2. Fire And Brimstone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QDpOGE8dww 2010 SmackDown Chamber One of the lesser-known wild moments in Elimination Chamber history involves The Undertaker. And if it had happened to anyone other than the Phenom, known for his poise and control, perhaps we'd have a very different story. Even though he was the World Heavyweight Champion, Taker made his big entrance fourth of six participants, because he was not starting the match. This small detail may be what enabled Taker to participate, despite suffering a tragic mishap during his entrance. As he strode between the gateway of flickering flames, a pyrotechnic malfunction resulted in Taker's jacket catching fire! Given the camera angles, fans at home would not have recognized the severity of what happened, just that The Undertaker threw his jacket to the floor with great haste. Ever the professional, the man's torso still appears to be smoking as he marches forth out of the flames. The announce team says that he's not wasting any time, "hell bent on defending his World Title". He goes right into his pod, likely to confer with medics on the outside, while CM Punk stalls for time by cutting a Straight Edge Society promo on his way to the ring. It's a brilliant distraction, made longer by R-Truth's subsequent What's Up-ing down the ramp. By this point, Taker must have been pronounced able to compete, and was apparently given bottles of water throughout his tenure in the pod, to pour onto his neck and chest to ease the pain of the burns. When he enters the fray near the end of the match, and especially when he pulls down the straps of his singlet, you can see how red his skin is. Not only does he compete in the match, but he conducts himself in such a manner than no one could have guessed what had transpired at the top of that ramp. And if he hadn't competed, we wouldn't have had moment #1.
Heather Hickey
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Follow me @kickyhick :) I hold a degree in English Rhetoric & Professional Writing from the University of Waterloo in Canada. I've done technical writing, executive presentations, and recruiting materials for BlackBerry, and I write for non-profit organizations. My favourite project so far has been combining my passion for writing with being a die-hard wrestling fan. It's a pleasure to write here for WhatCulture, and also for TJRwrestling.com.
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