|
|
Post by hbkjason on Jun 17, 2022 4:41:01 GMT -5
Ok, So I think I have a pretty fun one today. As much as a legend as The Undertaker is, his matches during the early part of his career are not held in the same high regard as those that would come much later. I thought it would be fun to pick our favorite matches before 1997 as if we went to 1997, most people's lists would probably be the two matches with HBK and the two with Bret!
I think to be fair to The Undertaker, he was put with some pretty brutal opponents during the first part of his career and really it is a testament to how good he was at playing and staying in character that fans still ate it all up.
The Mount Rushmore of Undertaker Matches: 1990 to 1996
Undertaker vs Diesel: WrestleMania XII
I am a big fan of both guys and loved this feud they had going on. Not being a huge fan of the Iron Man match, this is my favorite match that happened at WrestleMania XII. For a slower-paced match with two big guys, they kept me entertained from the start to the end and I was kept guessing the whole time as to who was going. I would probably say that apart from Bret and Shawn, Undertaker was Diesel's best match in the WWF, maybe with Bulldog and Razor coming in just behind.
Undertaker vs Bret Hart: Royal Rumble 1996
Bret and Undertaker always had great chemistry together and while my favorite match of theirs is the one from One Night Only in 1997, I think that their effort at the 1996 Royal Rumble is a lot of fun too. We got to see Bret Hart be more aggressive here like he was with Diesel the year prior and we also got to see the Undertaker wrestle too. I have just always thought this was a fun match The run-in with Diesel was a great way to kickstart the program with Undertaker. Although I must admit that the whole Undertaker vs Diesel thing did make Bret appear to be a weak champion in his run up to WrestleMnaia XII.
Undertaker vs Kamala: Survivor Series 1992
I know this may seem like a strange choice as the match is not exactly a classic, but man was I all in on the "coffin match" at the 1992 Survivor Series. I loved the vignettes that they would run where you would see The Undertaker working on the casket prior to the match. This is not so much a great match, but more of a great attraction and it is one that always springs to mind when I think of The Undertaker during this time.
Undertaker & Ultimate Warrior vs The Bezerker & Papa Shango: VHS 1992
For the life of me, I cannot remember where this match is from, but I saw it on one of the Siver Vision VHS tapes, but I am sure it was not on the Return of the Ultimate Warrior one, it could have been on Undertaker: His Gravest Matches, but I am not sure. Anway the showdown between The Undertaker and The Bezerker when Undertaker was making his way to the ring during an episode of WWF Superstars was goosebump inducing stuff! These two just had something about them that made you want to see them clash. While we did get that match, this tag match is one that I think is a great deal of fun. It is not a long match, but one that I have always had a lot of fun watching. I am not sure if this was the blow-off for Undertaker and Bezerker before he moved onto Kamala, likewise, I am not sure if this was the blow off for Warrior and Papa Shango.
So those are my picks, what matches are you fond of from the early part of The Undertakers career?
|
|
TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,634
|
Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Jun 17, 2022 5:13:46 GMT -5
Thankfully, you extended it to 1996 because if the window was only 1990-1995 the pickings would be pretty slim. As a character during that time, he was arguably the most over guy on the roster, but it is hard to ignore how terribly he was booked and the opponents he was expected to carry in those years.
This would be my list predating 1996. Most of these are more about the "moment" as opposed to the actual in-ring quality.
1. Yokozuna @ Royal Rumble 1994
- Just one that sticks out from my childhood. A casket match for the WWF World title, but add in all the heel run-ins and the crazy ending with him ascending to the heavens and you have a prime New Generation memory right there.
2. Hulk Hogan @ Survivor Series 1991
- Shenanigans or not, beating Hogan for the big belt back then was a huge deal especially after only debuting one year earlier.
3. Kamala @ SummerSlam 1992
- An absolute stinker, but it doesn't matter. That entrance still to this day might be my favorite Undertaker intro ever. The UK crowd ate up everything he did and when he sat up at the end they went wild. Such an underrated moment from his career.
4. Foreign Fanatics @ Survivor Series 1993
- Spends the entire match standing on the apron, but once he gets tagged in the place goes nuts. People were already over the Lex Express project by this point and happy to see a new babyface threat to Yokozuna.
As for 1996, Undertaker can have a Mount Rushmore of actually great MATCHES just from that year alone and these are my favorites.
