TNA Needs 'The Undertaker'

[HBK-aholic]

Now, The Undertaker should not join TNA, and that's not what this thread is about. What, in your mind, is The Undertaker best known for? I'll take an educated guess that your reply will be the Wrestlemania unbeaten streak. This streak makes The Undertaker one of the most credible opponents the industry has. Beating him in a match, any match, is difficult, and impossible at Wrestlemania. Every time someone talks about The Undertaker, they talk about the streak, and how great his matches are. Every year, at their biggest point, he's involved in a ready-made fued, which has gotten even better in recent years. And every year, people make sure to tune in in order to see whether he will continue being unbeaten.

TNA need someone to be known for this, and they need to start it soon. The star should be built up for months, winning matches at one of their biggest shows of the year. In a few years time, he can become aware of the fact he's unbeaten at that particular event and of course someone would try and challenge him. Some good promos should come out of it, before this person gets the win, and the process continues. As the years go by, and TNA hopefully becomes more powerful within the industry, they will begin to reap the benefits I mentioned above regarding The Undertaker. So, do you think TNA should take note of this and begin grooming someone to be their Undertaker? If so, who should that person be?

 

[NSL]

I definitely think they should. If there's going to be a storyline worth "ripping off", it's the undefeated streak. It gives a guy instant credibility, and helps tp put over anyone he faces, win, lose, or draw.

i'm not sure who could fill that role right now though. All of the current guys have lost at the big pay-per-views already, and TNA doesn't have the advantage of a "farm system" that WWE has, to look over who's coming and think they could do it.

Had they not already had big match losses, I'd say the perfect guy would have been Samoa Joe. He had a long unbeaten streak to start his career, and unlike Goldberg, kept up the momentum after the first loss. He didn't lose any popularity, no one was dying for his first loss, and his matches never got boring. If he would have kept winning at the big shows, he'd be bigger than he already is (don't laugh ), and he'd be able to put over guys throughout the card by merely having a match with them.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Now, The Undertaker should not join TNA, and that's not what this thread is about. What, in your mind, is The Undertaker best known for? I'll take an educated guess that your reply will be the Wrestlemania unbeaten streak. This streak makes The Undertaker one of the most credible opponents the industry has. Beating him in a match, any match, is difficult, and impossible at Wrestlemania. Every time someone talks about The Undertaker, they talk about the streak, and how great his matches are. Every year, at their biggest point, he's involved in a ready-made fued, which has gotten even better in recent years. And every year, people make sure to tune in in order to see whether he will continue being unbeaten.

TNA need someone to be known for this, and they need to start it soon. The star should be built up for months, winning matches at one of their biggest shows of the year. In a few years time, he can become aware of the fact he's unbeaten at that particular event and of course someone would try and challenge him. Some good promos should come out of it, before this person gets the win, and the process continues. As the years go by, and TNA hopefully becomes more powerful within the industry, they will begin to reap the benefits I mentioned above regarding The Undertaker. So, do you think TNA should take note of this and begin grooming someone to be their Undertaker? If so, who should that person be?

TNA could groom somebody to be the next Undertaker but I'm leaning towards no and there are several different factors....

1. It depends on how long you want the streak going on before someone notices it. It really took Undertaker until WM 17 before they really mentioned it and he had been in the company for almost eleven years. If you pick somebody, you have to invest in them for years and hope he doesn't go to the WWE.

2. Sting was undefeated at Bound for Glory for only three years so I would assume that would be the PPV that a streak like that were to start. Bound for Glory is their flagship PPV in TNA like Wrestlemania is to the WWE. Slammiversary just seems to me to be the Wrestlemania of TNA rather than BFG. If they do start a streak at Slammiversary, you run the risk of the person being in the KOTM match if he is champion because Samoa Joe is the only person I believe to walk in and out of that match as champion.

3. I just don't see anybody on their current roster that can have that streak and have the same effect that the Undertaker's has. I'm guessing Desmond Wolfe but even that's a slight possibility.

It's a cool idea but I'm just not sure it would work to the effect that WWE has made it work.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I'd say someone like Matt Morgan could certainly fit the bill at being that un-stoppable Goldberg/Undertaker type, as well as Samoa Joe, who's streak I felt was one of the single greatest high spots in TNA history.

Morgan has the intensity to really make it happen if he's booked into a position as powerful as that, and Joe has already run that gamut once before, so it would be relatively seamless for him, IMO to do it again.

They did touch on this slightly with Sting winning the World Title at the Bound For Glory every year he was in the promotion, except his last where he lost to A.J. Styles, though.

 

[Marduk]

Should TNA groom someone to be there undertaker?? Interesting question and my answer is no. There is only one undertaker period. If TNA did who would that person be? I cant see anyone on the current roster who can be groomed to be the next taker or taker wannabe. I think its time for a change no gimmick imitation and TNA needs to develop there own identity with there own stars even though they have several WWE rejects. As far as the streak I cant see anyone on the roster who deserves such.. IF they bring in someone new and do like a Bill Goldberg type of thing have him win 178 matches and hype it up maybe... just maybe that would work. I think they need to make Matt Morgan more of a brutal force since he is the biggest guy they have. IF they were to use that Idea for Matt its to late now..

 

[EStreet]

couldn't work beacuse no character on the roster has the same aura as the Phenom...his entrance alone sends chills up the spine and has been the highlight of WWE live events for years...that is why his streak works so well because he has that persona of being "unbeatable" and rarely is he ever clean cut beaten...in TNA, Joe is the only person who has had comparable entrances and moments where his character enters his "nation of violence" mentality that the Undertaker always seems to have. Plus there is a physical presense and history with the Undertaker that no character has built in TNA

 

[King Patrick Star]

I agree with this. I even had a thread about Superstars that are Undefeated at the Flagship Pay Per Views. Of course it hasn’t been updated this year, but feel free to take a look. I did all the work for you.

As for TNA having an Undefeated Bound For Glory Superstar I just can’t decide on who it should be. Is Kurt Angle Undefeated at BFG?? If anything, I would probably go with someone young enough to last at least another decade.

http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=45327

 

[legacy8110]

I dont feel that tna needs to create a new undertaker. They're already using all of wwe's rejects as it is, and that is the only reason theyre are even getting remotely noticed. If they made a generic undertaker, it would hurt them even more. They already have a generic Kane(abyss). And 80 percent of their roster is former wwe guys who either can't take the pace of wwe anymore, or who got let go for repeatedly violating the wellness policy. Bottom line, they need to rethink their whole strategy and create their own stars. Lets face it, the only real star they have created on their own since their birth is A.J. Styles. Get with it TNA.

 

[Suneeboy]

Meh, it sounds like a good idea but it'll take years to have any legitimacy so why even bother. Undertaker's streak wasn't scripted when it started, but it ended up being that way. You're saying TNA has to telegraph a streak and hope that a person is around for at least a decade to give it any value. Not happening.

Let's be realistic here. There is only one Undertaker, and there is only one Streak. TNA even if they tried with everything they could muster up could never make another Undertaker or even someone to appear as dominant or even garner that type of respect. Hell, the WWE can't even make another Undertaker if they wanted to. TNA needs a superstar, but trying to make another "Undertaker" is just ******ed.

 

[Mr_billy]

First off, No. TNA needs to do nothing like that at the moment, it would be obvious. They would have to create their own guy if they do it, and would need an interesting new gimmick, or just be a beast. A guy with the original concept of Kozlov would work. TNA works better without crazy gimmicks. Plus all the smarks in the IWC would just start complaining.

 

[neildittmar]

What, in your mind, is The Undertaker best known for? I'll take an educated guess that your reply will be the Wrestlemania unbeaten streak.

The Wrestlemania unbeaten streak is almost a bi-product of who/what the Undertaker is. Namely, a monster (either as a heel or face) that can take unparalleled amounts of punishment and almost always come out on top. The Undertaker "sit up" elicited quite the response out of me when I was a teenager, watching his wars with Hogan, Yokozuna, and even negative star stinkers with Giant Gonzales. Though it's effect is diminished somewhat, it still essentially produces the same reaction out of me a decade plus later.

