The Phenom years (1990-2015)
Why he is so fascinating
Before I start speaking about anything, let me give you a disclaimer. When the Undertaker made his WWE debut, I was not even born.
I don't say that I followed every match of his, but I do love him a lot and always keep my eyes and ears open to gather as much information as possible about the phenom. Be it a tattoo that I got for every two Big 'Babols’ (bubble gum) I purchased when I was a kid, be it the big sticker I got for every pack of Marbles I ate and be it a card among the pack of WWE cards I played with, I always have my eyebrow raised when I see the Undertaker on it. Why?
He is special, unique and altogether different. He is no common wrestler. The habit of loving him started at the age of 8 when I heard a story from my friend telling me that there is this so-called man, The Undertaker who has 7 lives and he can appear out of nowhere- be it from thunder and lightning, be it from a tomb, be it from the ring and what not!
Now that I am grown up, I may not savour these things so much but as a kid watching WWE at home, imagine what a feeling that would have been? If there is something that interests me to go back to my childhood, that would only be the love for The Undertaker.
Loyal to the core
This incredible wrestler from Death Valley, CA served the WWE for 25 long years! He is 50 today and half of his life was dedicated to WWE. What an amazing human being?
There are many legendary wrestlers like Hogan, Rock, Austin and the list rolls on, but what is so special and unique about this guy? In one word, the answer is everything.
Let me quickly ask you a few questions. Which wrestler has the most iconic entrance in the WWE? Which wrestler has the longest running streak in sports entertainment? Which wrestler has been a part of most 'Hell in a Cell' matches? Who competed in the highest number of WrestleMania matches?
The one-word answer to all these questions is 'The Undertaker'. Not just these, Undertaker holds innumerable records in WWE, has been part of every type of WWE match and above all, the most loyal employee the WWE ever had. Do you really think it is that easy to wrestle at the age of 50 just because the company asks you to?
Ready to sacrifice anything
A couple of years back at WrestleMania 30, Undertaker lost to Brock Lesnar. His 21-0 streak came to an end just like that. For Paul Heyman, it is just that his client conquered the undefeated streak of the Undertaker and became the 1 in 21-1.
But do you really think it's that easy to sacrifice something that is built for 21 years? Had it not been for Taker, no other guy on the roster would have done this. He never went after the Championships, he never wanted the Royal Rumble wins and he never longed for the Money in the Bank contracts.
All he wanted was to entertain all the WWE fans by playing mind games with his opponents, doing things that add an element of surprise and all such weird stuff. Every year, he would show up after January, entertain us for a good two months and go to darkness again.
If you want to add pomp and splendour to an event, your obvious choice is to call the Deadman. How many events did he make a big success? A couple of recent ones that you might recall are RAW 1000 and the Battleground PPV. He was ready to get buried, to be burnt and even get killed and be born again.
All we got to say was Thank You
I call the period (1990-2015) as the so-called phenom years because that is what made many love WWE. Even guys who don't watch wrestling are familiar with his name.
It doesn't matter whether WWE is in the 'Ruthless Aggression Era' or the 'Attitude Era' or the PG TV, but all that matters to me is the phenom era i.e. the years during which Undertaker wrestled inside the squared circle.
Be it the 'American Bas A**', be it the days as Paul Bearer's client, be it the sole hunter, be it a Kane's rival or be it a team up with Kane, you are someone who made our WWE experience so special and unique.
Thank you for entertaining us all these years! Inducting him into the WWE 'Hall of Fame' is obvious but do you think that's enough? I would say it's the least thing WWE could do. Love you, Taker!