10 Incredible WWE Attitude Era Moments Nobody Ever Talks About

10. The American Badass Cometh

"The Deadman", "The Phenom", "The Conscience of the WWE." All monikers of one man: The Undertaker.

Mark Callaway's great creation is both instantly recognisable and yet ever-changing. Whenever the character has started to get stale, the Undertaker has reinvented himself and come back bigger and better. Fans remember the biggest evolution of the character was to the "American Badass," in mid-2000.

Except that's not quite when it happened.

Though this new version of the Undertaker rode into Judgement Day's main event, following a series of cryptic promos in the weeks preceding the PPV, this wasn't his debut. 'Taker had actually started embodying this persona the previous summer, just as he was about to take a hiatus from WWE. His demeanour and voice shifted from a rarely-heard stoic religious fanatic speaking in tongues, to an ol' school Texan ripping rivals a new one on commentary. He began addressing foes rather patronisingly as 'son,' and similarly cussed out tag team partner Big Show at every opportunity.

His attire also switched up towards the end of his 1999 run, as he began appearing in backstage and promo segments in what would become the now-classic bandana, sunglasses and leather jacket combination. 'Taker's appearances as this proto-American Badass looked to be more at home in a biker bar than a funeral parlour and signalled a shift in the character that paralleled the company as a zeitgeist for American culture.