What if there was no Undertaker?

[HillBillyJim]

At the 1990 Survivor Series, a mysterious man dressed in black debuted as the final member of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Team. his name? the Undertaker. One year later, the Streak began, when 'Taker defeated Jimmy Snuka at WM 7. In his career, undertaker has been a demon, a badass, and a phenom.

BUT WAIT

what if this never happened? what if he stayed as the Punisher Mark Calloway? would WWE be the same today? would it even exist? would it have won the Monday night wars?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It's the gimmick that made Mark Calloway the star that he is. Without it he would've been just another big man. And there plenty of them around at the time.

The Undertaker's effect on WWE is debatable. I'm sure some geek will come along and say how he's some kinda of ratings superdraw, but I'd be inclined to say right now that he's not. The Streak is a draw now, but I don't think Undertaker has been a massive draw throughout his career. He was certainly only a very small factor in WWE winning the Monady Night Wars.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

It's the gimmick that made Mark Calloway the star that he is. Without it he would've been just another big man. And there plenty of them around at the time.

The Undertaker's effect on WWE is debatable. I'm sure some geek will come along and say how he's some kinda of ratings superdraw, but I'd be inclined to say right now that he's not. The Streak is a draw now, but I don't think Undertaker has been a massive draw throughout his career. He was certainly only a very small factor in WWE winning the Monady Night Wars.

I think, and I maybe alone here, Undertaker was a catalyst and what his gimmick really did was showcase a change in the mentality of the crowd.

If you watch when he won the title from Hogan in 91, most of that crowd cheered. And mind you he was a heel. Taker rightly says in his documentary "This Is My Yard", how the crowd was done liking the 'goody-two shoes' and wanted something different. It really says something of the psyche of the wrestling populous if you cheer a guy that looks like a Zombie and parades as a force of the dead.


There were two times in his career when Taker was a marquee:


His early years 90-93- Basically because people were so fascinated by this undead gimmick. His whole persona was just well done. Paul Bearer, the urn, his attire, his rolling of the eyes, everything just fit. And that early 90s crowd ate it up.


His return to the Deadman gimmick in 2004: I recall logging onto prowrestling.net and reading spoilers of the SD right after Mania XX when he tombstoned Heyman (the then GM of SD). There was a small tid-bit there that said "Undertaker come out in his full PPV intro"; Undertaker, had become a circus act. Forget his matches, the bell tolling, his entrance, the whole "mind games" schtick, his signature moveset all become this travelling caravan. He had some very good matches from 2006 to 2009 to boot and just added to his drawing as we had some fascinating matchups with up and comers.

 

[Magic Mark]

Well, if taker didn't keep his gimmick, we can only wonder what would happen to Kane. His whole character around the time he debuted was that he was Undertaker's long lost brother. So this leads us to two scenarios around Kane had Taker not of used his gimmick...

A) He would of either kept his Issac Yankem character or just simply be an "Original" big-man.

B) He would of debuted as the Big Red Machine, Kane. However, The Undertaker wouldn't be involved with him.

Maybe if WWF creative gave Calloway a Diesel/Kevin Nash like character, THEN he would of been a little bit of the same push wise.

I don't know, really. Trying to imagine WWF without The Undertaker is like trying to imagine The Attitude Era without The Rock.

 

[Redemption-2012]

"Would it even exist" what the hell? the WWE/F always had more than enough big names to survive. The Undertaker is a huge part of the company and always will be however, lets not get carried away here, Stone Cold and The Rock were the two guys who carried us through the Attitude Era. Hulk Hogan was the man who made wrestling mainstream, The Undertaker is obviously a big name but the WWE would not have died had they not had The Undertaker. If they had never had The Undertaker, it would not have not effected them because it just would have never existed. What doesn't exist has no meaning.

 

[Nelson Slamdela]

If there was no Undertaker Mark Calloway could have ended as The Berzerker. JJ Dillon said in a interview that The Undertaker was first in mind for The Berzerker gimmick. I think the real title of this thread should be.................

What if The Undertaker was The Berzerker and The Berzerker was The Undertaker?

 

[Dagron]

Am I the only one who isn't enamored with Taker? His contributions can't be questioned, but let's be real; he was grossly overshadowed by numerous competitors during the Monday night wars and even in to the ruthless aggression era. Only in recent years has he been a main draw at WM. He also completely buried DDP (and I don't use that term lightly), which pretty ruined whatever chance WWE had of really taking the invasion angle to the level everyone was hoping for.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

He also completely buried DDP (and I don't use that term lightly), which pretty ruined whatever chance WWE had of really taking the invasion angle to the level everyone was hoping for.

