The dying gimmick of the Undertaker

Along with the persistent retirement rumors,
Does any one really think the Undertaker character is dead and he is only a popular guy now?

If we look at the Undertaker’s gimmicks, he is supposed to be feared man. He is the dead man, If any of you watched or even experienced The Undertaker in his early days around 96 and before…you will notice how people get scared and afraid of this man, the undertaker is not scary any more…this is surely against his gimmick!!

People now cheer when they hear the mood getting darker and and they are supposedl to get scared ehen they see the Undertaker coming in, but they get excited! The Undertaker is not to be blamed, 18 years!! If you know any one for 18 years you wont be scared of him any longer, part of this is because he was seen too much and he has been uncovered a lot by the public, he is not the man of mystery any more.

The other part is the different personas that did not really help trying to renew the Undertaker as 18 years of the same gimmick probably is not good for business, even Hogan took a heel turn!! Bad Ass Undertaker(I believe thats what they called him) making him ride a bike and look like a gangster really destroyed his image in my own opinion. So this played a part too.

He does not seem to perform the act right any more, he seems he is just too tired of it. The early undertaker with pale look big hair comming along with his urn and his interpreter , Paul Bearer, makes u think you have seen a ghost! Now the undertaker is fast moving, being beat up by simple wrestlers, he looks like he has been beat up really good in earlier days he hardly feels pain. He doesnt do his grave-waking up move much, he used to that every time he was put down. His new submission move, although is smart, but it looks like something from Brazilian Jujitsu fighting people like Ken Shamrock or Kurt Angle than the dead man, where signiture move likes tombstone and choke slam is more fitting. Plus his slick long hair doesnt imply dead man, more like stylish man.

Another thing I would like to add is that Another part of his gimmick dying is he is not facing the right opponents. I mean whats edge next to the undertaker? The undertaker is used to facing people that come from dark and extra-ordinary worlds like his, which gives him the boos except t and shines his image . Fake undertaker(very smart btw), mankind, kane, Giant Gonzales, and even Yokozuna, although not from dark , but at that time he was this mystery japanese that was crushing every one with his weight and it scared everyone maybe……… except the underrrtakkerrr..
Facing people like edge doesnt help taker’s image, because edge is more to feud with someone like hbk or Tripel H.How does a “rated r superstar” rivals against a dead man, make much sense?

I say, if undertaker isn’t going to retire, he has to go back to his real gimmick with Paul Bearer, the urn and everything, and he should cut his hair as it used to be. I wold love to see him go back to the grey tie and make an entrance with a crow for his retirement match like he did in wrestlemania 9 I believe.

In the end, Kudos to Mark for surviving on a difficult gimmick that can’t survive the measures of time, people of similar dark gimmicks die quickly, compare mankind and undertaker for example, or papa shango, or even Sting mysterious character…even with all the negative comments i presented, I think he survived the test of time well and evolved with it keeping the “undertaker look” although changing attire, moves, and at one time theme music….specially that today’s crowd is a very different crowd from the ones he debuted on in ‘89.

i would like also to add that mark is one of the better wrestlers. During an 18 year time period he has been there, he did everything Vince told him to do and he took on mid-carders and simple matches like edge and goldust at one point, he changed personas, and I believe he jobs for younger wrestlers(edge) to make their way, on opposite of other wrestlers most famous of them like Hogan who wouldnt do such a thing and act all arrogant and has always to win. Also he never had drug or steroids problems, or even family problems as far as I know, on th eopposite of many of the most famous wrestlers that end in sad stories like death or rehab. I also never heard a story where the undertaker was a cause to a problem or feud in real life or feeling bitterness toward other wrestlers that they are taking away the spot-light…even vince hates macho man, bret doesnt like shawn , and u know the rest.