Undertaker worth during brand wars

[poppycock]

If WCW had resigned Mark before or during the Monday Night Wars as The Undertaker or signed him and repackaged him as something similar do you think the outcome would have been the same or different to how it panned out in the end?

Do you think losing The Undertaker to WCW would have been the final nail in the WWE coffin or would they have still came out on top with Austin, Rock, Mankind, Triple H etc..

Maybe WCW would have totaly ruined the gimmick and had angles like The Undertaker Vs Robocop?

This question is neither here nor there on any level other than a bit of fun but if the gimmick was used well in WCW what role would you see them to have given The Undertaker? A storyline or two with sting is unquestionable I guess.

The Undertaker as a member of NWO?

What was the value of having The Undertaker on your side during the wars in your opinion?

 

[Synner]

Well considering The Undertaker gimmick is a product of Vince I don't think we would have seen Mark as UT if he had resigned before jumping ship to WWE. However if Mark had gone to WWE and then decided to jump ship back to WCW with the gimmick that might have been a different story.

If WWE did lose UT they would have struggled but I don't think it would have been the final nail. The only way WCW could have killed WWE is if Rock and Austin never joined the company.

If WCW did have The Undertaker gimmick it probably wouldn't be as big as it is today. They probably wouldn't have marketed him correctly and it would have got lost in the fold.

As for UT becoming a member of the nWo. I would never want to see it and it wouldn't work with the whole UT gimmick. The Ministry storyline only worked because UT was already largely over and Vince wanted to take advantage of the success of the gimmick and also the gothic / extreme culture.

The value of having UT was rather huge but unfortunately was not a major game changer. Yes it would have changed the way things are done now and UT wouldn't have the legacy he does now but if WCW had him then Vince would look at him as just another WCW guy.

 

[Azane]

the Undertaker being the American Badass would of fit REALLY well with Hogan and the nWo back then, I know that he became the deadman after WCW was crumbled, but the American Badass is the only time we've seen Undertaker playing a much different character than the usual, and it's the only evidence that he can Draw outside being a cult leading Lord of Darkness. Assuming that WCW would of given Taker a biker style gimmick, I mean his look and size fit the bill. When I was an ignorant little kid that had never watched wrestling, I knew 2 names from wrestling, Hulk Hogan and Undertaker. WCW had let pretty much every attitude star through their company, but I think the things that hurt WCW are similar to the plights of TNA today. The booking of huge names is failing, So adding another for sure legend to WCW's roster doesn't change the Miss Bagwell on a Pole match.

 

[mayankeagle]

Undertaker had a HUGE contribution during the Monday Night Wars and the Attitude era although many don't realize it. Everybody keeps talking about Austin and Rock but they don't realize that without the Undertaker, those two wouldn't have become who they were.

Remember Undertaker's contribution to Hell in a Cell, remember Kane (another important member of the Attitude era who existed only due to Undertaker), remember Undertaker throwing Mankind from the top of the cell to the mat below, remember the Inferno wars in which Undertaker flew over the top rope while it was engulfed in flames.

Taker was at the center of the story between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels as well, since he carried the title from Wrestlemania 13 to Summerslam '97, where he lost to Bret Hart after Michaels accidentally hit him with a chair. That led to the first Hell in a cell with Michaels that had Kane's debut, following which Michaels went on to win the title after the Montreal Screwjob. If you see these stories, Taker always had a major part to play. More than that, he also had a major part to play backstage because there were a lot of issues in the company that year with the Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels feud, the screwjob, the presence of Mike Tyson - a lot of headaches were being caused for the locker room and Taker led & mentored them very well backstage.

After the departure of Bret Hart to WCW and Shawn Michaels due to injury, Taker carried Austin to a great feud and several good matches like 1998 Summerslam, 1st blood match, etc. During that time, it was known that Taker was anybody's toughest competition in the ring, since he was a big guy who could also wrestle and was agile, moreover he also carried the best gimmick and had the greatest presence in the ring (one of the reasons for creating Kane, to give Taker somewhat "equal" competition). Only after crossing over Taker did Austin become the star that he was because Taker was always the measuring stick or the bench-mark or the last hurdle. Taker turning heel and creating the ministry/ further feuding with Austin helped cement Austin's place at the top of the company.