In fairness to the Undertaker... DDP WAS stalking his wife at the time.

To answer the OP's question though? The WWE would obviously not exist without the Undertaker. The world as we know it wouldn't be the same. We'd be living in a hellish, post apocolyptic nightmare right now. Water would have been worth more than gold, and people everywhere would have thought that Savio Vega matches were the highest form of entertainment. The effect that the Undertaker has had on modern society is immense. He has been the unifying force that the world so desperately needed. Without him, we would have been lost.

Or whatever.

 

[Miko]

Am I the only one who isn't enamored with Taker? His contributions can't be questioned, but let's be real; he was grossly overshadowed by numerous competitors during the Monday night wars and even in to the ruthless aggression era. Only in recent years has he been a main draw at WM. He also completely buried DDP (and I don't use that term lightly), which pretty ruined whatever chance WWE had of really taking the invasion angle to the level everyone was hoping for.

Nah your the same as me, Undertakers got a cool aura about him now but he's never been as important as his peers, although usually a good foil. He had shite matches all through wrestlings most popular era, in short, without Undertaker WWE would be WWE without the Undertaker, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

what if this never happened? what if he stayed as the Punisher Mark Calloway? would WWE be the same today? would it even exist? would it have won the Monday night wars?

Rock, Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, Triple-H all were a bigger part of WWE's success in the Attitude Era than Undertaker. His "streak" also wasn't that big of a deal till 2008. It became somewhat important after WWE started overhyping it as its the greatest thing ever in wrestling.

 

[willross]

It is very simple. EVerything we love about WWE today and look back as something we enjoyed would not exist.

We would be guaranteed to not have 3 Hall of Famers in Kane, Paul Bearer, and Mick Foley(he would have never made it in WWE without Undertaker putting him on the map). I can even make a case for Randy Orton, as that was the perfect long term feud he needed to remain an image of stardom, as he seemingly cooled off following his losses to Triple H in late 04 and early 05.

Stone Cold Steve Austin would of lacked his first 10 PPV opponents as WWF Champion in 1998 (the most important year in the Monday Night Wars).

Wrestlemania (post WCW) would have lacked several great moments and would have in turn lacked the buzz it gets every year.

Superstars such as The Big Show would have never matured or truly learned how to work as a big man wrestler in this business and like him or not Big Show is a huge star in the business and its history and much of it came from his work from 1999 - present day.

I will argue that Triple H and Shawn Michaels were NOT bigger stars in the Attitude Era. Undertaker was the glue that held them together during the most crucial years, while Shawn Michaels was barely active and Triple H was still trying to find himself during the eras first half.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

If there was no Undertaker Mark Calloway could have ended as The Berzerker. JJ Dillon said in a interview that The Undertaker was first in mind for The Berzerker gimmick. I think the real title of this thread should be.................

What if The Undertaker was The Berzerker and The Berzerker was The Undertaker?

No... Taker's fate was originally far worse, he was gonna be "The Egg Man" yep, before Chavo Sr. besmirched the family name by "Gobbldygooking" the plan was for "Mean Mark" to be the guy to come out of that egg.... legend/stroy probably half truth was that they talked to Percy Pringle "Paui Bearer" the same day and worked out the idea, although Bearer was the one with the contract to run down....

Hogan goes off to do Suburban Commando and doesn't bring Taker back with him... WWE is looking ofr a heel who can carry their product for at least a summer.... Rick Rude gets the job although Vader gets a serious look... so Wrestlemania 7 ends up far different with Rick Rude being the first heel to win or retain the WWE title at Mania...

His first feud is Jake Roberts, another "under used guy" but Vince is intent on showing the unholy trinity of Hogan/Savage/Warrior that it will work without them... Jake goes off script once too often and jeapordises Rude.. so he his quickly put down and a face turn for Rude's old buddy Mr. Perfect...

Hogan/Warrior and Savage feud amongst themselves in the ring and out of it till Vince get's pissed and decides Warrior isn't worth the trouble, he has another guy in mind and one who can be a heel champion with real credibility...

