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WRESTLING COLUMNS

Time For The Undertaker To Rest In Peace
August 15, 2005 by Danny Carson

My name is Danny Carson and I'm a 16 year old from Prince Edward Island. This is the first of what I hope to be many columns. I always watched wrestling growing up but I was never a big fan until January of 1999. But I always paid attention to it before then and I always knew most of the wrestlers. I also always tried to catch certain matches before I became a regular RAW and Heat watcher.

One of those guys I always looked for was the Undertaker. The Undertaker, like many wrestlers, has been seen under many different lights. He first started out as "Kane the Undertaker" but then by his television debut it was changed to just the Undertaker. He was a scary, mysterious man who seemed unbeatable. He made his first on-air appearance at Survivor Series 91 and was on Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Team that defeated The Dream Team. The Undertaker then went on to win the WWF title that year by defeating Hulk Hogan but lost in 6 or 7 days later.

Undertaker then later on turned face and became a household name and a fan favorite. Then at the 94 rumble he lost a casket match to Yokozuna (who had tons of help). Then after the match he appeared on the Titantron and said he was returning. That is the first thing of that nature that the Undertaker pulled to my knowledge. Then a few months later there were sightings off the Undertaker. Then the whole two Undertaker saga happened. After the Undertaker defeated the fake Undertaker he continued his feud with Yokozuna. Later on he had a great feud with Mankind and they had the first Buried Alive match. Mankind defeated Undertaker with some help by a masked man. After the match lighting struck the grave and the Undertaker's hand appeared from the dirt. I remember watching that and just thinking how amazing that was. Then a short while afterwards, the Undertaker FINALLY got another title reign by defeating Psycho Sid at WrestleMania 13. This reign lasted just over three months until he lost the belt to Bret Hart in a controversial fashion. But after that started one of the greatest storyline/feuds the WWF has ever come up with.

Paul Bearer started saying Undertaker's brother Kane was coming. We then learned that Undertaker had burned down his house as a kid and killed his parents but didn't kill Kane, and he was coming. Then during the first Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood we finally saw Kane. They went on to have one of the greatest feuds with some of the strangest happenings ever seen in wrestling. And then The Undertaker turned heel again. This is the Undertaker I saw when I first started watching wrestling and my personal favorite.

The Undertaker began abducting random wrestlers and brainwashing them. I know a lot of people didn't like this side of him but this one was my favorite. Undertaker then suffered a groin injury and was out of action for several months. Then during the second ever Iron Man Match between HHH and The Rock, we saw the return of the Deadman....or so we thought. I was watching this PPV and I was happy to see him back but also confusing to see him on a motorcycle. The gimmick was hated by a lot but it was under The Undertaker's request. He was tired of being the Deadman and wanted to be Mark Calloway.

The gimmick wasn't as bad as people said (and if it didn't happen I doubt we'd be seeing the Undertaker today) but people missed the Deadman. Then everyone got their wish at the 2003 Royal Rumble. Kane was being his usual dominant self and then the lights went out and the crowd heard a loud GONG. Kane then started yelling "I buried you alive!" Spike Dudley came out but we learned Spike wasn't behind this. We then witnessed some of the greatest stuff WWE has shown us. I always watched RAW waiting to see how The Undertaker would torture Kane this week. And then at WrestleMania XX, we saw the return of Undertaker and Paul Bearer. However he doesn't talk much, very quiet. This seems familiar. Didn't he used to start every show off with a promo for the last 5-6 years" Wasn't he already like this" At first, I was just happy to see him back, but as he continued to show up I realized this isn't as good as I thought it'd be. You can't turn him back to how he was at the start of his career. We saw too much of his personality with the Ministry.

Now this brings me to my point. Since the Undertaker returned to the ring, he has had one good feud. That feud is Randy Orton. All his other ones were not good. Now the reason I typed all of the above was to show what an amazing career this guy has had. And if he doesn't retire after WrestleMania 22, it will ruin him. I think it should have retired him this year personally. But the gimmick has run it's course and if they want keep it's reputation as good as it should be, Undertaker should finish his career up in Chicago.

by Danny Carson ..

Jay Ingram wrote:
Absolutely not. Yes, Mark Calloway has slowed a little in the ring, but give him a break, he is 43 years old or so. I've appreciated all the modern gimmicks Calloway has had. The Deadman, the American Badass, and the current combination of the two. Calloway keeps an active life outside wrestling, and he is now in a position to really enjoy his time off, not work such a brutal schedule, but still stay active in the business, and he deserves it. He has put in his time grinding away at house shows and PPV shows. With a gimmick like the Undertaker, a "less is more" idea when it comes to appearances works well. Less time on TV makes the character more mysterious, and makes each appearance actually mean more. I would actually like to see the Undertaker become someone who comes into a running fued and end it. He could kind of be an enforcer, one who decides who is right/wrong in the fued, and laying punishment down on the person deemed to be wrong. Notice that this would pit him against heels and faces, without being either one himself. He could wrestle one to two times a month on television, and a reduced amount of PPV's , and still keep himself in the public eye. If there were two guys in the ring, having yet another chapter in a long, overdrawn feud, imagine how cool it would be to hear the gong, see the smoke and lights, and know that the Deadman had had enough of the squabble, and was going to the ring to set someone straight. It would work well with Calloway's reputation as being a lockerroom leader, and would be a natural progression for the character and the man who has paid his dues in the business.

