{"id":65799,"date":"2020-03-28T16:14:45","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T20:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/?p=65799"},"modified":"2020-03-28T16:14:45","modified_gmt":"2020-03-28T20:14:45","slug":"undertaker-five-decades-of-the-deadman-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/03\/28\/undertaker-five-decades-of-the-deadman-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Undertaker: Five Decades of The Deadman (Part 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to <strong>Undertaker<\/strong>: Five Decades of the Deadman.\u00a0 This series has been chronicling the career of The Undertaker &#8211; who is set to make it five straight decades as a professional wrestler. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/2020\/03\/24\/undertaker-five-decades-of-the-deadman-part-2\/?fbclid=IwAR0rwRUQktS5hQAm-bgeArQ_4tsFkD2onyHxJuX_37Pi6uCcR23bRSku08g\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0The last installment<\/a> of this five-part series covered arguably the most active decade in the career of The Undertaker.\u00a0 We dived into the 1990s; running through Taker&#8217;s <strong>WWE<\/strong> debut and feuds with <strong>Hulk Hogan<\/strong>, <strong>Mankind<\/strong> and <strong>Kane<\/strong> (to name but three). This time, we will be covering Undertaker\u2019s last full-time decade: the 2000s.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Triple H vs. The Rock - Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship: Judgment Day, May 21, 2000\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yVQR9Cs6If8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Deadman No More: The American B.A.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When <strong>Undertaker<\/strong> returned at the <em><strong>Judgement Day<\/strong><\/em> pay-per-view (May 21st, 2000), fans were stunned.\u00a0 Gone was the iconic &#8220;Rest in Peace&#8221; theme song.\u00a0 In its place was<strong> Kid Rock<\/strong>&#8216;s pop hit &#8220;American Bad Ass&#8221;.\u00a0 The switch from Funeral March inspired theme to hit pop song was all the evidence you needed that The Deadman was gone.\u00a0 Gone was Undertaker&#8217;s mortician attire &#8211; variations of which Taker had worn throughout the &#8217;90s.\u00a0 Gone was the black Stetson; a stapble of the Deadman&#8217;s signature look.\u00a0 Instead, Taker wore a long, black leather trench coat &#8211; complete with sunglasses, ear piercings and bandana.\u00a0 The Deadman had become a biker; a 6&#8243;10 behemoth of a biker, arriving to chokeslam the <strong>McMahons<\/strong> and <strong>Triple H<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Why Undertaker turned into The American Badass: The Broken Skull Sessions (WWE Network Exclusive)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CvCAMsaSuoU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>By attacking the <strong>McMahon-Helmsely<\/strong> faction, Taker was a babyface once more.\u00a0 After teaming with <strong>The Rock<\/strong> and <strong>Kane<\/strong> at <em><strong>King of the Ring<\/strong><\/em>, it looked like the family feud was finally at an end.\u00a0 The <strong>Brothers of Destruction<\/strong> were finally on the same page.\u00a0 Of course, it wasn&#8217;t to be.\u00a0 On August 14th, after losing to <strong>Edge<\/strong> &amp; <strong>Christian<\/strong>, Kane chokeslammed Undertaker through the ring.\u00a0 This would mark the first of many feuds with Kane during the 2000s.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Best of The Brothers of Destruction: WWE Top 10, Sept. 29, 2018\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zYZKSZTIuhk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Undertaker would face Kane once again at<em><strong> SummerSlam 2000<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The match would end in a no contest, after Taker unmasked Kane.\u00a0 Kane ran away to avoid being seen.\u00a0 Undertaker would incorporate dirty tactics to win matches &#8211; whilst also resorting to trash-talking.\u00a0 This new, &#8220;American Badass&#8221; version of The Undertaker was clearly a different direction for the character.\u00a0 Undertaker described it best on Steve Austin&#8217;s Broken Skull Sessions podcast.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m on pay-per-view.\u00a0 on a bike and it&#8217;s a completely different gimmick&#8230; the coat was the same, but the guy was just completely different&#8230; everything that can go wrong-if this doesn&#8217;t work, it&#8217;s dead right there.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The gimmick turned out to be a stroke of genius.