WWE: Ranking Undertaker's 21 WrestleMania Victories Worst To Best

11. Diesel, WrestleMania XII

Prior to their match at WrestleMania XII, the idea of putting Undertaker and Diesel in the ring for a high-profile match at the biggest show of the year was not an appealing one. Diesel's best work had always come against smaller, more technically sound wrestlers who could guide him to a great match. Undertaker, while constantly improving and developing as a worker, was nowhere near the level of in-ring performer he would eventually become. To say many expected a train wreck would be an understatement. The match had great build. A frustrated Diesel had cost Undertaker the WWE Championship in a match against Bret Hart at January 1996's Royal Rumble, effectively turning heel in the process, and Undertaker had returned the favor the following month at In Your House. Diesel, displaying an edgier and cockier attitude than before, cut promos in which he stated that he was fearless, only to be proven wrong when Undertaker began playing mind games with his rival. This set the stage for one of the marquee matches at WrestleMania XII. Determined to prove critics and peers wrong, Undertaker and Diesel had a very good, very hard-hitting match. Big Daddy Cool, who was on his way out of WWE, wore his opponent down with sidewalk slams and high-impact elbow drops while Undertaker proved his resilience and pain tolerance, never allowing his shoulders to be pinned to the mat for three seconds. Diesel worked his trademark offense into the match while the fans inside Anaheim cheered on the Phenom, hoping he would recover and put away the former WWE champion. He did just that, courtesy of the Tombstone. The win was Undertaker's hardest-fought one to date. It was a rarity to see that character beaten up and exhausted at the time so fans knew Diesel had taken him to the absolute limit which, in turn, indirectly put Big Daddy Cool over and earned him a shot at the WWE title at the next month's pay-per-view.