10 Important Steps In The Undertaker's WWE Evolution

5. His Feuds With Kane And Mankind

When people ask which of the Undertaker€™s feuds was the most significant, there are two that are often fighting for that top spot: either his classic feud with Mankind, or his incredibly lengthy feud with Kane. Both of these feuds helped bring about change in the Undertaker. Mankind was a kind of opponent that the Undertaker had never really faced before: one that truly enjoyed pain. This feud would last throughout 1996 and 1997, during which Mankind would cost the Undertaker numerous wins and titles. The animosity between them reached new heights as Paul Bearer turned on him just as he was about to win a Boiler Room Brawl against Mankind. This particular feud would reach its zenith at the 1998 King of the Ring, in the now famous Hell in a Cell match between the two. After throwing Mankind off of the cell, and then Chokeslamming him through the cell, and then Chokeslamming him onto a bed of thumbtacks, the Undertaker solidified himself as a legendary performer, even after believing that the call through the cell had killed Mick Foley. Undertaker€™s feud with Mick Foley really marked another turning point in the Undertaker€™s career: by this point, he was becoming a legend. It also helped that he wrestled in the Cell match against Mankind with a broken foot.

Kane, on the other hand, brought about an entirely new dimension to the Undertaker character. Prior to Kane€™s introduction, many of Taker€™s feuds were recycled, with one Superstar, or a group of Superstars, trying to take the Undertaker out, usually gaining the advantage through dirty tactics. Only in the end, the Undertaker would overcome them all, often through €˜the power of the urn€™. The complex story that is the Undertaker-Kane storyline dropped that process on its head. Paul Bearer cryptically referenced Kane as Undertaker€™s younger brother, and created an entire backstory on the Undertaker that showed him as something he had before been presented as: a normal human being with a family that he cared about. This feud also brought us some memorable moments in Taker€™s career, including this fantastic performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKJfiYXen5I The Undertaker and Kane would feud on again and off again for years to come. They would be bitter enemies, allies, Tag Team champions, fight each other for the WWF Championship, be allies in the Invasion storyline, try and bury each other alive, among other things. All in all, Taker€™s feud with Kane brought about a long-complex storyline that created some sense of humanity and compassion in the Undertaker, which allowed the gimmick to be taken to new heights.