\u00a0 The edginess of this new Undertaker character was a perfect fit for the tail-end of the Attitude Era.\u00a0 Undertaker would go on to face<strong> Kurt Angle<\/strong> for the WWF Championship at <em><strong>Survivor Series<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Angle would score a victory, after an early version of &#8220;twin magic&#8221; (switching places with a doppelganger) would see him use real-life brother, <strong>Eric Angle<\/strong>, to cheat to victory.\u00a0 Taker would then appear in the first <strong><em>Armageddon<\/em><\/strong> Hell in a Cell match, throwing Rikishi off the cell.\u00a0 Shortly afterwards, the Brothers of Destruction would reunite once more.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SmackDown: History of the Brothers of Destruction\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YET0pMs4X9o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Brothers of Destruction Versus The Two Man Power Trip<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Brothers of Destruction failed to capture the WWF World Tag Team Championships from Edge &amp; Christian at<em><strong> No Way Out 2001<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 With that failure, Taker set his sights on capturing the WWF Championship from <strong>&#8220;Stone Cold&#8221; Steve Austin<\/strong>.\u00a0 Before he could do that, he would have to defeat Triple H at <em><strong>WrestleMania XVII<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 This would be the first of a trilogy of matches between the two at <em>WrestleMania<\/em>.\u00a0 Of course, Undertaker won &#8211; he would remain undefeated at <em>WrestleMania<\/em> throughout the 2000s.\u00a0 The feud with Triple H would continue into <em><strong>Backlash 2001<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/dlP4go8DagM<\/p>\n<p>This time, it would be a tag team match against the Two Man Power Trip: Steve Austin and Triple H.\u00a0 Austin&#8217;s WWF and Triple H&#8217;s Intercontinental Championships would be on the line.\u00a0 The Brothers of Destruction, having recently won the WWF World Tag Team Championships from Edge &amp; Christian, would defend them in the match.\u00a0 If the Brothers won, Kane would win the Intercontinental Championship and Undertaker would <em>finally<\/em> recapture the WWF Championship.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Brothers of Destruction vs. The Two-Man Power Trip: Backlash 2001\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q9SRzID0PZA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, it was not to be.\u00a0 With thanks to Triple H plowing Kane with his sledgehammer, the Two Man Power Trip would pull off the victory and take all the gold.\u00a0 Undertaker would face Austin for the WWF Championship once more at <strong><em>Judgement Day 2001<\/em><\/strong> and would again fall just short.\u00a0 It was around this time when the Invasion Era began.\u00a0 Undertaker feuded with a debuting <strong>Diamond Dallas Page<\/strong>, who had been stalking Taker&#8217;s then-wife, Sara.\u00a0 With DDP and <strong>Kanyon<\/strong> arriving, they would win the WWF World Tag Team Championships from the <strong>APA<\/strong> (<strong>Farooq<\/strong> and <strong>Bradshaw<\/strong>).\u00a0 This would lead to a unification match at <em><strong>SummerSlam 2001<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The Brothers of Destruction &#8211; having recently captured the WCW Tag Team Championships from <strong>Chuck Palumbo<\/strong> and <strong>Sean O&#8217;Haire<\/strong> &#8211; would defeat DDP and Kanyon.\u00a0 They would unify the tag team championships.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/bHseksEZNdM<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Big Evil is Born<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Between<em> SummerSlam<\/em> and <em>Survivor Series<\/em>, the Brothers of Destruction would drop the tag titles to <strong>Booker T<\/strong> &amp; <strong>Test<\/strong> and <strong>The Dudley Boyz<\/strong> respectively.\u00a0 Both brothers would end up in the <em><strong>Survivor Series 2001<\/strong> <\/em>match, billed as The Alliance vs Team WWF.\u00a0 The Alliance would win the match, thus bringing the Invasion Era to a close.\u00a0 Shortly after, Undertaker would turn heel once more &#8211; after forcing<strong> Jim Ross<\/strong> into <strong>Vince McMahon<\/strong>&#8216;s &#8220;Kiss My Ass Club&#8221;.\u00a0 Big Evil is often confused with The American B.A., but there is a difference.\u00a0 Big Evil was, of course, more of a trash talker &#8211; it became a major part of his gimmick.\u00a0 He wasn&#8217;t shy of cheating to win.\u00a0 He rocked shorter hair, vests and leather pants.\u00a0 This was the American B.A. gimmick turn up to 10.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Royal Rumble 2002: Maven pulls off a shocking upset by\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mYZoGACeqt4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Big Evil would feud with <strong>Rob Van Dam<\/strong> &#8211; winning the WWF Hardcore Championship from him at <em><strong>Vengeance<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 At <em><strong>Royal Rumble 2002<\/strong><\/em>, Taker would enter into a feud with <strong>Maven<\/strong>.\u00a0 Maven, whose gimmick was that of a rising-star rookie, eliminated Undertaker from the match.\u00a0 In retaliation, Taker returned and eliminated Maven &#8211; before beating him down on the outside.\u00a0 The Rock would mock Big Evil for the humiliating elimination.\u00a0 They would then square off at <em><strong>No Way Out 2002<\/strong><\/em>, with Rock winning after a distraction by <strong>Ric Flair<\/strong>.\u00a0 This would, of course, lead to The Undertaker defeating The Nature Boy at <em><strong>WrestleMania X-8<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Ric Flair was soon named General Manager of RAW, as the brand-split began.\u00a0 Taker was drafted to <strong>RAW<\/strong> &#8211; causing Big Evil to be furious at ending up on Flair&#8217;s brand.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Undertaker defeats Hulk Hogan to win the Undisputed\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eEaW7jHFcIw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Undertaker Becomes WWE Undisputed Champion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>At <em><strong>Backlash 2002<\/strong><\/em>, Undertaker would defeat &#8220;Stone Cold&#8221; Steve Austin to earn a shot at Triple H&#8217;s WWE Undisputed Championship.\u00a0 <strong>Hulk Hogan<\/strong> &#8211; freshly babyface after his match with The Rock at <em>WrestleMania<\/em> X-8 &#8211; was to face Triple H that same night.\u00a0 Undertaker interfered in the match, taking out Triple H.\u00a0 Hogan fought Big Evil off before pinning Triple H for the championship.\u00a0 If you read Part II of this series, you might recall that The Undertaker won his first ever World Championship from Hulk Hogan in 1991.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/c0pqirT17zE<\/p>\n<p>History would repeat itself as &#8211; at <em><strong>Judgement Day 2002<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; Taker would do it again.\u00a0 Big Evil was now the WWE Undisputed Champion.\u00a0 Shortly after, on the July 1st episode of RAW, Undertaker would become face once more.\u00a0 After a gruelling but excellent ladder match with a young <strong>Jeff Hardy<\/strong> &#8211; freshly a singles competitor, after being separated from brother <strong>Matt Hardy<\/strong> in the draft &#8211; Undertaker raised Jeff&#8217;s hand in a rare show of respect.\u00a0 Big Evil would retain much of his heel persona, but he was truly a babyface once more.\u00a0 Something of an anti-hero.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL-LENGTH MATCH: The Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy - Ladder Match\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/F_ANV_KiB9Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Undertaker lost the Undisputed Championship during an excellent triple threat match with The Rock and Kurt Angle at <em><strong>Vengeance 2002<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The Rock would be the victor.\u00a0 Undertaker is synonymous with <strong>SmackDown<\/strong> and on August 29th 2002, Taker was drafted to the blue brand &#8211; where he would remain until 2011.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/b23gT82A3QU<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Undertaker Feuds with Brock Lesnar, Big Show and Vince McMahon<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Ruthless Aggression Era was now underway.\u00a0 If you had to choose two superstars who most define that era, you would probably pick <strong>John Cena<\/strong> and <strong>Brock Lesnar<\/strong>.\u00a0 With The Rock and Stone Cold out of the door &#8211; at least as full-time superstars &#8211; the newly named <strong>WWE<\/strong> needed fresh blood.\u00a0 Cena and Lesnar were, to Taker, merely two new guys entering his yard.\u00a0 At SummerSlam 2002, Brock Lesnar captured the newly-named WWE Championship from The Rock.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE Network: The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar: SummerSlam 2002\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A8zNfzBDVYo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Undertaker would earn his shot for the title at Unforgiven 2002.