Undertaker; Why has he hardly ever been heel?

[michael.foulds]

The Undertaker, (if I remember correctly) has only ever been heel 3 times in the WWE, which were:
His debut for a year
The Ministry of Darkness (also about a year)
"Big Evil" (only about 6 months)

The character could have easily been heel a lot more than he was face. At the start of the attitude era he was the biggest heel WRESTLER (Vince was obviously biggest heel) since he ran the Ministry etc.

People say it's because people rather cheer the Undertaker than boo him. But that's just in recent years, why not be a heel in his early years when he didn't have the reputation he does now?

Your thoughts?

 

[Mustang Sally]

I agree. In normal life, we never cheer the concept of death, yet we've been doing it for years in WWE. I think turning Undertaker would instantly make him into the biggest heel in the company and would stimulate interest in his character that's been missing for a long time.

As it is, he's too predictable; he's been doing the same routine since the '90s. Until the Kane program, we knew the guy was never going to lose cleanly......and would never lose at Wrestlemania, even if he was 93 years old and had to be wheeled to the ring.

As a bad guy, they could build a program (with Cena?) that would culminate in his finally losing at the biggest PPV they ever staged.

Then, Mark Calloway could retire and star in a re-make of "Death Takes a Holiday."

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

You know people look at a lot of guys in the industry and say better heel, you'd get it with ric flair, and you get it now with guys like orton and john morrison. Very rarely do you hear people say he was a better face. But rest assured it is sometimes the case. Hulk Hogan was so good as the face of the 80s because he could read a crowd and as a heel in the NWO, he was good but because he could no longer get the reaction of the crowd from playin to them because he was heel so it was more the fact that he was at the centre of the biggest heel stable since the four horsemen that were immensely powerful that gave him his heat.

To bring up another random example, and your going to but it's true. 1-2-3 kid, sean waltman, never really over but over enough for people to back him and see him as a future player. He has now a unique bismirchment/honour in the process known as x-pac heat. He was one notable guy to recieve this and what it means is he was booed not because he was heel but because people genuinely didn't like the guy. And why.....because he wasn't as good a heel as a face, he had the babyface looks and athletic skill that could make him and underdog type figure and he was being used as an enforcer for a powerful group of bad guys. He came across as the stupid mafia guy in films who always gets killed first because they don't really know what they're doing.

Undertaker is this too. You can see similarities between the face turn of the undertaker in '92 with the orton's face turn this year, just as the feud between orton and legacy could have turned either side, so too could the jake roberts and undertaker angle. What happened is history and what it means is that people already had a reservation that ie viper orton was more of a face or that undertaker was a more of a face. You can view these guys as morbid superheroes, likeable in a different way. They fight for good whilst suffering their own fissures in character, and that's puts them over, the sense of moral justice, they are like cartoon good guys but darker like watchmen.

While randy orton was a snake, you always got the sense he could if he had to take care of things on his own, but he was just clever and got help, while legacy were parasites living off the turbulence of orton. In truth it is a tribute to characters with attitude, the reason orton was the one that got over was becuase he was one bad dude who didn't take crap from anyone, not even his boss and people ended up seeing that through his heel persona and liking him for it. It is just the same with taker, he wasn't a mortal guy, he didn't ever lay down for the opposition, he always got up, and people see that and admire it.

To answer your question, taker is just quite simply a better face, or rather his character is a better face and it is difficult to turn him into a bad guy unless you start having him cheat to win and doing other heel attributable acts. During the ministry, undertaker was never really top heel, not really. He was always just behind HHH, or austin or the rock or any of the top dogs, which is whe he returned he became instantly face again, its his character it is just face, he can just do face more easily. His biker heel turn was similar, he was on the bad side but you didn't get the feeling he was a low-down type of guy, just someone fighting for his own agenda, undertaker always had trouble being really over heel because his charactr and his ability wouldn't really allow it.