Which begs the question... who does TNA have that can achieve (and most importantly) maintain such a presence for so long? Sorry guys, but Samoa Joe ain't doing it for me. Kurt Angle is solid, but doesn't fit the character profile in my opinion. Taz would be a solid choice and had a very similar aura about him in the old ECW. Problem there of course is that his career as an in-ring competitor is essentially over. Foley can (or at least could) take massive amounts of punishment and keep coming back for more. The big detriment there is that most wrestling fans are familiar with his work already. They know that his most impressive outings often come when he is on the losing side of the equation.

In my opinion, TNA doesn't have anyone on the current roster who can fill those shoes, simply because no one has that same type of "historically brutal monster, nearly unbeatable" aura around him. There is a package to this type of performer... it's not just an unbeaten streak at a major PPV. It's a look, a personality, an embracement of that type of character. In other words, this type of athlete needs to look the part, perform the part, and do so to near perfection in order to make the audience consistently believe. Who does TNA have that can fit that mold?

 

[Stuntz]

Okay, before I read anymore post from this thread I must say, if it were to happen it would take a minimum of 10 years. Reason being Undertakers streak was not a big deal until he went 15-0. Now for any current TNA star to make an impact (no pun intended) like that would take a minimum of 10 years. For anyone to make a big deal about a PPV streak anything less would not be interesting to anyone. For example, when Edge challenged Taker at Wrestlemania a few years ago to defeat his streak, his reason was he was also undefeated at WM, 8-0. No one cared about his streak, as a matter of fact it was and still is a joke compared to Takers.

NUFF said.

 

[StopFantasyBooking]

TNA has one credible person they could use for this: Big Rob Terry. Think about it. He's great on the mic and amazing in the ring. He could start by turning on the tag champs and beating them mercilessly, claiming that not even the tag champs could take him on. Give him a new titantron with his name spelled out in concrete and shaking when it comes on.

 

[xcoN]

I've been a wrestling fan since I was like 6 and the undertaker has always been my favorite wrestler. Honestly I don't think TNA will ever or currently has a superstar who can even come close to matching the undertakers legacy. I don't even think the wwe and the fans back when undertaker debuted in 1990 thought he would become such a major character. He's fast, athletic, strong, has the ability to intimidate others, has the look to be a monster...plus he's neither a good guy or bad guy he's neutral. He doesn't wrestle as much anymore but when he does it's amazing. He has the best finishers IMO and has awesome signature moves. I agree with neildittmar, samoa joe doesn't have what it takes to be as big of a name as taker has. To me he was sorta like a fat edition of brock lesnar...and now shaemus is the wwes new brock lesnar. Kurt angle is a great wrestler but it's a bit too late to start a huge gimmick for him since he's been in wwe and now tna. And of course you have the undertakers wrestlemania 17-0 (soon to be 18-0) streak. No one will ever come close to it...and the one person who by numbers came close was edge and then lose to...the undertaker. Just in my opinion tna doesn't have anyone now who can be better and I doubt anytime soon they will find someone. Next to undertaker i'd say Shawn Michaels is another superstar who is a role model and someone who no one can follow up on.

 

[LegendKiller716]

TNA has one credible person they could use for this: Big Rob Terry. Think about it. He's great on the mic and amazing in the ring. He could start by turning on the tag champs and beating them mercilessly, claiming that not even the tag champs could take him on. Give him a new titantron with his name spelled out in concrete and shaking when it comes on.

Rob Terry is terrible in the ring, I've never herd him on the mic but he is not a good chioce.

Anyways, another undefeated streak in TNA could work, but it wont. Why you ask? TNA's booking sucks. After a 4-0 streak at a ppv TNA would mention the streak and then squash it instantly to bring up a new star.

Think of the king of the mountain match. No one has ever retained the championship in that match until they made metion of it on air, then boom Sama Joe retains that very year. TNA has the tools to be great, but every thing they do is planned badly and rushed, so this would be a good idea, but it think it would be done poorly.