Hogan finally defeats Rick Rude for the title, only to be stunned by a return of a one time ally, much bigger in Davey Boy Smith... "The British Bulldog" is ripped, mean and not taking 2nd to any one, including Hogan and Vince has also just signed Ric Flair... In a shock moment, Davey Boy wins the WWF title at Surivor Series 91 from Hogan in questionable circumstances, he then powerslam's Hulk on the "concrete" to put him out... Randy Savage is the first to step up and fail, then Warrior when Jake Robert's turns on him... The now "Brutal Bulldog" get's cocky and offers the winner or Rumble 92 a shot... Amazingly, Bret Hart unseats Ric Flair at the end of the match to get the shot, it then comes out how they are related and Flair uses it as a "stink" to ensure WM8 has te first ever triple threat title match... Flair emerges the winner after Bret and Davey exhaust each other, the two reunite against Flair and his new partner... Rand Savage, who, angry at teh way he has been treated and how he percieves "Those Harts" have usurped him is keen to do anything it takes...

 

[thebarber]

interesting, but consider this. If Barry Windham had not upped and left 12 months before hand during his run as The Widowmaker, would Undertaker have come along as a character at all? Vince brought Windham back and pushed him hard as Widowmaker and was eyeing a Hoganvs Windham feud. History shows Windham left due to the issues his father and brother were having and were about to be sentenced to jail. But if Widowmaker doesnt go, could you see a Undertaker and Widowmaker on WWE programming at the same time. Tall, dark charcaters with similar names, back when gimmicks were very individual? Think about it, if Barry Windham is the Widowmaker in November 1990, Mark Calloway debuts with a completely different gimmick, in m,y opinion

 

[shalliin]

I disagree with a lot of you. Undertaker might not have been the main draw, but he was more often then not the opponent that had to be conquered or survived by the main draws. Let's ruing down a list here:

No Undertaker means no Kane, means no inferno matches.
No Undertaker means no Mankind, means no Buried Alive, No Boiler Room Brawls, no Hell in the Cell, no Elimination Chamber(inspired by HitC)
subset: no mankind means likely lesser version of Rock, no rock and sock,
No Undertaker means reduced roles for Yokozuna, Charles Wright(various characters feuding with undertaker), Mabel, Brock, Hogan's return, Hogan's original Departure, Bret and Shawn, and so many others wouldn't have been as big without Undertaker there to help elevate them. Even Austin as his feud with Taker and the Corporate Ministry is what sealed his status in the annals of wwe history. Brock wouldn't have been as impressive without a guy like the Undertaker working with him.

There are so many more that it's impossible to list everything he's helped to create and elevate. His impact is incalculable.

 

[shalliin]

interesting, but consider this. If Barry Windham had not upped and left 12 months before hand during his run as The Widowmaker, would Undertaker have come along as a character at all? Vince brought Windham back and pushed him hard as Widowmaker and was eyeing a Hoganvs Windham feud. History shows Windham left due to the issues his father and brother were having and were about to be sentenced to jail. But if Widowmaker doesnt go, could you see a Undertaker and Widowmaker on WWE programming at the same time. Tall, dark charcaters with similar names, back when gimmicks were very individual? Think about it, if Barry Windham is the Widowmaker in November 1990, Mark Calloway debuts with a completely different gimmick, in m,y opinion

Really? Because I"ve never heard of the Widowmaker character and especially not about him in a program with Hogan. I've been watching since early 80's and at the time was a Hulkamaniac and the only feuds I remember prior to Undertaker's arrivals were the friendship/feud against Macho man, the program with Warrior, Andre of course and Paul Orndorff. There was also a period against the Iron Sheik, Ted Dibiase, and Sgt Slaughter. No where in there was there a Widowmaker. He had some limited runs with Barbarian and Warlord, maybe a series with Hercules.

Doing some research, he did have stint under the name widowmaker, but never anywhere near Hogan, completely in the lower to mid card.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Really? Because I"ve never heard of the Widowmaker character and especially not about him in a program with Hogan. I've been watching since early 80's and at the time was a Hulkamaniac and the only feuds I remember prior to Undertaker's arrivals were the friendship/feud against Macho man, the program with Warrior, Andre of course and Paul Orndorff. There was also a period against the Iron Sheik, Ted Dibiase, and Sgt Slaughter. No where in there was there a Widowmaker. He had some limited runs with Barbarian and Warlord, maybe a series with Hercules.

Doing some research, he did have stint under the name widowmaker, but never anywhere near Hogan, completely in the lower to mid card.

You kinda missed the point.

Windham left the WWF only a few months after debuting as the Widowmaker for family reasons. No he never got to the point of working with Hogan... because he wasn't there long enough to get to that point.

