100 Greatest WWE WrestleMania Moments
56. ‘The Deadman’ Becomes WWF Champ Again (WrestleMania 13)
The Undertaker and WrestleMania went together like cookies and milk for decades, so it's no shocker that a number of 'Deadman' memories litter the 100. In 1997, the WWF hitched their wagon to the icon and crowned him champ again. It was a popular decision, not least because 'Taker beat out perennial menace Sycho Sid to win big and end the night in party mode with his creatures of the night.
Shawn Michaels sat in on guest commentary, and Bret Hart (freshly turned following his bruising clash with Steve Austin around 30 minutes or so before) performed a few run-ins to help Undertaker and Sid flesh out their main event. The actual meat of the match isn't what's most important here though. The Undertaker winning his second WWF Title was the best end point for the headliner; if Steve Austin vs. Bret couldn't go on last, then this was the next best thing for fans.
The tagline for 'Mania 13 was simply: "Heat!". Things were definitely hot as 'Taker toasted his latest success and no doubt looked forward to money spinning matches vs. Michaels, Hart, Austin and others. Writers likely knew they could always program their reliable stalwart against any number of monster heels and reap decent rewards too.
Not monsters like Giant Gonzalez or King Kong Bundy though, otherwise the man himself might've had an aneurysm.
A new era was dawning for the promotion following 1997's supercard. The more some things change, others stay the same. 'Taker was a constant the McMahon family knew they could depend upon to carry their torch with distinction.