Some people face are good to watch, they make you mark out or come back to see the good/evil struggle and that is undertaker's place in WWE history, we shouldn't want it any other way, he's played his parts perfectly.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

The Undertaker has always been the most morally ambiguous character in the history of the WWE. His is a very complex and convoluted personality and is very difficult to get a grasp on at any point. He follows his own rules and his own agenda, and whether he is a heel or not largely depends on who he happens to be feuding with at the time. I don't know if it's accurate to call 'Taker a true face at any time in his career. The only time he was a complete and total and undeniable heel was for that six month period as "Big Evil", at least in my opinion.

In my view, the Undertaker has, throughout his career, been on basically one moral ground: his own. The Undertaker follows the moral tenets of The Undertaker, and that's one book of rules that only he knows. It's one of the things that adds to his air of mystery and unpredictability.

But I will agree that it is odd that he finds himself at odds with heels far more than with faces when his personality seems more prone to being at odds with faces than heels. Maybe it's just because, more often, heels have championships and those are the sort of things he's after. Just a thought.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

See modern day Deadman could be compared to a character like DC's Spectre.

The Spectre is a ghost that acts as the Hand of Vengeance for God. Rather than allow certain sinners to die naturally or wait for them to be killed by something else, The Spectre chooses who to judge and punishes their souls in the most horrible and ironic way imaginable i.e. turning an arsonist into a candle and melting them away.

Taker's face persona is very much like that, in the sense that he turns up and beats up (judges the souls) the heels (sinners).

He's akin to WWE's version of an 'Angle of Retribution', most of the time, getting his own retribution, but soemtimes standing up for the little guy.

But how do you use this guy in a heel manner in this day and age? What did Taker actually do as a heel back in the day?

In his debut he simply took loads of physical abuse and then kicked ass anyway.
In the Ministry angle, he brain washed several superstars, blackmailed the owner of the company, crucified several people, kidnapped the bosses daughter, and hung the Bossman. Now THAT's a heel!
And in his 'Big Evil' persona he beat up who he wanted, when he wanted, where he wanted.

Now they aren't going to allow crucifixions, hangings and kidnapping in modern day WWE. Maybe driving off with the GM in the back of a limo, but not kidnapping a 24 year old woman.

They're also not going to have him come out and break commentators arms, throw people through car roofs, turn up at training schools and beat up his enemies son, or imply that the audiences are into insest (these are all examples of heel tactics Taker used in his Big Evil days).

So if big bad Taker's going to get cheered whether he's beating up faces or heels, and he's not allowed to do all the heinous stuff he used to do when they did make him heel in a PG WWE, what's the point in doing it?

 

[Undertaker the 5th]

Because he doesn't need to. He already served his time as a heel and I don't think a lot of people would boo him if WWE decided to turn him heel again. I think that fact that he gets injured a lot and makes so many badass comebacks doesn't allow him to turn heel. People instantly cheer for him whenever he comes back. He could have done it earlier in his career, but I guess the way things were going on in the wrestling environment around him things didn't call for it.

 

[Tommy Rage]

For the last few years he has been one of those guys who is very difficult to turn due to the legendary status he has achieved and the respect he has earned from the fans. It makes sense to keep him as a face because he would get huge respect pops wherever he went, whether he was a face or a heel. As said he is morally ambiguous, but to me there has always been something incredibly likeable about the Undertaker. He is a guy I enjoy getting behind and cheering more than I enjoy booing him.

That said, I thought his Big Evil heel run in 2002 was great and it's a really underrated portion of his career, albeit a fairly short one. I think he had that whole "big bully heel" gimmick down and really made me want to see someone kick his ass and put him in his place. That's how you know a heel is doing their job. The fact that he preached respect yet never showed any to his opponents, even the great Ric Flair, used to rile me up big time.