The Widowmaker was pushed pretty good upon his debut. Vignettes, hyped on Wrestling Challenge, the whole deal. He started doing the TV tapings in June and July... worked the house show circuit in August and September... and was gone by October.

He was given an undefeated streak during that time, and being that at that time, Barry Windham was considered one of the best wrestlers in the world, he was getting that push. Had he stuck around, he would have been working the main event within a year. Truth is... he probably would have been Ultimate Warriors 1st opponent after he won the title instead of Rude... or his second instead of Savage, and if that was the case, it might have even meant a title run. At the time, the first challenger to a new champion never had a real shot at winning the title. After that though, if the champ wasn't drawing like they hoped, you did have an opportunity to be the new champ instead. At the worst, he's working with Warrior instead of Warrior doing six mans with the LOD against Demolition in the Fall of 1990, because McMahon would have loved to have a real worker like Windham in there to put over his work-challenged champion.

Barber actually raises a very interesting point. While the gimmicks weren't the same (Widowmaker was a lone wolf cowboy gimmick), the names are very similar, and if Barry had stuck around and gotten that character over like he easily could have (again at this time Barry Windham was one of the best in the world - he could have gotten the gimmick over huge)... then maybe they don't debut the Undertaker when they do, just because the names are too similar. Maybe they don't even go with the Undertaker character at all? I don't know when it was first conceived, but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't until after Barry had left the WWF. Maybe Mark Calloway does end up getting the Berzerker gimmick and John Nord comes in with the more natural Bruiser Brody gimmick he'd always used?

It's interesting to think of the what-ifs.

 

[The Boss]

If you watch when he won the title from Hogan in 91, most of that crowd cheered. And mind you he was a heel.

But most of that was directed at the HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN/Ric Flair feud that was building. Flair threw the chair into the ring that caused the title change. The Undertaker himself was a non factor both in his title win AND his title loss.

 

[shalliin]

You kinda missed the point.

Windham left the WWF only a few months after debuting as the Widowmaker for family reasons. No he never got to the point of working with Hogan... because he wasn't there long enough to get to that point.

The Widowmaker was pushed pretty good upon his debut. Vignettes, hyped on Wrestling Challenge, the whole deal. He started doing the TV tapings in June and July... worked the house show circuit in August and September... and was gone by October.

He was given an undefeated streak during that time, and being that at that time, Barry Windham was considered one of the best wrestlers in the world, he was getting that push. Had he stuck around, he would have been working the main event within a year. Truth is... he probably would have been Ultimate Warriors 1st opponent after he won the title instead of Rude... or his second instead of Savage, and if that was the case, it might have even meant a title run. At the time, the first challenger to a new champion never had a real shot at winning the title. After that though, if the champ wasn't drawing like they hoped, you did have an opportunity to be the new champ instead. At the worst, he's working with Warrior instead of Warrior doing six mans with the LOD against Demolition in the Fall of 1990, because McMahon would have loved to have a real worker like Windham in there to put over his work-challenged champion.

Barber actually raises a very interesting point. While the gimmicks weren't the same (Widowmaker was a lone wolf cowboy gimmick), the names are very similar, and if Barry had stuck around and gotten that character over like he easily could have (again at this time Barry Windham was one of the best in the world - he could have gotten the gimmick over huge)... then maybe they don't debut the Undertaker when they do, just because the names are too similar. Maybe they don't even go with the Undertaker character at all? I don't know when it was first conceived, but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't until after Barry had left the WWF. Maybe Mark Calloway does end up getting the Berzerker gimmick and John Nord comes in with the more natural Bruiser Brody gimmick he'd always used?

It's interesting to think of the what-ifs.

Only problem with your argument is that Windham was never one of the best in the world. He was upper midcard at best, and most known for tag teams and being a stooge for others. He would never had been able to sustain a run as Widowmaker to a point to be in the same level as Hogan or the other top guys.

Lots of guys get hype when they first come in with a new gimmick or role and then get pushed aside. Most recently Tensai, Brodius Clay, and others have had the same thing happen. Go back a bit and you get Khali, Victor Kozlov, Mike Knox, and many others. It rarely lasts and even more rarely becames entrenched in wrestling history.

And an unbeaten streak that lasts less then 4 months doens't count for much, especially since the majority of that was against jobbers and low level quality but semi popular stars like Koko.

 

[justtxyank]

Only problem with your argument is that Windham was never one of the best in the world. He was upper midcard at best, and most known for tag teams and being a stooge for others. He would never had been able to sustain a run as Widowmaker to a point to be in the same level as Hogan or the other top guys.

