How The Undertaker Judged His Opponents

Mindful of the Million Dollar Corporation nonsense he'd gotten wrapped up in during the company's 1990s nadir and the incredible legacy he'd crafted in his career ever since, The Undertaker maximised his minutes rather uniquely when he'd judged his opponents as not quite up to snuff.

As he said to the Pardon My Take podcast; “A lot of times that would just depend on my opponent...if I was working with somebody that was pretty limited or I thought I was gonna have just a real sh**ty match with, I was like 'man, Imma get my money’s worth out of this entrance'.

There were times I would take a little bit of extra time cause I knew the match is gonna be horrible, so I figured I might as well give it to them on the entrance, cause they are gonna be disappointed when the bell rings.”

Few - if any - have the room to judge WWE talent quite like 'The Deadman', but it turns out he was sizing up every opponent with every step of his legendary entrance.

It's the gentlest of digs towards a few of the many he stood across the ring from, but it's a telling critique for fans to now look for on rewatch. Tracing right back to 1992, his first match with Kamala saw his driven down on a hearse. He scaled that right back in November. The magic and mystique is evident years later against the likes of The Great Khali and Vladimir Kozlov. 'The Deadman' wasn't teflon from criticism, but he was wise enough to take advantage of his ability to send fans home happy regardless of what actually happened bell to bell.

It's also something to check for when rewatching his less-than-classic outings, which again speaks to his enduring presence - an iconic magician has told us how to do the trick, but has made it even more appealing in the process. Skip WrestleMania 33 though - he would.