Tony Mayes Jr. wrote:
Danny, I have to disagree with you on this here. I am 21 years old and I have been a hugh fan other the Undertaker since I was 6 years old. I have seen every match Taker has had. I think that its time for Taker to change it up abit. Undertaker does what is good for business. I don't know if its true or not but he has resigned a contract up until 2007. With that being said, I feel that it is now time for the Undertaker to go heel after he let Orton win at SummerSlam. Not a clean win, but a cheap pin with Orton using the ropes and holding Taker's tights.

So far since his Deadman Return we have only seen him as a face. Taker now need to go heel and go after batista for the WHC. Taker knows how to draw heat. Vince won't let Taker leave cause believe it or not, Smackdown needs Taker. Taker's Job is to put over the young talent like Orton so he can get over. I feel that if Vince let Taker retires without giving him a title run it would be a spit in the face of Taker and the fans since Taker(Mark Calloway) hasn't gave Vince a problem and that Taker is one of the only people that has been with the WWF/WWE for 14 or 15 years.

Its not time for taker to retire. Its time for Taker to change into a heel or to go into another character gimmick. Give him another faction and Have them invade Raw or have him fight faces. Taker needs to be on Smackdown until the newer superstar can pickup after him....

Matt Kopp wrote:
Danny, this was a pretty good article but you have to get a few facts straight. First of all, Undertaker debuted at Survivor Series 1990, and didn't win the WWF Title until one year later at Survivor Series 1991. Second, the first GONG of the The Undertaker after he was Buried Alive was at Royal Rumble 2004. I also think that Undertaker should have one final title run as a heel, and have this sort of "reign of terror" run, until some hero, probably Chris Benoit or Randy Orton or Bastista ends his reign in a Buried Alive Match. It would be the perfect way to end his career. Bury him alive. Anyway, this was a pretty good article.

elessars servant wrote:
I'm not trying to bitch at you, or anything, but I have to **strongly** disagree. We all know that 'Taker was gone a few months after WM because the newest addition to his family. But have you taken a good look at him since he returned" he is faster, stronger, and leaner. he has that twinkle back in his eye that lets you know he loves his job. I'll admit, the feud with Hidenriche was pretty bad, but then, he's been gone for awhile, so he hadn't had the chance to get into another feud! It was logical to continue the Orton feud. ou say you love UT, but saying that you think he needs to retire is like saying you never want to see him in action again! I can barely comphrehend what you're saying, that to 'preserve his legacy' he should retire soon. Sorry, but I believe he has many more feuds and several brilliant years still in the WWE ahead of him. Until he gets to the point where he is to old to wrestle, or her no longer wants to, then the man should still wrestle! Besides, his status as a legend is already set in stone. Nothing he can do now will ever change that. He can lose every match he ever wrestles In from now on, and he will still be a legend. I hope he and Vince are not so puffed-up and arrogant that they think he should leave just because he is a senior member of the WWE. 'Taker may be over the hill, but he is on top of the mountain. I love him, the fans love him. I believe he loves this business.You just watch. 'Taker will have some more awesome stuff up his sleeve, and when he does, I want you to consider this, for me; 'If he had retired, just to preserve his legacy, I would never have seen this'.

BIGWWE4LIFE wrote:
I don't think Undertaker should retire not just yet! I think when he does retire it needs to be at a Wrestlemania maybe this next year maybe not but needs to go after Hogan in a Casket Match (if Hogan can even wrestle LOL, casue after all that is the first person he captured that WWE title from) but go against hogan and then have all the Wrestlers that Taker has beaten at Wrestlemania come back and stuff Undertaker in the Casket that is how i think that he should end it! (Thats my opinion)

David Simpson, 24 Bristol, UK. wrote:
I have to agree with you to some extent, that Taker has been allowing his legacy to slowly die over the last 3-4 years. However, I don't particularly think this will effect his status in any way. As a wrestler, Calloway was never as versatile or diverse as some, but his 'no selling' and 're-energising' was second to none. When Hulk or Warrior did it (yes there were goosebumps) but after a while it got boring. With Taker this never happened. I personally think that he should retire at Wrestlemania 22. He should be in the main event for the title/ or as champion to keep people second guessing whether he would make the ultimate sacrifice (his Wrestlemania streak) and job to (whoever- possibly Orton). I think if he did, he will truly prove that he is willing to push the next generation forward.

