10 Times Wrestling History Repeated Itself
8. From The Undertaker To Badass Biker
That's Mark Calaway, the man behind the legendary spooky Undertaker gimmick, who repackaged himself as a hardman biker character in 2000 and achieved even more success, before returning to a version of the gimmick that made him famous. Right? Ah, actually were talking about Brian Lee.
Who?
Well, in 1994, Lee was brought to the WWF to be represented by the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase as a fake version of the Undertaker. DiBiase, who'd been responsible for bringing the real Undertaker to the WWF in the original storyline, claimed to have found his former protégé (whose character was on hiatus while Calaway recovered from a back injury) and brought him back to the ring. The real Undertaker returned to fight the Underfaker and defeated him in a casket match at Summerslam 1994.
Lee didn't get to reprise the Dead Man gimmick for a lengthy feud: he was one and done, and left for pastures new. However, he'd return to the WWF in 1997 under the name Chainz as a badass biker with sinister, occult imagery, a part of the villainous stable DOA the Disciples Of Apocalypse.
DOA would stick around for two years before quietly dissolving in 1999. Chainz himself left the company again after only one year. In 2000, the real Undertaker returned once again from hiatus caused by injury - this time as a badass biker with sinister, occult imagery. What's good for the goose is good for the gander: Brian Lee stole Mark Calaway's gimmick, so Calaway stole his in return.