While a large proportion of the Undertakers matches in the early nineties were plodding snoozefests, that was entirely due to his gimmick. When youre playing a giant mute zombie, that tends to limit the speed you can move at, the moveset you apply, and what you say and how you say it. Anyone whos seen clips of Mean Mark Callous matches from WCW knows that the younger Calaway could still go like the clappers, and was incredibly agile for a 69, 610 guy. Initially hampered in the ring by his characters lethargic movements, unable to sell barely allowed to work at all - Calaway was able to introduce a faster-paced style as time went on, and the quality of his matches improved immeasurably. By 1997, he was more or less wrestling at full speed and with a proper moveset, even selling his opponents offense where necessary. Always a little breakable, the harder and faster he worked the more often it seemed hed injure himself: but every return from injury seemed to add a quality to his character, enhancing what had come before. The exception was his return as The American Badass in May 2000, where a pectoral injury sustained during rehabilitation of a groin injury had prevented him from properly exercising, causing him to balloon in weight. Once hed dropped the extra flab, Calaways character and work improved again at a rate of knots. The Badass, later Big Evil after a classic heel turn, was an almost completely horror-free variation on the Undertaker theme that saw him arrive to the ring on a motorcycle and kick ass like the scarily huge biker he was in real life. Although it remains the mans favourite era for the Phenom, and some of the best work of his career took place in this non-demonic role (including proper promos in a normal voice with a real human persons cadence to them), the character wouldnt prove as popular as his old school supernatural schtick. He returned from injury in 2004 under the current Dead Man persona, a loose hybrid of every iteration of the Undertaker that had come before. Part time for years now, only appearing as a special attraction at Wrestlemania and very occasional guest spots on RAW or Smackdown, The Undertakers defences of his vaunted winning streak at Mania became one of the highlights of the card, as if the man saved up every ounce of strength, stamina and agility to deliver as if hed never been away on that one night of the year. But one big fight a year doesnt define a career. Calaways best had slipped behind him. If, like most other people, you were disappointed by the Lesnar/Undertaker match at Wrestlemania XXX last year, heres something to make you smile: their infinitely superior bout from No Mercy 2002. Ripped, fast and working his ass off, Calaway tears up the joint with Lesnar in the most brutal Hell In A Cell match that doesnt involve Mick Foley trying to end his own career. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xz6p71_brock-lesnar-vs-the-undertaker-no-mercy-2002-hell-in-a-cell-match-wwe-championship_sport
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
