8 WWE PPVs The Undertaker Main-Evented (That He Shouldn't Have)

The Phenom's super-show 'dead-liners'.

Brock Lesnar The Undertaker
WWE.com

The Undertaker is a legend - there is no denying that.

Almost every WWE fan has fond memories of the 'Deadman', and that was due to him having a prominent role throughout his 25-plus year tenure with the company. While never asked to carry WWE as the top babyface, ‘Taker always occupied a key role, featuring in many high profile feuds. In many ways, he transcended the necessity for titles.

Thanks to this role, The Undertaker has main evented many PPVs, including this past WrestleMania against Roman Reigns, which was supposedly his last match (although WWE have strangely been vague about if he’s retired or not, since I guess with Goldberg coming back, there’s always a chance ‘Taker will want one last payday too).

That said, even though ‘Taker was usually a welcome presence in the main event scene, sometimes his spot on the card was was completely unjustified, largely owing mainly to Vince McMahon’s predilection toward big sweaty men and sports entertainment spectacle over traditional wrestling. The matches on this list chronicle eight PPVs where The Undertaker main-evented, and it was really apparent he shouldn’t have.

8. King Of The Ring 1997 (Vs. Farooq)

Brock Lesnar The Undertaker
WWE Network

What should have main-evented: Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels

Let’s just get the one with the big caveat out of the way: yes, The Undertaker was the WWF Champion at the time, so yes, in terms of traditional wrestling logic, he had every right to be in the main event of King of the Ring 1997. The problem was with his dance partner. Ron Simmons has had a long and storied career that deserves all the respect it gets. But as a singles wrestler, and as Farooq, he was as boring as [insert very boring thing here].

Aside from a lack of a compelling opponent, the main event suffered in that it mashed together two disparate storylines. One involved Paul Bearer blackmailing ‘Taker into accepting his managerial services lest Bearer reveal ‘Taker’s dark secret (later revealed to be Kane), and the other involved dissention in Farooq’s Nation and Domination, with Crush and Savio Vega defecting. Neither story had anything to do with each other, and it showed in the buildup and crowd reaction.

While it was hastily thrown together thanks to Bret Hart’s injury, the grudge match between Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels likely would have been a better holder of the main event slot, as it was longer, had more in-ring action, and didn’t end as flat as Undertaker’s match against Farooq.

Contributor
Contributor

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