The Undertaker may be one of the greatest Superstars in WWE, an iconic character whose longevity and success can be attributed to the man behind the gimmick's ability to change and adapt across generations, but that does not make him any less bizarre. He spent two-plus decades stalking to the ring, making it lightning and thunder in arenas across the country, not to mention his ability to turn lights on and off simply by raising his arms. He buried people alive, spent his off-days making double-wide, double-deep caskets for behemoths such as Kamala, Yokozuna and King Mable, and even sacrificed a man on live television. Undertaker has struck fear in Superstars of all sizes and sizes thanks to his mastery of mind games. Whether he was intimidating Giant Gonzalez with a black wreath or strapping "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to a giant Undertaker symbol and suspending above the Raw entrance, he held a mental edge over his opposition, mostly because he did things no one had ever seen or experienced before. Clad in black, the perfecter of showmanship embraced the bizarre nature of the character and helped set it apart from the rest of the roster. By doing so, he became something different and unique and that endeared him to fans tired of the cookie-cutter good guys and bad guys that had bogged down Vince McMahon's company in the 1990s.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