\u00a0 The match would end in a no contest and a rematch would be set for No Mercy.\u00a0 Hell in a Cell had become something of a match specialty for Undertaker, but the favorable stipulation wasn&#8217;t enough to secure the win.\u00a0 Brock Lesnar &#8211; the dominant, monstrous young Champion &#8211; had bested Big Evil in his own yard.\u00a0 As we all know, this would not be the last time these two men met in the ring.\u00a0 We will return to this feud in Part IV.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar - Hell in a Cell WWE Championship Match: No Mercy 2002\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fueQJhrU0qY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Undertaker would take some time off shortly after; <strong>Big Show<\/strong> threw him off the stage, causing injury.\u00a0 This would set up a feud for Undertaker&#8217;s return at <em><strong>Royal Rumble 2003<\/strong><\/em>, which would lead to Big Evil choking Big Show out at <em><strong>No Way Out 2003<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The feud would carry over into <em><strong>WrestleMania XIX<\/strong><\/em>, with Undertaker taking on Big Show and<strong> A-Train<\/strong> in a handicap match &#8211; with <strong>Nathan Jones<\/strong> in his corner.\u00a0 Taker would win the match, thus ending the feud.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"(11-0) The Undertaker vs Big Show &amp; A-Train\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yef05fiT8Gk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>A few months later, The Undertaker was to feud with WWE&#8217;s Evil Chairman, Mr. McMahon.\u00a0 After McMahon cost Undertaker a chance of reclaiming the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar at <em><strong>No Mercy 2003<\/strong><\/em>, Taker would set his sights on Vince.\u00a0 Undertaker was set to get his revenge at <em><strong>Survivor Series 2003<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The added stipulation? A Buried Alive match.\u00a0 Undertaker dominated for most of the match.\u00a0 Towards the end, unmasked Kane interfered &#8211; costing Taker the match.\u00a0 Big Evil was buried alive.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Undertaker&#039;s WrestleMania XX Entrance\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lBr_Kz2MCrk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Deadman Cometh<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For months after Taker&#8217;s burial, Kane mocked his &#8220;deceased&#8221; brother.\u00a0 He claimed Undertaker was &#8220;dead and buried&#8221; forever.\u00a0 In reality, Undertaker &#8211; who had been sporting a more clean cut look &#8211; was growing his hair out.\u00a0 The Deadman was to return at <em><strong>WrestleMania XX<\/strong><\/em>, stunning Kane.\u00a0 Taker&#8217;s victory over Kane would make it 12-0.\u00a0 Undertaker was back in his true form &#8211; with<strong> Paul Bearer<\/strong> returning to his corner.\u00a0 Feuds with <strong>Heidenreich<\/strong> and <strong>JBL<\/strong> occupied much of Taker&#8217;s 2004.\u00a0 By the time of <em><strong>WrestleMania XXI<\/strong> <\/em>in 2005, a new challenger had appeared: <strong>Randy Orton<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Randy Orton&#039;s most sadistic moments: WWE Top 10, July 28, 2018\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jApRm4jtrXA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The self-proclaimed &#8220;Legend Killer&#8221; was promising to break Undertaker&#8217;s <em>WrestleMania<\/em> streak.\u00a0 Though not the first time the streak was acknowledged (it is widely believed that <strong>Jerry Lawler<\/strong>&#8216;s mentioning of it after Taker beat Flair at <em>WrestleMania X-8<\/em> was the first), it was the first time an opponent had alluded to breaking the streak being their reason for wanting the match.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Undertaker&#039;s WrestleMania 21 Entrance\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8-J533Dik7w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Undertaker &#8211; who spent months taunting and haunting Randy Orton &#8211; would make the young star 13-0.\u00a0 It would not be unlucky.\u00a0 Undertaker would feud with <strong>Muhammad Hassan<\/strong> shortly after.\u00a0 Hassan was getting the upper-hand over the Deadman in the feud &#8211; which was to culminate at the<em><strong> Great American Bash<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Though Taker won the match (with the stipulation being the winner becomes number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship) before last riding Hassan through the stage &#8211; writing him off WWE programming forever, it wasn&#8217;t always to be.