Lots of guys get hype when they first come in with a new gimmick or role and then get pushed aside. Most recently Tensai, Brodius Clay, and others have had the same thing happen. Go back a bit and you get Khali, Victor Kozlov, Mike Knox, and many others. It rarely lasts and even more rarely becames entrenched in wrestling history.

And an unbeaten streak that lasts less then 4 months doens't count for much, especially since the majority of that was against jobbers and low level quality but semi popular stars like Koko.

A lot of fans of NWA Wrestling would argue with you on whether Windham was one of of the best in the world. His matches with Flair were outstanding. I also would really disagree with the idea he was known most for his tag teams. He's most known for being a Horseman obviously, followed by his feud with Flair.

Personally I enjoyed his work with Hennig at the end of his career, but that's definitely not what he was most known for.

 

[shalliin]

A lot of fans of NWA Wrestling would argue with you on whether Windham was one of of the best in the world. His matches with Flair were outstanding. I also would really disagree with the idea he was known most for his tag teams. He's most known for being a Horseman obviously, followed by his feud with Flair.

Personally I enjoyed his work with Hennig at the end of his career, but that's definitely not what he was most known for.

I'm not saying he wasn't good, I'm just saying that no one could seriosuly consider him in a list of say top 15 or 20 of all time. He could put on a decent match or series of matches, but not enough to be thought of as among the best in the world.

And even within the horseman he was most known as a tag team guy. he had some singles success, but he is mostly remembered as part of the Horseman and his various tag teams in the companies he worked in.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

But most of that was directed at the HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN/Ric Flair feud that was building. Flair threw the chair into the ring that caused the title change. The Undertaker himself was a non factor both in his title win AND his title loss.

They kept cheering for Taker. It wasn't the smark crowd of today. It isn't like the Hammerstein Crowd chanting 'Thank You Edge' when he speared Cena through a table at ONS 2006.

They actually were cheering for a guy playing a supernatural force of the Dead. The kinda creeps The Wyatts entrance gives these days...thats how it was back then. He creeped the bejesus outta the live audience. Yet, people applauded him coz they had had enough of the 'good guy'.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Without the gimmick Mark Calloway is just another big man, it's the gimmick that made him unforgettable but that doesn't take away from Mark Calloway the man at all. There is no one that could have pulled off that gimmick like he did, NO ONE. The WWE gets mad props for creating the gimmick but Mark gets just as much credit. George Lucas created the awesome character known as Darth Vader but without James Earl Jones it doesn't come off nearly as good as it ultimately did.

Now if The Undertaker character wasn't around where would the WWE possibly be? Chances are it would be similar if not exactly the same as it is now, after all The Undertaker was never "The Guy" as many like to remind us. With that said I've always felt although he was never the guy it's not that he couldn't have been. In those Bret Hart/ HBK years The Undertaker could have easily been #1, it just wasn't what was required of him. Much like Andre The Undertaker was never #1 but that shouldn't suggest that he wasn't a big star in his own right. The Undertaker was the next Andre in a sense as he was a special attraction, not the main star but the guy could always draw a crowd.

I remember reading in I think Bret Harts book about some of their worldwide tours and a lot of countries wouldn't let WWE run a show there unless Bret and Taker were on the show, I'm just saying if a tour running is dependent on Taker being there he's a big star. Hell, I had quite a few friends that started watching WWE because of Taker and only watched WWE because of Taker, there isn't too many wrestlers I can say that about.

The WWE would have survived without Taker but that shouldn't suggest that he hasn't been one of their most valuable assets for over 20 years because he most certainly has. There is only a handful of wrestlers (even less in this day and age) that were relevant for over 20 years and even going into WM30 you can bet your bottom dollar that whatever the buyrate is The Undertaker contributed to that in a rather noticeable way.

The Undertaker isn't the starting QB but he is a solid backup that can get you the win when needed.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Without the gimmick Mark Calloway is just another big man, it's the gimmick that made him unforgettable but that doesn't take away from Mark Calloway the man at all. There is no one that could have pulled off that gimmick like he did, NO ONE. The WWE gets mad props for creating the gimmick but Mark gets just as much credit. George Lucas created the awesome character known as Darth Vader but without James Earl Jones it doesn't come off nearly as good as it ultimately did.

