Opinion: What does the Undertaker mean to WWE and the pro-wrestling business?
WWE is fake. WWE is scripted. WWE is the most naive form of sport. Those were my arguments whenever someone in my school enquired me if I follow WWE. Unlike a lot of people in India who think that wrestling is real, I was already conscious that it was fake. So, I had refrained from talking to my classmates who proclaimed that wrestling was real. I didn't have anything personal against them, but in my views, they were far below my intelligence level. However, one Sunday afternoon, all those notions were put to rest.
I was switching channels on my television when the remote suddenly stopped working. As a result, I was forced to see a guy with yellow underwear stand over another guy with a gold plated belt up in his hands. But, then a bell rang and the lights went off! After a brief moment, the guy underneath the yellow underwear champion was gone and another man wearing black robe replaced him magically. The black robed man caught hold of the neck of the champion and slammed him onto the canvas. With the cold look in his eyes, he walked away from the ring and raised his hand signaling his return to the holy grail.
After surfing through the internet, I learned that the guy in yellow underwear was CM Punk- the newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion, the guy underneath was Jeff Hardy, and the guy in the black robe was the Undertaker- the most dreaded and respected man in the WWE.
Of course, I had heard rumors of him being dead seven times and then rising from the grave to avenge his opponents. Like any other logical person, I had squashed it but was never inquisitive as to why it emerged in the first place. Why weren't there any rumors surrounding the yellow underwear guy? Why only the Undertaker?
From his blood-curdling entrance to the wrestling move sets to the post-match ritual, the Undertaker sways the people with his aura. His presence overlooks the viewers that they are watching scripted combat and inculcates the belief that it is genuine.
As of this writing, the Undertaker is 53 years old. A lot of fans, or smarks rather, believe that he is simply prolonging his career and should hang up his boots. According to them, his past two WrestleMania matches were way below the par and was an insult in the name of WrestleMania moment. Well, I agree with all of them, but only partially.
His in-ring abilities are not up to the mark right now. In fact, they were nowhere near the Japanese and Mexican wrestlers even in his heyday. However, do they have the potential to make someone a fan of pro-wrestling perceiving that it is fake?
Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuiya Naito, and Kazuchika Okada will always break Dave Meltzer's rating system whenever they collide amongst themselves. But, do their character have the charisma of that of the Undertaker?
When we speak of characters, a lot of heels and babyfaces come to our mind whose actions make us loathe them or admire them from the bottom of our heart. For every heel who cannot get heat and gets cheered, there will be a Tomasso Ciampa. For every failed underdog, there will be a Daniel Bryan and Rey Mysterio. But, for every single person who detests pro-wrestling and its ideology, will there be an Undertaker?
Simply putting it, there is none. If there was no Undertaker, there would be no pro-wrestling fans, or smarks rather, above the age of 12. The women would always cheer Roman Reigns, the smarks would always hate John Cena, and the indy darlings will always have an AJ Styles. But, once you break your kayfabe and come back to reality, only the Undertaker can put you back there.
Once I had googled the Undertaker's name and read his Wikipedia page, I learned that there were countless occasions in the past where the Undertaker struck fear in the hearts of his opponents without speaking a single word. Later that day, I tried to find as many instances as possible on Youtube and other video platforms. Thus, the Undertaker made me a fan of WWE overnight. Slowly and slowly, I followed other top promotions like TNA, Ring of Honor, NJPW and CMLL, and got introduced to the world of pro-wrestling.
The Undertaker is like the gatekeeper to WWE and pro-wrestling in general. The guys who have stepped foot in that building before the age of 12 will always come back to have a sneak peek or stay there permanently. But, once you cross the age of 12, it is extremely difficult to have the belief that you can own a house there. Only the Undertaker can guide you there.
And now, as the smarks are clamoring for his retirement, I have one question for them: Who will be the next Undertaker? He doesn't need to have the same eerie and spooky character and persona. He just needs to convince anyone who thinks that pro-wrestling is naive that it is not. It is a form of art and should be respected and applauded equally.
As of now, there isn't any other wrestler. The day he decides to hang his boots would mark the end of an era. The Undertaker is the last of his generation to instill kayfabe in the fans' mind. And, when he retires, there would be none.