\u00a0 Hassan was scheduled to defeat The Undertaker, before moving on to defeating Batista for the championship.\u00a0 It would have made him the youngest world champion in WWE history.\u00a0 However, with the London bombings in 2005, Hassan&#8217;s character &#8211; that of an Islamic extremist &#8211; was too edgy for TV.\u00a0 He lost the match and was quietly released shortly afterward.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/cjMqZs1g6wU<\/p>\n<p>Undertaker would not get the title shot with Batista.\u00a0 Randy Orton would cost Taker a number one contender match with JBL, thus reigniting their feud.\u00a0 Orton would avenge his defeat at <em><strong>SummerSlam 2005<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 He would follow this up with another victory &#8211; after help from father, <strong>Cowboy Bob Orton<\/strong> &#8211; at <em><strong>No Mercy 2005<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Taker would win the sequel at <em><strong>Armageddon 2005<\/strong><\/em>, in a Hell in a Cell match.\u00a0 After failing to beat Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight Championship at <em><strong>No Way Out 2006<\/strong><\/em>, Taker would feud with <strong>Mark Henry<\/strong>.\u00a0 Henry would become Taker&#8217;s 14-0 at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXII<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 This was the second time a superstar would vow to break Undertaker&#8217;s winning streak.\u00a0 The yearly theme was underway and would provide excellent <em>WrestleMania<\/em> matches in the coming years.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>World Championship Feuds<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Undertaker would win the <em><strong>2007 Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em> match, making him number one contender for Batista&#8217;s World Heavyweight Champion at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXIII<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Batista was now established as a top main eventer &#8211; SmackDown&#8217;s answer to John Cena.\u00a0 &#8220;The Animal&#8221; would become number 15 on Undertaker&#8217;s winning streak &#8211; Taker was champion once more.\u00a0 However, the two fought again at <em><strong>Backlash 2007<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0&#8211; the Last Man Standing match ending in a draw.\u00a0 They fought a final time on the May 11th episode of SmackDown.\u00a0 To emphasize how evenly matched they both were, they drew once again.\u00a0 The Undertaker was so exhausted and beat down that after an attack from Mark Henry, Edge would easily cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on the Deadman.\u00a0 The championship reign was at an end.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtu.be\/A4yhnKKU9w8<\/p>\n<p>Undertaker would spend the rest of 2007 getting revenge on Mark Henry (who he beat at <em><strong>Unforgiven 2007<\/strong><\/em>) and chasing his former championship gold.\u00a0 Taker would enter the <em><strong>2008 Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em> match &#8211; hoping for a repeat of the previous year&#8217;s performance.\u00a0 However, he would be eliminated by fellow contender for GOAT status and long-time foe, <strong>Shawn Michaels<\/strong>.\u00a0 This would plant the seeds for the following year&#8217;s <em>WrestleMania <\/em>(more on that shortly).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Undertaker wins the 2007 Royal Rumble\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oYpmkR9tvc8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Undertaker would avenge his previous loss to Edge at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXIV<\/strong> <\/em>&#8211; winning back his World Heavyweight Championship.\u00a0 After Undertaker successfully retained at <em><strong>Backlash 2008<\/strong><\/em> with the Hell&#8217;s Gate submission, then SmackDown General Manager, <strong>Vickie Guerrero<\/strong>, would strip him of the championship.\u00a0 Featuring on television as Edge&#8217;s on-screen girlfriend, this would be a plot to eliminate the Deadman from the title picture once and for all.\u00a0 Undertaker then spent the remainder of 2008 feuding with Guerrero, Edge, Big Show and <strong>Vladimir Kozlov<\/strong>.\u00a0 He would not win back the championship that year.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>WrestleMania Greatness<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In the build-up to <em><strong>WrestleMania XXV<\/strong><\/em>, Undertaker entered a feud with long-time foe, Shawn Michaels.\u00a0 This would lead to what many would argue is the greatest match of all time.\u00a0 In the weeks leading to <em>WrestleMania<\/em>, HBK was bragging about how Undertaker had never defeated him in a one-on-one match.\u00a0 This was true and would serve as HBK&#8217;s reasoning for being the one who can break the streak.\u00a0 Of course, this never happened; the Deadman made HBK number 17 in 2009.\u00a0 The match, however, was spectacular.\u00a0 It made national news; it was all wrestling fans talked about in the weeks following <em>WrestleMania XV<\/em>.\u00a0 For possibly the first time, it truly looked like Taker&#8217;s streak was coming to an end.\u00a0 Instead, it was HBK&#8217;s winning streak against Taker which was broken.\u00a0 Of course, the Heartbreak Kid would want a rematch.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shawn Michaels&#039; 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania Entrance\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VHvw3H8FueU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Taker would make HBK number 18 at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXVI<\/strong><\/em> the following year &#8211; doubling his tally over Michaels at <em>WrestleMania<\/em>.\u00a0 Though not quite to the level of the first match &#8211; a true five-star spectacle &#8211; this was still an excellent match between two certified veterans of the game.\u00a0 Of course, this match would prove to be Shawn Michaels&#8217; final singles match &#8211; he would retire on the following RAW, receiving a retirement ceremony where even The Undertaker himself would pay tribute.\u00a0 Check out our recent article <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/2020\/03\/28\/a-decade-of-heartbreak-shawn-michaels-retires-10-years-ago-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Decade Of Heartbreak: Shawn Michaels Retires 10 Years Ago Today<\/a> for a more in-depth analysis of the two Undertaker\/Michaels <em>WrestleMania<\/em> matches.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shawn Michaels&#039; Farewell to the WWE Universe\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Dh10p70jD6c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Undertaker in the 2000s: Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In 2000, The Undertaker was 8-0 at <em>WrestleMania<\/em>.\u00a0 In defeating Shawn Michaels at <em>WrestleMania XVI<\/em>, he would become 18-0.\u00a0 He missed just one <em>WrestleMania<\/em> during the 2000s; <em><strong>WrestleMania XVI<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 The 2000s was the decade where Undertaker truly got to showcase his in-ring prowess.\u00a0 The great matches began during the Big Evil era and they continued into the Deadman&#8217;s return.\u00a0 It is hard to deny that the 2000s was Undertaker&#8217;s best decade and though the &#8217;90s can be argued, the Undertaker&#8217;s matches weren&#8217;t nearly as consistent.\u00a0 Part IV will focus on the 2010s &#8211; the decade Undertaker moved to a part-time basis.\u00a0 It is the decade which featured his final title run and the <em>end<\/em> of a certain streak.\u00a0 Join us for Part IV this coming week!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Undertaker Returns - WWE Top 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oricUgTqV_s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. WWE and Undertaker fan? You can check out The Undertaker\u2019s recent sit-down podcast with \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin, as well as all of your favorite matches on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WWE Network.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to Undertaker: Five Decades of the Deadman.\u00a0 This series has been chronicling the career of The Undertaker &#8211; who is set to make it five straight decades as a professional wrestler. \u00a0The last installment of this five-part series covered arguably the most active decade in the career of The Undertaker.\u00a0 We dived into [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2482,"featured_media":65056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,3],"tags":[57,6305,298,2086,51,395,52,297,75,241,47],"class_list":["post-65799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-brock-lesnar","tag-brothers-of-destruction","tag-kane","tag-michelle-mccool","tag-raw","tag-shawn-michaels","tag-smackdown","tag-the-undertaker","tag-triple-h","tag-vince-mcmahon","tag-wwe"],"modified_by":"Niklas George","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2482"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}