10 SICK & TWISTED Wrestling Funerals

3. "How Do You Like Your Undertaker?!"

Torrie Wilson
WWE

Shortly after Shawn Michaels had defeated The Undertaker in a casket match that actually ended his career for a while, D-Generation X pulled a pretty cool sh*thouse move that revealed the true genius behind 'HBK' and HHH's sophomoric silliness.

It wasn't as memorable or replayed as barbecue jokes, a "S*ck The Cook" apron and big sausage/little n*b gags after Kane set his brother's coffin on fire, but it was f*cking good sh*t, pal.

This moment of gallows 1998 chicanery spoke to how well DX had found the balance of goofing around and getting serious in a way that might actually draw some money. The pair asking the crowd "How did [they] like your Undertaker" was a darkly amusing way to talk around the fact that an industry icon had been incinerated on pay-per-view. In a different time, this would have drawn derision and disgust. As the Attitude Era dawned, most of the crowd were stifling their giggles.

Reaching the peak of his unlikely second act just as 'The Deadman' was inexplicably doing the same, Michaels went back to the well in 2009 ahead of their WrestleMania 25 classic. This on-screen funeral was far more earnest and sold a contest unlike much we'd ever seen in company history.

All very powerful. But to fans of a certain vintage, just not as good as the grill.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett