There has been a general pattern over the years regarding the hiring of big men in WWE. As a rule, if someone is brought in for the specific purpose of destroying the Undertaker, that person is going to flop, big time. And Heidenreich was a perfect example of this pattern happening. Introduced in late 2004 after plans for Mordecai (remember him?) failed, Heidenreich was already 33 years old when he debuted with WWE. As soon as he arrived on SmackDown, he was put into a feud with the Undertaker, costing the Deadman two opportunities at the WWE Championship. However, no matter how much WWE tried to play up the idea that Heidenreich was a serious threat to the Undertaker, nobody bought that idea. Not even the incredible Paul Heyman could make us believe that Heidenreich was a skilled wrestler. The fact is, Heidenreichs feud with the Undertaker was very forgettable; people remember him more for his poetry, the infamous Heidenrape scene involving Michael Cole, and his tag team with Road Warrior Animal. Other than that, his WWE was a whole lot of nothing. Considering Undertakers important spot on the SmackDown card, he shouldve been wrestling someone more important or long-term, instead of just another throwaway feud with another big man with subpar wrestling technique.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
