That Time The Undertaker Brought A WWE Superstar BACK FROM THE DEAD In Japan

by Michael Hamflett

Just days removed from his gruelling clash with Shawn Michaels, 'The Demon Of Death Valley' was back in Japan for a contest that has to be seen to be believed. The Undertaker took on his former WWE colleague Shinzaki, but not before bringing him back to life after mortuary attendants wheel his corpse to the ring.

Supposedly caught compromised to a permanent end after the Muta loss, Jinzaki - specifically as the Hakushi-esque version himself that wrestled for NJPW - was left in the ring by the assistants. The ghoulish and other-worldly presence of The Undertaker astonishingly returned him to life, with the mud-and-blood-stained Hakushi selling the experience as if he was literally learning to use his arms and legs all over again whilst attempting to yet again do battle with death.

Ordinarily considered a superlative performer for his in-ring work alone, this was character-driven stuff on another level from anything he'd had the chance to do for Vince McMahon and again highlighted the size of the open goal missed when he did wrestle for the biggest organisation in North America.

October 1997 was a different time. This sort of silliness wasn't hard to keep hidden from fans, and thus didn't damage the legacy of Kane or The Undertaker one iota. Unlike, say, coming back to perform quasi-comedy matches with fellow old-timers Triple H and Shawn Michaels in 2018 for a small fortune. Regrettably, it's hard to imagine this Undertaker inspiring life in a deceased soul when he seems so tragically unwilling to inspire it in himself.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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