7 Reasons Biker Gimmick Was Nearly The Death Of The Undertaker

2. He Was Trying Way Too Hard To Be Cool

The bike; the nu-metal entrance music; the indignant, manly rage at all times - looking back, Undertaker's American Badass run was incredibly cringeworthy. With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear that he was given too much creative control over the gimmick, and that he was trying far too hard to come across as cool. Undertaker has never been shy of incorporating pop cultural phenomena into his gimmick. The rising mainstream appeal of MMA saw him coincidentally dubbed "the best pure striker in WWE", and the adoption of a triangle choke finisher. These more recent changes can be seen as a wise attempt to recognise popular trends and benefit from their use - a key part of wrestling's continued survival and evolution. However, back at the turn of the century, his attempts to appeal to the masses were far more misguided. The most egregious error has to be the theme music; it's hard to think of two less appropriate songs for an ageing father in his mid-30s than Kid Rock's 'American Badass' and Limp Bizkit's 'Rollin''. It also resulted in Fred Durst and co. playing him to the ring at WrestleMania 19, a moment WWE wisely ignore when talking about iconic WrestleMania entrances.