The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness persona may have run its course by the summer of 1999, but The Phenom was still as central to WWE as always. That's why when he tore a groin muscle at SummerSlam he continued to appear as a character on TV, accompanying The Big Show out to the ring for matches. Finally, Undertaker took time off to heal that and other injuries, heading home in September of 1999. The Phenom spent the autumn on the sidelines, but rumors were running rampant that he'd return at the 2000 Royal Rumble - in fact, he was featured prominently on the event's poster. Just before the show, though, Undertaker suffered another injury, having torn a pectoral muscle while training for his comeback. Undertaker had a whole new injury to heal, and an whole new timetable for a return. He was forced to miss WrestleMania 2000, making it one of only two Phenom-less WrestleManias during the past quarter century. He wouldn't return until May's Judgment Day, making his first appearance as the "American Bad Ass" character.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
