10 Reasons WWE's Ministry Of Darkness Failed

Even with a deep roster, by the time The Ministry of Darkness reared its devilish head, there was little in the way of established main eventers for them to face. This issue was complicated by the fact that The Undertaker had openly stated at the start of the angle that he was after Vince McMahon, who was completely immersed in a money feud with Steve Austin. The Ministry had been created from a storyline in which Undertaker had gone to war with Austin, and now, back in action, The Undertaker was almost immediately cast adrift as his two opponents were busy creating memorable moments with each other. This caused a variety of issues, not least The Undertaker’s match at WrestleMania.

With the two main figures of his hatred out of the running, the writing team would have to find another opponent to be sacrificed at The Ministry’s altar. ‘Taker had already worked extensively with both Kane and Mankind throughout 1997 and 1998, and they had few links to the corporation. Meanwhile, Big Show had just entered the promotion a month earlier and may have been considered a little too new to go into a programme with the group. In many ways, WWE booked themselves into a corner (heard that one before?) by making The Undertaker gun for Vince McMahon from the beginning of the Ministry’s creation: with the chairman busy with a bigger feud, the Deadman had to settle for his muscle, Shamrock and Boss Man, causing the Ministry’s involvement with the Corporation to feel second tier.

The Hell in a Cell match was mentioned in passing by McMahon a few weeks before the show, and the writing was on the wall.