 

[RockFan89]

First, I disagree that Undertaker's streak is the first thing people think about when they hear his name. Nobody ever mentions the streak outside of the few months before wrestlemania. When people generally think about 'taker, they think about his entrance and his aura in the ring. The fact that he could be so successful with a gimmick that when used by anyone else would be a laughingstock just amazes me.

Secondly, TNA should not have a streak at a single pay-per-view for a wrestler. That would be too much of a rip off of the WWE. If they want to start a streak, they should give a superstar a streak at all pay-per-views. That would distinguish it enough from the WWE while also obtaining the same hype without having to wait 20 years.

 

[xcoN]

I agree with that too...his entrance and theme is too good. Fits him perfectly and he knows exactly how to pull it off. If anyone else did try to do something like his entrance it would be horrible. Also I just think tna ripped off of wwe and ufc too much. Shape of the ring...ppv names...it's not good to me. If tna does try to compete like majorly with wwe I think it will have the same outcome as wcw and ecw.

 

[Tenta]

What, in your mind, is The Undertaker best known for? I'll take an educated guess that your reply will be the Wrestlemania unbeaten streak.

Actually Becca, that's not the case at all. What I'm going to remember The Undertaker for is the same reason he was groomed in the first place... I'm going to remember him as the Second Coming of Andre The Giant. Now, Mean Mark didn't have as much to do with the mainstream as Andre did, and he wasn't as well known. But in a weird, funny little way, we agree, Becca:

1. The Undertaker, like Andre, was the compass on how backstage was going.

And in that same matter, TNA needs someone who isn't afraid of anyone, and has no reason to be. No one would have ever done something Andre didn't agree to in the WWE. Same can be said with The Undertaker. They were, more or less, the guys to keep morale up in the locker room, and the leaders to which anyone could turn to. If people ever had a question, who did they turn to? That's right, Andre. And when Andre was gone, who did they look to next? Absolutely correct, The Undertaker. TNA needs someone that can capture of the acceptance of everyone in the locker room, and the respected man who no one will ever cross, under fear of what would happen to them. Example: Once upon a time, Bam Bam Bigelow seeked to stir up some trouble in his debut to the WWE. Andre took one look at this, and decided he didn't like Bam Bam. Bigelow left shortly thereafter, and it's widely accepted he was run off by Andre's distaste for his attitude. I'm not sure of specific examples with Taker, but TNA needs someone where the buck stops at. Kurt Angle seems to be taking over things, and by the looks of it, he tends to cause a ruckus backstage. Otherwise, TNA needs a personality in the locker room that defines what can and can't be done.

2. A Larger Than Life Feel

TNA needs a guy who's persona overshadows everything, and immediately demands respect. Again, akin to an Andre or an Undertaker. They need that feeling for all of their shows, that something meaningful has happened. People still go the see The Undertaker wrestler, just for that feeling. People flocked to it when Andre wrestled Hulk, mainly to see Andre. TNA needs that force that makes every match he wrestles count, and makes it a special event.

That, Becca, is truly what TNA needs. A streak? Sure, that's great, but it's a short term fix. What I'm asking for? It could cure many of TNA's problems

 

[Super Crazy]

I have to say I agree with Tenta. TNA needs a man who does not have an undefeated streak, but someone who has garnered so much respect backstage that they are worthy of such a push. Right now, TNA doesn't need someone to be pushed to the moon, they need a locker room leader, someone to rally the troops. I don't mean having meetings like Dixie did that aired on television, but someone that everyone backstage respects.

Also as Tenta said, they need someone to step up and become important, that even when he is nearing the end of his career, people will still flock to see to him. If TNA could get a guy like this. then it could really help TNA.

However, if they were to push someone like this, I would go with Samoa Joe. To have people forget about his past, or to mainly remember his undefeated streak when he first came to TNA, just have him totally dominant everyone, and win all of his matches again. Sure everyone could say it's rehashing an old storyline, but Joe's character is the only one in TNA that I see suitable for such a role.

 

[G3]

Bad idea for anyone really. I mean besides Undertaker. Although Undertaker is only at Wrestlemania which is a plus. If a wrestler goes undefeated, and then is defeated its over and now where do they go? It would be a better idea to have a wrestler say they've never lost a match to so and so. That is more believable (at least to me). If I were TNA, I'd get Matt Morgan to take some speech classes to get Matt Morgan to become excellent on the microphone, like Triple H.

