10 Sweetest Examples Of WWE Payback

10. Waking Up The Dead

“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” - Confucius

Post-1998, you can’t be a main event babyface in the WWF/E if you’ve not feuded with the boss. In late 2003 the Undertaker (in his mortal, badass biker gimmick) was robbed of an almost certain victory over Brock Lesnar at the No Mercy pay-per-view when Vince McMahon interfered. The following week, the Undertaker was placed into an ‘impossible’ handicap match against Lesnar and the Big Show by incoming heel Smackdown manager Paul Heyman, with the gloating stipulation that if he won - hah! - then he could choose his own match.

Naturally, being a WWE babyface in peril, the Undertaker beat the odds, and in one of the most memorable segments in Smackdown history, collapsed on the ramp after the match and taunted by McMahon, the Undertaker named his match: Buried Alive, at Survivor Series… against McMahon himself.

The match itself was, as expected, a ten-minute, one-sided beatdown in which McMahon bladed early and bled heavily. About to bury his hated enemy alive, the Undertaker was assaulted by Kane, who threw his brother into the grave, allowing McMahon to dump a load of soil into it to get the win.

That booked the Undertaker off television for a number of months. In early 2004 however, ominous vignettes and weird happenings heralded the return of the Dead Man: the real deal, magical powers and all, which culminated in a match with Kane at WrestleMania XX.

The action itself may have taken around as long as the entrances did, but it was faster and more intense than you'd expect from the brothers, and extended the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak to twelve-nil. However, what made it so special was the crowd’s delirious response to seeing the Undertaker, back in black (so to speak), and Kane’s manic, disbelieving response to seeing his brother back from the grave once more.

Selling fear and loathing like they were paying his mama’s medical bills, Kane’s performance was the cornerstone of the match. The outcome may have been a foregone conclusion, but thanks to his completely unselfish heeling about, we were treated to a deeply satisfying ending to the latest feud between the two colossi.