Even though I love the darker version of the Undertaker and always will, I felt he had gone as far as he could go after the Ministry gimmick, I think changing into the American Badass was a risky move but it worked and proved to be a great fit for the attitude era heading into the 00s. The persona allowed him to be more human based, cut believable promos and talk trash on the mic with the best in the business. It also showed just how versatile Taker was as a performer and it added a few more years to his career and his ever growing legacy
@Pip Smith he put Maven over twice, once at the Royal Rumble in 02 when Maven eliminated Taker and on a Smackdown show when he beat him for the hardcore title
@@irvinmorales1409 he certainly did and let's not forget he beat him up through the crowd all the way to the food stand where he rammed his head through the glass, ate some popcorn and walked away like a true boss.
CEWIIH Well, the videos had been running for several weeks. So by the time we got to the ppv, I think it was just the thought of, who else would have these creepy ass videos? The whole place was buzzing about Taker. Now.... we had NO clue we’d be getting Biker Taker. THAT was a high surprise.
I remember that night vividly. I had no idea Taker was undergoing any sort of update. The motorcycle and the biker outfit was so alien to me at first. But somehow the look still felt like the Undertaker. Like if a superhero was updated from a period character to a modern one. Taker was the Western Mortician and then he was updated to a biker Outlaw. It oddly worked. Taker was also very conscious of the difficulty some fans may have had - so he insisted on the long black coat to still have that classic Undertaker silhouette and we still had the classic GONG at the beginning to usher in his entrance. The man never failed to evolve.
My first memory of Taker outside of games was during the Invasion ppv,i was a wcw fan......i instantly loved this guy,he reminded me of Nash but soooo much better
A lot of people tend to confuse Big Evil Taker for the American Badass Taker. American Badass Taker was from May 2000 to December 2001 and Big Evil Taker was from December 2001 - November 2003.
@@ummehabibaa5880 Well the difference between ABA Taker and Big Evil Taker is the Hair, he had short hair as Big Evil, the theme, as ABA Taker had American Badass and Rollin as his themes, as Big Evil he had a Jim Johnston theme. And the denim, as ABA Taker wore a lot of denim. While as Big Evil, he dropped the denim.
Turning into Big Evil was a nice subtle change and even by that point people were growing a tad weary of ABA Taker. Then when he left at the end of 03 to come back as the Deadman it was the perfect time.
I don’t hate the gimmick I just prefer the deadman gimmick because it fits better with who Undertaker is supposed to be yes it does show Mark’s personality more but it shows Undertaker’s personality less
I remember watching that Judgement Day live, I was like 9 and a massive Undertaker fan. Then suddenly I see an Undertaker riding down to the ring looking just like my dad....I was instantly hooked, again. Best wrestler ever.
I always said there should of been a Deadman/ABA hybrid. Keep the Deadman gimmick but come out on a bike, kind of Ghostrider-esque. Wrestlemania especially would of looked epic
I find it kinda surprising that Vince dislikes the american badass character. I'm a huge fan of that version of Undertaker, like it better than his dead man character.
I loved this version of Taker! I was 10 years old at the time and was so excited when he returned! The Undertaker was the baddest muthafucka who ever stepped foot into the ring!
How come I’m watching these every day🤔 I didn’t really watch wrestling that much. I think I like these vids more than the actual wrestling. Great work👍🏻
Cain Cotterill - Besides the fact this channel always has great videos they get right to the point and tell the story. They don’t waste you’re time with unnecessary information. One of the best channels in my opinion.
I'd say both of those options. The former doesn't happen without the latter. Buuuut, definitely the ability to adapt your character to the times is Mark Calloway's strongest attribute.
@@dadumbfuck420 He was in his prime debut and ministry of darkness. As he said on Stone Cold's new show he had to slow himself down to fit his character.
People forget that Hogan was doing a similar gimmick a few months before in wcw but without a bike,Hogan was decked out in black Jean's and black shirt and was basically doing a badass version of himself.
I loved The Undertaker's "American Badass " gimmick, very fitting for wwe attitude era plus, we got to see Mark's personality. I think the kid rock's " American Badass" theme music was pulled because, it sampled Metallica's "Sad but true".