1. Bret Hart @ Royal Rumble
2. Mankind @ SummerSlam
3. Diesel @ WrestleMania
4. Mankind @ IYH: Buried Alive
|
|
|
|
Post by hbkjason on Jun 17, 2022 5:18:42 GMT -5
Thankfully, you extended it to 1996 because if the window was only 1990-1995 the pickings would be pretty slim. As a character during that time, he was arguably the most over guy on the roster, but it is hard to ignore how terribly he was booked and the opponents he was expected to carry in those years. This would be my list predating 1996. Most of these are moreso about the "moment" as opposed to the actual in-ring quality. 1. Yokozuna @ Royal Rumble 1994 - Just one that sticks out from my childhood. A casket match for the WWF World title, but add in all the heel run-ins and the crazy ending with him ascending to the heavens and you have a prime New Generation memory right there. 2. Hulk Hogan @ Survivor Series 1991 - Shenanigans or not, beating Hogan for the big belt back then was a huge deal especially after only debuting one year earlier. 3. Kamala @ SummerSlam 1992 - An absolute stinker of a match, but it doesn't matter. That entrance still to this day might be my favorite Undertaker intro ever. The UK crowd ate up everything he did and when he sat up at the end they went wild. Such an underrated moment from his career. 4. Foreign Fanatics @ Survivor Series 1993 - Spends the entire match standing on the apron, but once he gets tagged in the place goes nuts. People were already over the Lex Express project by this point and happy to see a new babyface threat to Yokozuna. As for 1996, Undertaker can have a Mount Rushmore of actually great MATCHES just from that year alone and these are my favorites. 1. Bret Hart @ Royal Rumble 2. Mankind @ SummerSlam 3. Diesel @ WrestleMania 4. Mankind @ IYH: Buried Alive Great choices, I kind of wish I put the Buried Alive match vs Mankind on instead of the casket match against Kamala! |
|
TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,634
|
Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Jun 17, 2022 5:27:45 GMT -5
Thankfully, you extended it to 1996 because if the window was only 1990-1995 the pickings would be pretty slim. As a character during that time, he was arguably the most over guy on the roster, but it is hard to ignore how terribly he was booked and the opponents he was expected to carry in those years. This would be my list predating 1996. Most of these are moreso about the "moment" as opposed to the actual in-ring quality. 1. Yokozuna @ Royal Rumble 1994 - Just one that sticks out from my childhood. A casket match for the WWF World title, but add in all the heel run-ins and the crazy ending with him ascending to the heavens and you have a prime New Generation memory right there. 2. Hulk Hogan @ Survivor Series 1991 - Shenanigans or not, beating Hogan for the big belt back then was a huge deal especially after only debuting one year earlier. 3. Kamala @ SummerSlam 1992 - An absolute stinker of a match, but it doesn't matter. That entrance still to this day might be my favorite Undertaker intro ever. The UK crowd ate up everything he did and when he sat up at the end they went wild. Such an underrated moment from his career. 4. Foreign Fanatics @ Survivor Series 1993 - Spends the entire match standing on the apron, but once he gets tagged in the place goes nuts. People were already over the Lex Express project by this point and happy to see a new babyface threat to Yokozuna. As for 1996, Undertaker can have a Mount Rushmore of actually great MATCHES just from that year alone and these are my favorites. 1. Bret Hart @ Royal Rumble 2. Mankind @ SummerSlam 3. Diesel @ WrestleMania 4. Mankind @ IYH: Buried Alive Great choices, I kind of wish I put the Buried Alive match vs Mankind on instead of the casket match against Kamala! I prefer the Boiler Room Brawl at SummerSlam, but Buried Alive was another really entertaining Mankind match with a crazy stipulation so I couldn't leave it off my list. Hard to ignore the significance of your Kamala pick though as it was the first casket/coffin match ever which would become a staple throughout his career. |
|
|
|
Post by JokerFC on Jun 17, 2022 5:49:04 GMT -5
Vs Hart @ RR 96
Vs Diesel @ WM12
Vs Mankind @ KOTR 96
Vs Mankind @ IYH Buried Alive
Easiest one yet 🤔
|
|
|
|
Post by The Brain on Jun 17, 2022 7:43:14 GMT -5
Vs Hogan SSeries 91- Not for match quality but just for the moment of him winning the big one after one year.''HULKAMAMIA IS DEAD LONG LIVE THE UNDERTAKER!''
Vs Kamala SSlam 92- My fav entrance of his of all time so that alone gets a nod for this list.Kamala selling his fear was gold.
Vs Bret Rumble 96-Always great chemistry between these two.
vs Mankind BRB SSlam 96- So close in picking the KOTR match they had that year but man the turn by Bearer nobody saw coming gives the nod to this one.Very well done ending to an awesome brawl
|
|
|
|
Post by MKSavage on Jun 17, 2022 8:11:20 GMT -5
Vs. Mankind - KOTR 96 - A really good match. I felt that Mankind was his best opponent (until his series of matches with HBK). These two worked really well together. I also liked the fact that Undertaker showed a lot of vulnerability here by letting Mankind get in a lot of offense - otherwise, it wouldn't have worked. Vs. Mankind - SSL 96 - Another great match with Mankind. This was very unique for its time and the finish was tremendous. Vs. Diesel - WM12 - Probably Taker's best WrestleMania match up to this point. I really enjoyed the match and the feud. Vs. Hogan - SSE91 - much like The Brain said, not the best, technical match. But it was really good. And the fact that he beat Hogan made it more amazing. Normally Hogan would bury the new monster and that would have been the end of him. But allowing him to win the belt (albeit brief) made him feel different than the monsters before him. Also, as a 10 year old kid at the time of the match, I was really terrified of the Undertaker. I truly though he was going to bury all of my favorites... If I had two more choices I'd probably go with his two matches against Yokozuna: Royal Rumble 94 and Survivor Series 94. Prior to Mankind, I felt that Yokozuna was Taker's best opponent during the early years. |
|
|
|
Post by Grenouille on Jun 17, 2022 8:34:39 GMT -5
vs Mankind - SS ‘96
vs Bret Hart - RR ‘96
vs Jake Roberts - WM VIII - Maybe not a great match technically bordering on a squash of sorts, but an important match in his history and biggest since turning face.
