10 Fun Facts About My Trip To WWE WrestleMania XX
1. The Dead Man Returns
When Undertaker morphed into The American Bad Ass in 2000, I thought it was a much-needed overhaul of his character. When he was in the Coporate Ministry with the gut and the mad goatee you could just tell he needed to freshen up his image and character and this was the way to do it.
The biker character was a breath of fresh air and he had good face runs and a phenomenally underrated heel run in 2002, where he worked great programs with Ric Flair and Jeff Hardy. But at the 2003 Survivor Series, 'Taker was buried alive by Kane and it was clear theyd be facing off at WrestleMania XX. But which Undertaker would show up at MSG?
At the Royal Rumble, we first heard the gong, indicating The Dead Man would return at Madison Square Garden. As Kane made his entrance, I couldnt stay in my seat, wondering what 'Taker would look like, what the entrance would be like, still not quite believing I was in MSG getting to watch this happen.
When Paul Bearers voice screeched over the sound system with a mighty OHHHH YEESSSSS I absolutely lost it. I hadnt even considered that Bearer would make a return. With urn in hand and the druids surrounding the entrance way, the gong hit and The Undertaker emerged in a long black trench coat with a black Western hat to a positively thunderous ovation from the Madison Sqaure Garden faithful.
That single 90 second entrance was worth the entire trip for me. Undertaker has been the one constant in my wrestling fandom. He debuted in 1990 and I started watching in 1991. He had been a favourite ever since. To see that return live made me tear up but it was all happy tears. Thats what wrestling can do to you. Thats what WrestleMania can do.