 

[The Ace of Knaves]

Well, even if WWE wants to turn him heel I don't think it's gonna work. I mean, in the last 10 years the only thing that got him booed for 5 seconds when he was paying respect at RAW before getting cheered again was retiring Shawn Michaels.

At Wrestlemania X-7, he faced Triple H but he got the bigger cheer.
At Wrestlemania X-8, he faced Ric Flair but he got the bigger cheer despite being the heel.
At Wrestlemania 21, he faced Randy Orton but he got the bigger cheer.
At No Way Out 2006, he faced Kurt Angle but he got the bigger cheer.
At Wrestlemania 23, he faced Batista but he got the bigger cheer.
At Wrestlemania 24, he faced Edge but he got the bigger cheer.

The only one who would rival the cheer for him was Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XXV & XXVI. That pretty much sets the line of the support for him from the crowd.

 

[Dagger Dias]

He wasn't a heel because of the reaction he has gotten from fans. People liked the Ministry, it was cool. He was a heel at the time, but if people like a heel too much he eventually must go tweener or face. That's why he turned face the first time during his initial run even though he debuted as a heel. There's no way he could get a heel reaction today. A New Ministry stable would get cheered even if they were mega heels. He could hit a puppy with his finisher in an attempt to get heel heat.... He would STILL get cheered. He could turn heel onscreen for a feud with a top face and the fans would turn on the face to cheer for Taker. He has hardly ever been heel due to the fact that people like him so much. It's not a problem at all, and WWE uses this to their advantage by having the more popular characters like Taker go over more often.

 

[TheGamea]

I think Taker is a case of a heel gone wrong but with the right results, taker has ALWAY been a heel, yeah maybe he doesnt go after the crowd but he as alway been in a position that you really wernt supposed to like him HOWEVER he's great in the ring and his match are classic so the WWE flocked to him.

I bet i you would have asked vince what taker was at the time of his inception he would say heel

 

[PsychoBlack]

The reason that Undertaker has rarely been heel is simple. It's hard to boo the guy. He goes out every night in his 6'10 300 pound frame and gives everything that he has and then some. No one had ever seen a big man in the business that could move the way that Taker could or had the insane gimmick that he has.There was Hogan and Andre before him and while they certainly had the aura that he has they could not move like him. There have been many after him and in the 20 years that he has been wrestling the only one that could come close was Brock Lesnar and he didn't last long enough to have the sort of impact that Taker does.

Not just the greatest big man ever Taker may be the greatest wrestler ever. Not many people have given us as many memorable moments as he has. Very few people can draw the crowd that he does and no one can say the perform better on a large stage than him. Taker has spent most of his time as a face not because that was where Vince wanted him but because the fans can't boo him.

 

[Trivia247]

I remember watching the Survivor series back in 1990...and I saw Undertaker come out that first time, I didn't hear no Boo you heard GASP... WTH is that guy? The Undertaker in that match was the preview of what was to come, and what the WWF/E had to step up to work work. The Undertaker as a heel intially wasn't something of a Mastermind Heel. Undertaker's first fued with Hogan, he was more or less a Physical henchman of Ric Flair who had more of a Mic work feud with Hogan than a physical one. This Heel Henchman role was again reprised when he worked with Jake Roberts from Ultimate warrior to the start of the Savage, Roberts feud. The face turn moment when he prevented Roberts from Whacking Elizabeth with a chair was ambigious at best. It did show that the Undertaker "Character" Had a sense of Justice. After Jake Roberts at Wrestlemania.. the Undertaker face turn seem based on whatever wrestler Harvery Whippleman just throws at Undertaker between 92-93.

The Undertaker made a better face during a time where the gothic culture in the schools were starting to rise. Undertaker represented that Inevitable Justice and Judgment, you could knock him down, beat him down, Stuff him in a Coffin and sooner or later He comes back and settles. Reference being the Yokozuna feud where Undertaker returned and stuffed Yokozuna, (With the aid of Chuck Norris standing guard)

I am torn between the Ministry of Darkness or his Big Evil phase as the best Heel Runs. I think like others that the Ministry of Darkness was kinda cool and despite feuding with Austin and occassionally Kane, he and those he converted into his Ministry went after the McMahons which was a bigger Heel group... It was kinda a shame that they merged the Corporate Ministry and it fell apart.

