme song, I knew he was "different" from say Gangrel who I thought I was creepy, but more in a goofy way

 

[Foggo]

One of my two earliest memories of wrestling is the Undertaker (who I remember being called "Mean Erik" at the time, but Wikipedia disagrees with me) battling some guy who's name I'll never remember and doing the rope walk... I had never seen anything like it (at the ripe old age of 12) and I credit that as one of the things that has made me a wrestling fan ever since.

As a side note: the second of my memories is a tag-team match featuring the Young Stallions vs. The Conquistadors.. the match seemed to go on forever and there were so many reversals and near falls that I was breathless by the end of it..

I like to think my tastes have evolved a bit since then though.. haha (although I love Santino so maybe not )

 

[Toroc102]

Hmm, this is the kind've thing that you would only consider if you grew up with forums. I've been watching since I was a kid and he's been around since I can remember wrestling, and he used to scare me so I guess I always thought he was great. If you start watching when you're a kid its pretty easy to be enthralled by the UT.

 

[ThUnDeRpHoEnIx]

I guess the third time I watched wrestling.My first ever match I saw was the HBK/Hart 60 min iron man and the 2nd being Hart/Austin at WM13.My third was much more recent in it being Undertaker vs Batista.Seeing Batista I expected him to have a power game and the undertaker to be the same.But the undertaker was athletic sure he wasnt like shelton benjamin but he can do those no hand over the top rope clotheslines.

 

[therealblob]

My earliest memories of The Undertaker was when I was watching WM IX against The Giant Gonzalez. I was lent a tape of WM IX by my local pub landlord and I thought to myself bloody hell who is this guy (not Gonzalez!!). Having been brought up with British wrestling on a Saturday afternoon it was a real eye opener. And right through the return at Summerslam, fighting the Bundy's and Kamala's then winning the WWE belt against Syd, Boiler room brawl, HIAC you name all the promos, heel or face, for me he has always been THE MAN.

 

[It'sMyYard]

Taker fan since i first watched wrestling so I guess this makes me biased in that he can make a good match from anyone. Defining moment? There's too many. The gimmick alone speaks for itself. Working hard to protect it too. If I had to pick one, it'd be the stern, ghostly look he pulled off in his first walk to a wwf ring.

 

[Mexican Mark Henry]

It was on his 10th WM win. I was like, MAN, this guy is on a winning streak. He is going to accomplish tons of things in this company if he keeps this up.

But now... he is just an average shitty person who gets injured 10 times a year. It is sad how far he went from very accomplished to very injury prone.

 

[byrnside]

Hmm, this is the kind've thing that you would only consider if you grew up with forums. I've been watching since I was a kid and he's been around since I can remember wrestling, and he used to scare me so I guess I always thought he was great. If you start watching when you're a kid its pretty easy to be enthralled by the UT.

I didn't technically grow up with forums. Forums started gaining popularity when I was about 13 or 14 so I'd have to say my opinions were already solidified as to who I was a fan of and who I wasn't. None the less I was about 5 when The Undertaker debuted at the Survivor Series. I wasn't saying in my OP that I didn't become a fan of The Undertaker until 2001. I was saying that was the moment I realized he truly was a legend in the making.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

When he decimated Mark Henry in a Casket Match at Wrestlemania 22. Prior to this, I don't really think Taker gave us any matches that really wowed the crowd. But on this night of nights in Chicago, I truly saw Undertaker for what he was, a legend. To be able to put away the Strongest Man in the entire world so efficiently was just a sight to behold. It was when this happened that I truly started regarding the Undertaker as an all time great/

 

[Dagger Dias]

Well, I have pretty much always been a huge fan of Undertaker. Other than the timeframe when he was American Badass.... The moment that sticks out for me when I realized Undertaker was one of the best was probably his match at Wrestlemania 14 when he defeated Kane in an epic match, it took 3 Tombstones and I remember thinking how awesome that was, that did it for me. I was already a fan from day one but that match made me realize how great Undertaker really was because he (kayfabe) overcame a seemingly impossible obstacle in Kane that year.