Kim wrote:
You are crazy if you think the Undertaker needs to retire! He is on of the greatest wrestlers of all time and one of the few that is left worth watching. The reason he hasn't had any "great" matches lately is due to the fact that there is no great competitors. Just like WWE moving Batista to Smakdown, there is no true competition for him there. WWE has enough problems with ratings as it is but if Taker left it would hurt them even worse. You need to learn to respect greatness. With all due respect, you need to grow up a little before you start writing articles disrespecting one of the few true legends left in the business today.

Danny Carson (Original Author) wrote:
I am really sorry about the Royal Rumble and Survior Series mix up. I was away at my cottage these past few days and when I came home and read my article I couldn't believe I did that. And I think Undertaker winning the title at Wrestlemania and then retire as champion would be a good idea. However I know Vince didn't like the idea of Hogan doing it so maybe not. But Undertaker as been more loyal so he may agree to do it with him. I was thinking his last match would be a buried alive match or something along those standards.

Chris Greenfield A.K.A Purgatory wrote:
Hi everyone this is my second time writen to the oww columns. I would just like to say that Jay Ingram you my friend are 100% correct finaly someone that thinks the same way about the undertaker as i do. Danny it was a nice article and all and yeah undertaker has had Great matches and they should not stop ever or wwe will have a huge lose of fans on there hands. The undertaker is over-due for another title run and when he does get a chance (i hope) it should be for about 7 months. The undertaker would do the HW title a good justice. I am sick of it being held by all these new superstars it needs some that knows what they are doing, that has been in the business for more then a decaide. A legend with the title yeah that would do it some good and the undertaker should not leave the business untill he is ready and by the looks of this he is not ready.

Ryan Ward wrote:
I don't think Undertaker going heel would do anything at all. People would still cheer him on no matter what and what could he do to make himself heel anyway, bury someone alive. Already does, scare the shit out of people and make them look like cowards, already does. So I'm out of ideas to make him go heel and frankly I really don't care what kind of character he will play. The point is I would like to see him win the title again, gonna happen" No. He's too old, he doesn't wrestle enough to be a World Heavyweight Champion, could he" Quite possibly, I don't think he wants to though. For all we know, he was offered a chance to win the title by the WWE but he probley turned it down knowing he wouldn't be able to commit to the title. If they're going to make him champion, excellent. But I am so tired of him getting a chance at the title and getting screwed out of it. I would prefer to see him lose cleanly then get screwed because I'm tired of seeing his matches interfered with. Everytime he has a no DQ match, everybody knows whats gonna happen, so far, I've been right everytime. Anyway, if he wins the title, great. If he doesn't, he's had a very sucsesful carrer that he can be proud of.

BarriageG wrote:
I think that yes maybe taker has not been at his best lately but please people give him some respect he has had over ten years of destruction under his belt he has beat the best of the best. Vince has a lot of respect for him and he has earned it. When he goes out he will go out with a bang maybe against kane that would be totally awesome maybe in a casket match or an inferno match or maybe retire him with the title.

Susan Milligan wrote:
Fair go. Alright the dead man has been less to say dominent but it's not his fault. I've been a fan for a long time and he is getting screwed left right and centre. If JBL isn't blindsiding him Orton is.I mean you've obviously put thought in your article but it's a little stingy on detail. No mention of the boiler room brawl (summer slam 96 if u want to rent it) as well as the inferno match (unforgiven 98 or 9) I believe he still got sting behind those punches.Im telling you when he goes it will be on a high note. Also a guy's gota work.Wrestlings his life and passion. But lets face it hes like the inishiation for those who don't know their place.(I am a friend of Marks and he does not like being gossipt aout on the net!!!!!

mayur reve wrote:
hello danny.i read ur article concerning undertaker's time to retire.just like everyone i disagree with u.taker has contributed to wwe more than any other superstar,he's a living legend&one of the greatest wrestler to ever step in the ring.altough taker has been overlooked a lot right now where he should be facing batista for world title rather than continuing his feud with randy orton,and there is a reason too for that-orton screwed taker not only once,but twice from becoming #1 contender for world title.so t osome extent taker's feud is reasonable,altough i would love to see taker face batista or eddie for world title&as far as taker's retirement goes-the legend of the undertaker will never die.

Rhysenswan wrote:
I have to agree with most of the comments I have read. Taker got to where he is by working VERY hard, and to lose at an event that he has such a winning streak onwould be akin to the Bret Hart screw job in my book. If taker had to lose to someone, at least make it someone worthy. I don't feel Cena is worthy. I'm not taking from Cena's skills, but he is not of Taker's caliber. Have him pass the torch, so to speak, so someone like HHH, HBK, Kane, orsomeone along those lines.

Britny wrote:
I think that Taker should lose at WrestleMaina to show the fans that he can't win everything, and he should face HBK, HHH or Kane in a 3 stages of hell retirement match. Think about it. put Taker in 3 hard matches, push his body to its final limits in the ring. Not to be mean or anything, but Taker needs to spend more time with his family, he has four kids now, and I think he should spend more time with them.

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