His Big Evil Heel turn I think was more personal, because it started out with the Undertaker admitting that he kissed McMahon's ass for 11 years and he turned due to sensitive to Respect, which became a hallmark of his Heel Turn. As a Heel though in this turn you saw the Undertaker undergo a number of sides to him. When the Undertaker took on RVD and won the Hardcore title, you saw a more Brutish Bully Undertaker who just came out and squashed anything in his path, from Tazz to his program with Tommy Dreamer, too his Assault on Maven at the Royal Rumble, after Maven eliminated him. Then he became far more ruthless, instigating a conflict with Ric Flair going so far as to Obiliterate David Flair in the process. You also saw him as a far more clever too, making the run in during the HHH vs Hogan match, and making sure Hogan won because he had Hogan's number if ever they fought together. You saw that the Undertaker was calculating.

The Heel turn ends pretty much the way it started with Respect being the reason. Undertaker's feud with the Hardys that culminated in the ladder match. After which came Brock lesnar and that pretty much ended the Heel turn completely.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

The crowd simply wont allow it. It isnt for lack of effort, he has changed orientation as much as anyone, and yet, the crowd cheers him eventually, always. No matter what he does, it cant be done. Wether that makes him too beloved or just shitty at being a heel is up to the observer to decide for themselves.

 

[StraightEdge for Life]

Undertaker could turn heel, but at this point he is loved by basically everyone. So really, he could end destroying face stars like Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, and John Cena and still get some of the biggest pops.

 

[Tna-WWE]

I think that Undertaker's character is less of a heel due to the fact of the popularity. Most of the early years he was not quite popular as he is right now,mainly because most people enjoy his undefeated record on Wrestlemania. Probably if he did not have the record he would be a heel but depends also if they see him more like a fan favorite rather than a heel for example John Cena. He was considered Heel when he started now its being more than five years since he change,due to his popularity

 

[MMSoldier]

He was a heel so few times because he looks better as a face. He has better storylines (with exception to the ministry)when he's face than heel.

 

[Twisted]

I look at the Untaker as the lone cowboy that rides into town and takes out the badguys, and anyone who confronts him. He in my mind plays neither heel nor face but the blured line between the two. This is kinda what Orton is doing now and Austin did at times. They really can't turn him heel now because his following is so big and he is the last of what made WWE rise in ratings. He to me is the guy that you always thought was cool when you were growing up. He in a way is kind of a standard for up and coming wrestlers on what needs to be done to become an actual "Legend."

 

[ABMorales787]

He's not a heel, because that would just make him bland. Yup. Come on. What kind of attraction would there be to see the "angel of death" come down and just do him job casually on a babface? Is there any attraction to that? His character wouldn't change, only his target will. His scare tactics, no-selling and evil-oriented persona are classic heel characteristics, but are used as if he were a face. Because that's the attraction. Death is here to do the right thing. The reasons he worked as a heel were pretty simple:

Debut heel run: Nobody knew him. So if he came in and attacked faces, no-sell their comebacks and leave them broken heaps, the crowd would boo the unknown jerk-as.

Ministry leader: The attitude era allowed stories to go extremely edgy. So that allowed The Undertaker to go from messenger of death, to satanic cult leader no problem. Which simplified his turn.

Big Evil: At first it worked, because he was attacking big name faces. But the reason a heel turn wouldn't work today shows here. He got over very, very quickly. The crowd stopped caring about his opponent and instead sided with him.

It can't be helped. The Undertaker is the most respected figure in pro wrestling. no matter what he does, he will be respected for it. Face or heel.