 

[gd]

TNA has one credible person they could use for this: Big Rob Terry. Think about it. He's great on the mic and amazing in the ring. He could start by turning on the tag champs and beating them mercilessly, claiming that not even the tag champs could take him on. Give him a new titantron with his name spelled out in concrete and shaking when it comes on.

Rob Terry FTW! w00t! Sadly though, I don't think TNA is too high on Big Rob at he moment, so an undefeated streak is out of the question.

I do think that giving someone an Undertaker-like streak would be a great idea though. Undefeated streaks are a great way to get someone over and make the fans care. Whether it be overall or at a specific show, they get the job done. Every match feels like a big one each and every time, and the person who ultimately ends the streak gets over as well.

Not sure who that person would be on the TNA roster. Most guys have already lost once at BFG, so they're out. I think I'd go with Desmond Wolfe actually. Sure, he may not be like the Undertaker at all, but that doesn't matter. He can play up the fact that he's the best wrestler in the world and is the next Kurt Angle, or something like that. It isn't really about making someone who is similar to Taker, it's just about the streak.

 

[Dagger Dias]

So, do you think TNA should take note of this and begin grooming someone to be their Undertaker? If so, who should that person be?

I think this is a good idea, but I don't know if anyone on the TNA roster would be believable enough to go undefeated at Bound For Glory for the next 10+ years. People would realize that they are trying to copy the Undertaker's streak. Sting was undefeated there for 3 years and AJ Styles ended that streak this year. If I had to pick somebody then perhaps Desmond Wolfe, but no one knows if he or anyone else will still be there in 10 years, which is at least how long it would take before this undefeated streak would be taken even a fraction as seriously as Taker's.

I do agree that it's a great idea because it would get the wrestler himself way over and it would cause more attention for the TNA product.... but I just don't see anybody on the roster right now as being believable enough in a role where they are undefeated at Bound For Glory the way Undertaker is at Wrestlemania. Maybe they will can somebody who can fit in that spot though.

 

[TheSean360]

This sounds like a great idea someone on there flagship ppv has a undefeated streak and then they can have a Mr.money in the bank match and even better have 3 heavyweight titles defended the same night would'nt that be awsome. In case you peeps havent notice I was being sarcastic. Let TNA be different thats what they need to do.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I guess Morgan fits the bill as being the big man who could have a streak and be seen as sort of a "Phenom". As far as leadership goes, Angle is definitely the man for that. If AJ Styles was Mr. PPV aka Shawn Michaels, then Angle would be The Phenom of TNA based on his experience and work ethic.

He hasn't been in TNA long enough, but I think he has been long enough to be a leader. I would say Sting is TNA's version of The Undertaker, which might be true since he has a limited schedule like The Undertaker. For his age, Sting always goes out and has an awesome match against anyone. Until he retires, Sting is probably the best example of a leader and Phenom in TNA. Even though his steak was broken, which streaks were made to be broken anyways.

 

[Tenta]

He hasn't been in TNA long enough, but I think he has been long enough to be a leader. I would say Sting is TNA's version of The Undertaker...

On this note, I may possibly agree with you. But much of my opinion on the matter depends on if Sting actually does return to TNA. He hasn't been seen on television since BFG. If he comes back, everyone in the locker room will indeed respect Sting, that much I would agree about. But his aura has lost some of it's luster. He's no longer that phenom character he was in 1997. Too many evolutions, and too many changes have occurred to make me believe Sting carries the same aura as The Undertaker. Taker had his stint as The American Badass, but that was a good four years out of a nineteen year span. Sting has played far too many characters in the same span of time The Undertaker has to allow his character to be larger than life. People recognize that Sting is merely mortal; people seem to forget about the Undertaker, because his character is so much larger than life, and we've been so used to it for so long. When Sting left, TNA's business actually somewhat picked up, and that matches actually seemed to get better in the main event scene. When The Undertaker does in fact leave, I doubt we'll be able to say the same.