Now if The Undertaker character wasn't around where would the WWE possibly be? Chances are it would be similar if not exactly the same as it is now, after all The Undertaker was never "The Guy" as many like to remind us. With that said I've always felt although he was never the guy it's not that he couldn't have been. In those Bret Hart/ HBK years The Undertaker could have easily been #1, it just wasn't what was required of him. Much like Andre The Undertaker was never #1 but that shouldn't suggest that he wasn't a big star in his own right. The Undertaker was the next Andre in a sense as he was a special attraction, not the main star but the guy could always draw a crowd.

I remember reading in I think Bret Harts book about some of their worldwide tours and a lot of countries wouldn't let WWE run a show there unless Bret and Taker were on the show, I'm just saying if a tour running is dependent on Taker being there he's a big star. Hell, I had quite a few friends that started watching WWE because of Taker and only watched WWE because of Taker, there isn't too many wrestlers I can say that about.

The WWE would have survived without Taker but that shouldn't suggest that he hasn't been one of their most valuable assets for over 20 years because he most certainly has. There is only a handful of wrestlers (even less in this day and age) that were relevant for over 20 years and even going into WM30 you can bet your bottom dollar that whatever the buyrate is The Undertaker contributed to that in a rather noticeable way.

The Undertaker isn't the starting QB but he is a solid backup that can get you the win when needed.

The thing is, and there is no getting away from it that Taker was actually 2 people - same as Darth Vader... James Earl Jones or in this case Paul Bearer being the "voice" but Darth Vader was not Jones in person, it was the giant in the costume who created the aura. In those early days all Taker EVER said was "Rest In Peace" at the end of a promo, Bearer voiced everything else and built that character, the phrasing, the tone and pitch and speed all made Taker seem more deadly. Want proof - go back and watch Survivor Series 90 and Taker's debut, everything was nearly there, from Piper's commentary to the delivery - but Brother Love being there wasn't right... then youtube Darth Vader voiced by Prowse and you will see what I mean...

For a long time he was positioned as "the new Andre", an attraction rather than the main star and that was why he was booked against monsters. He was also the only "cartoonish" character to ever cross over eras, others like Big Bossman, Sgt. Slaughter, The Model all fell by the wayside but Taker endured, pretty much as is to the present day-bar 2 years as a "biker". Indeed for the first perhaps 6-7 years he was not even a "good" worker when compared to what he became, he was put into matches with far weaker opponents in terms of ring ability and it showed on the odd occasions he had to step up. It was only when Mabel stalled and nearly killed him that they realised his value and began to find opponents who were not always "monster sized" and then, once he did start working with Bret, Shawn, Foley and Austin he quickly improved to the point that his feud with Kane was electric and really began the rep he now has as an MVP of the roster... but he nearly didn't get there at all - if Mabel hadn't botched that legdrop, no streak, none of it... Taker would have had a far shorter shelf life!

Had he not gotten that role, someone else would have, for a while it seemed Bam Bam could be that guy, then Barry Windham as "the Widowmaker", then Earthquake, then Crush. With Mark Calloway they lucked out in signing he and Pringle at the same time and Vince having that "undertaker" idea in his head, it only came out of there cos he saw Pringle was a legit Undertaker...

 

[HillBillyJim]

what I should have said is Would the WWE be the same today?

 

[SSJPhenom]

Someone said it in an earlier post but I'll say it again.

Without 'Taker there definitely wouldn't be two future hall of famers in Paul Bearer and Kane. Also, and this is arguable, there might not be a future hall of famer in Mick Foley. Without the Undertaker gimmick, there would be no streak, probably no Hell in a Cell, and some other popular gimmick matches.

Mark Calloway would've still been a big man wrestler, however, would he be the absolute most respected wrestler around? Who knows? As for the state of the WWE; unfortunately, without the 'Taker gimmick the only thing I see it definitely affecting is the Streak match for WrestleMania. Would the WWE have won the Monday Night Wars? Probably. Now there wouldn't have been a Kane or 'Taker and they definitely helped with the Attitude Era, however, I'd be a fool to say that they helped more than Austin, McMahon, or the Rock. 'Taker never was the guy for the WWE but he always had his moments and he was always someone that could be thrown into the main event with anyone. Finally, without 'Taker, Andre would definitely be considered the greatest big man of all time.

I'm glad that this is a what if and not reality because the Undertaker has and always will be my favorite wrestler. Without 'Taker, it is very possible that I would not be a fan of wrestling at all. It was 'Taker and Bearer that drew me into the world of wrestling and it was 'Taker that taught me how to suspend disbelief. 'Taker is great and WWE might still be around without him but it definitely wouldn't be the same.