Something of a late bloomer as an in-ring performer after over a decade of duds, The Undertaker tightened his grip on superstardom with a superlative Shawn Michaels series, but WrestleMania 25's show-stealing masterpiece wasn't the start.
This Undertaker thrilled audiences at the end of the 2007 Royal Rumble. And at start of the 2008 one. And in two era-defining WrestleMania classics.
Once a frightened rabbit in the fearsome face of 'The Deadman' during their sensational 1997 rivalry, The 'Heartbreak Kid' was all man against him in their advancing years. Chasing a count-out win just for the win, Michaels exhibited spectacular desperation when Undertaker whiffed on a dive. Later, Undertaker lost all hope when Shawn somehow lifted a shoulder from the Tombstone.
'HBK's guts garnered no glory in the end as a Undertaker caught him off a moonsault with a second for the climactic conclusion, but this was a new beginning, rather than an end. The pair closed the book on moribund main events by cribbing pages from the New Japan Pro Wrestling playbook, but this script remained incomplete...
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