vs Randy Savage - 7/30/91 - PTW/Challenge taping - Maybe a cheat here because unless you were in the arena you haven’t seen it. Still surprises me that they haven’t released it since they had to have taped it. I just remember the pop Savage got when he came out as the surprise opponent. So thank you Ultimate Warrior for no-showing.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Brain on Jun 17, 2022 10:10:14 GMT -5
vs Mankind - SS ‘96 vs Bret Hart - RR ‘96 vs Jake Roberts - WM VIII - Maybe not a great match technically bordering on a squash of sorts, but an important match in his history and biggest since turning face. vs Randy Savage - 7/30/91 - PTW/Challenge taping - Maybe a cheat here because unless you were in the arena you haven’t seen it. Still surprises me that they haven’t released it since they had to have taped it. I just remember the pop Savage got when he came out as the surprise opponent. So thank you Ultimate Warrior for no-showing. Really surprised they didnt add this to the Hidden Gems section. Seemed like a no brainer |
|
|
|
Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Jun 17, 2022 12:29:26 GMT -5
Vs. Hulk Hogan Survivor Series 1991 - he wins his first WWF Title, so it's a must and he pins Hulk Hogan during Hogan's WWF prime.
Vs. Fakertaker SummerSlam 1994 - the debut of the iconic purple attire and main events over the WWF Title match!
Vs. Diesel Wrestlemania XII - how could I not pick this match?! A perfect Wrestlemania ending for Big Daddy Cool and showed the world that two big men can wrestle!
Vs. Mankind King of the Ring 1996 - The first of many televised matches between these two and they just clicked oh so well!
|
|
|
|
Post by JokerFC on Jun 17, 2022 17:53:34 GMT -5
Some great choices for great reasons here. Think I'll rematch kotr 96 & buried alive vs Foley tomorrow.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Brain on Jun 17, 2022 18:49:10 GMT -5
Without question Taker's best Mania match in the 90s was with Diesel
|
|
|
|
Post by hbkjason on Jun 18, 2022 5:27:16 GMT -5
What do you think his worst Wrestlemania match during this time was? I think I'd go for King Kong Bundy just over Giant Gonzalez as at least the Giant Gonzalez match had the badass entrance with the vulture.
|
|
Warriah'
Main Eventer
Joined on: Dec 22, 2019 19:46:02 GMT -5
Posts: 3,159
|
Post by Warriah' on Jun 18, 2022 6:37:37 GMT -5
What do you think his worst Wrestlemania match during this time was? I think I'd go for King Kong Bundy just over Giant Gonzalez as at least the Giant Gonzalez match had the badass entrance with the vulture. Definitely Bundy. Just such a bland match. People like to crap on the Gonzalez match but it has some memorable moments and the visual of Taker looking up at someone is always so cool. |
|
Warriah'
Main Eventer
Joined on: Dec 22, 2019 19:46:02 GMT -5
Posts: 3,159
|
Post by Warriah' on Jun 18, 2022 6:42:42 GMT -5
Without question Taker's best Mania match in the 90s was with Diesel Bold statement, but for me Diesel is Taker's best Mania match period. |
|
|
|
Post by JokerFC on Jun 18, 2022 8:12:22 GMT -5
Without question Taker's best Mania match in the 90s was with Diesel Easily. IMHO it isn't even close. |
|
|
|
Post by The Brain on Jun 18, 2022 9:21:41 GMT -5
What do you think his worst Wrestlemania match during this time was? I think I'd go for King Kong Bundy just over Giant Gonzalez as at least the Giant Gonzalez match had the badass entrance with the vulture. I gotta go Gonzalez. That match stunk up Vegas more than the chloroform did |
|
|
|
Post by MKSavage on Jun 18, 2022 16:23:26 GMT -5
What do you think his worst Wrestlemania match during this time was? I think I'd go for King Kong Bundy just over Giant Gonzalez as at least the Giant Gonzalez match had the badass entrance with the vulture. Definitely Bundy. Just such a bland match. People like to crap on the Gonzalez match but it has some memorable moments and the visual of Taker looking up at someone is always so cool. Yeah, I'd have to go with Bundy as well. They could have had a decent match, nothing great, but something better than what they did. For whatever reason, they just didn't mesh. |
|
ClassicFan2
Main Eventer
Joined on: Oct 22, 2010 15:25:00 GMT -5
Posts: 3,265
|
Post by ClassicFan2 on Jun 18, 2022 18:14:04 GMT -5
vs hogan ss91
debut ss90
vs kamala sseries92
vs yoko rr94
|
|
|
|
Post by CM Tusk on Jun 19, 2022 7:07:47 GMT -5
Hogan Survivor Series 91
Yokozuna Royal Rumble 94
Bret Royal Rumble 96
Diesel Wrestlemania 12
|
|
