10 Best Ring Names In WWE History

9. The Undertaker

The Undertaker
WWE.com

The Undertaker was a legitimately terrifying presence for those young enough to perceive him at face value. To children especially, death is an irreconcilable, unfathomable prospect. 'Taker was the manifestation of it; impervious to pain, stalking the ring with a lurching dread, he was a deathly pale giant in stature and presence. He was a fantastic character wrestler years before he was permitted to focus on the latter part of the remit.

The name was crucial to the aura, as the concept stage of the act confirms. Vince McMahon has an idiosyncratic love of the language, which often manifests as ludicrous. Originally, he had devised the name 'Paul Bearer' for the Dead Man before reattaching it to his manager. The Undertaker character was both dark in itself and in stark comparison to a landscape of African tribesmen and tugboat captains. Something so pun-tastic would have undermined what became, urns, casket matches and wailing fat men managers aside, a character of grave seriousness. It risked trespassing Death Valley as it is; the performance elevated what was, on paper, a silly gimmick.

The name also helped; 'Undertaker' hearkened death in all of its grimness, providing the performer with the gravitas he used to forge a legendary career.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!