IMO, Taker was vital to the company during the brand wars and the Attitude era - losing him would have been a big risk. Don't look at things from only a face-value perspective (Austin/ Rock being the faces and main guys). A lot of other things wouldn't have existed and the faces themselves wouldn't have been that successful if they didn't have Taker out there.

 

[fb481777]

I like this post...Personally, I would venture to say that if the UT had not come into the WWE, I do not think that the UT would have been as big. I'm not saying UT would have *Not* been big, I'm just saying I do Not believe that UT would have been *As* big.

WWE (Through Jesus' favor and grace) had UT marketed and built Quite well if I might say so. I mean, the whole gimmick was just a genius. Has there ever really been any other wrestler that carried one gimmick for so long? Even if UT switched temporarily, UT is still back in tack and rolling strong.

I would imagine that the send-off for UT is going to be quite large - back to topic...UT was at the right place in my opinion and UT being at WCW, etc. other than WWE might not have had such a strong or long-lasting effect in my opinion.

Wrestling placements are a lot like music contracts (Record Labels) - A GOOD PORTION IS ABOUT HOW YOU ARE MARKETED!

God Bless - Jesus loves ya'll

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Undertaker was a vital player in the Monday Night Wars. While never being as big as Austin and The Rock, Taker was involved in some of that era's most violent and memorable matches (including the first ever HIAC vs HBK and the famous HIAC against Mankind), he formed one of the most famous stables of the 90s in The Ministry of Darkness and then joined forces with the evil owner of the company in the Corporate Ministry. He had the legendary feud with his "brother" Kane and was always there or thereabouts in the main event, eventually morphing into the "American Bad Ass" and helping to defeat WCW in the Invasion angle.

If he had gone to WCW with that gimmick, they would have ruined him. Bischoff's boys had no idea of how to write wrestling angles. Even their most successful angles in the nWo and the Sting transformation into the Crow gimmick were ruined at the end through nonsensical booking, and Undertaker would probably have ended up involved in some cheesy supernatural storylines that would make you cringe. Yes, I know he had those in the WWE too, but during the Attitude Era they were satanic and alot more realistic. In WCW he would have been completely wasted, and ended up jobbing to Hogan and Nash repeatedly.

I do not think the gimmick would have been anywhere near as successful in WCW as it was in WWE. They would not know how to deal with Taker. He has always been very athletic for a big man, much more so than guys like Sid or Nash, who would not want to job to him once they became the big stars in WCW, Hogan too. Undertaker would never have been allowed the same status in WCW, and I bet he is glad he remained loyal to McMahon and therefore remained at main event level for 20+ years

 

[poppycock]

I never put down my opinion but I have to agree with the replies so far. I feel The Undertaker character would have been wasted in WCW. When I said resigned I ment around 1995 so he would have been established as the character (for those who thought I mean resigned before he was a household name as 'taker). I also assume he would have been involved in cheesy supernatural matches/storylines (cheesier than anything in WWE). Things like The Undertaker Vs Freddie Krueger etc...

As a result of my above opinion I feel the effect would be more that the WWE would be hurt by not having The Undertaker around rather than WCW gaining a huge superstar.. as far as on screen worth goes but what about backstage? What impact do you think Mark would have had in the WCW locker room? He just seems to ooze respect and authority as a human being and I have seen in interviews that hed had already dealt with the likes of Nash and Hall backstage (keeping them in line). Could this have been a huge aspect in the Monday Night Wars? Or do you feel his respect came as a direct result of his characters success? In other words even as Mark backstage in WCW he would have no impact/value on egos, wayward stars.

I also think the biker Undertaker would have fitted in with the NWO perfectly although I never liked that character anywhere near as much as The deadman/Phenom/Satanic one which happens to be my favourite superstar of all time. Even though at the time Undertaker had not done the biker thing yet I do get the feeling it is an extended version of Mark himself so it would be out of the question to suggest that it would of came about by suggestion either from Mark or sombody else at the time of The Monday Night Wars.