10 Reasons WWE's Ministry Of Darkness Failed

On the 7 December 1998 Raw, Stone Cold Steve Austin was strapped to a crucifix in the shape of The Undertaker’s symbol and slowly risen into the air, creating a timeless moment in WWE’s history. 'Taker stood underneath with his hands lifted and eyes white, while an updated rendition of his theme song played in the background, metal guitars chugging and horns blazing. This crucifix angle was repeated a few months later with Big Boss Man getting the treatment: the difference being that The Ministry obviously didn’t strap him in well enough, as he jumped off and ran within a minute. At another point, Ken Shamrock’s storyline sister Ryan was lifted into the air for a strong commercial break cliffhanger, only for the Ministry, the crucifix, and the symbol to have disappeared when we returned to the show.

Unfortunately, this series of diminished returns was nothing new for The Ministry, and what were original and exciting angles soon became tired tropes through repetition. For months on end, Viscera and company beat up various mid card guys with the exact same offence ad nauseum, to a point where each week felt like watching a non-playable character throwing shapes in a video game cutscene. In the first instances of their menace, The Ministry’s tactics were guaranteed to make for fresh and exciting television. However, after almost every interesting moment had been repeated to less and less effect, most viewers may have been rolling their eyes harder than The Undertaker.