The ABA was a great character and it was really good to see how his departure of WWF the previous year as well as the evolution of his Lord of Darkness persona in late 99 played into it. He was humanized even more when he was protecting his wife from DDP during the Invasion and also kind of becoming the heart and soul of the WWF and the leader of the locker room. I think in 2001 and 2002 he started using the Big Dog moniker and talk about WWF being his yard. When he was Big Evil he turned heel, he cut his hair short, he changed his theme music again and he modified a bit his gear. The story of him becoming the Deadman again wss perfectly executed and when he came back he wasn't the original Deadman or the Lord of Darkness either but some sort of hybrid. His gear was very much the same he had as Big Evil and he brought back the leather coat he had as the American Badass, but the hat made the difference. His music wasn't the same as in 95 or 96 either, but an updated version of it. He spoke as the Deadman but he didn't mention the creatures of the night anymore. He was a new dead man.
Every Gimmick Taker did , was awesome Undertaker is a Goat , So Perfect From Western Mortician To Dark Ministry From Deadman to American Badass From Big Evil to Corporate ministry The Pioneer of Global Wrestling
Hey all! If you'd like to help support the channel and my work, consider becoming a channel member : czcams.com/channels/If44toFAHLORJ8dwEQkh9g.htmljoin Thanks and hope you enjoy this look at "American Badass" Undertaker.
@@shane-irish yeah, seriously? ..are you yelling at (or did you unsub because of) people on CZcams searching for/watching videos...on CZcams? 🤔 Or are you telling everyone else to unsubscribe from this channel.... because..they search for/watch videos on CZcams? IDK man, sometimes you need to know what substance a person is on to kind of understand where they are coming from. 🤷🏻♂️
Man, this guy is awesome. Been recently binging on your videos. I love how you narrate. You seem to have been watching wrestling for many many years, and it shows. Keep it up!!!♥️😎👍💪👌
He could do no wrong in my opinion. I wouldn’t have cared if he was the deadman or not. He’s the freakin Undertaker. The greatest wrestler of his size ever. Great gimmicks, great name, great looks, great ability in the ring. Mount Rushmore of wrestling for sure.
I could be wrong, but I seem to remember they had to switch from Kid Rock's American Badass to Limp Bizkit's Rollin' because American Badass used a sample of Metallica's Sad but True and while they had the OK from Kid Rock's representatives, they couldn't get Metallica's reps to agree, so they changed it up.
Taker was never going to WCW. Listen to his interview with Stone Cold. He said they told him before he went to WWF that "No one will ever pay money to see you." That stuck with him and was going to remain loyal to the guy who gave him a shot to prove those people at WCW wrong. Besides that, they would have had no clue what to do with him.
How about Chris Jericho's first introduction to the WWF and before the Y2K thing happened. And the countdown clock started. And raw is Jericho was born.
I was 4 or 5 at the time, my Dad recorded that King Of the Ring on VHS. I've watched that over and over again, it's one of my earliest & favourite wrestling memories. Kane and Taker were my guys, I don't think I even watched anything else on the card... That match had everything for me; the star power, great action, the drama of the faces turning on each other. Even Kane/Taker/Rock all getting a chance to whoop Shane at the start was gold. Thanks for the nostalgia sir, awesome work as always!
Even though I'll always love the Ministry of Darkness Undertaker, I still liked the American Badass/Big Evil Undertaker since it introduced me to both Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit also the last ride was/is an awesome finisher.
You should do Triple H’s main event push as “The Game” from early 1999 when he turned on DX to 2001 when he tore his quad. Also a Kurt Angle bio and a bio about the “Triple Threat” in ECW would be nice
Samuel Woods No I’m sayings do an individual bio about Kurt Angle and do an individual bio about the group/faction “The Triple Threat” that consisted of Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and their was another version with Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Candido. I thought they were an underrated group that gets forgotten about due to being in ECW And come to think of it he should do a Shane Douglas bio as well when he gets the time
The American Badass was a perfect fit for the Attitude Era and ended when the Ruthless Agression era started which is the best way to shift back to the Deadman. Biker Taker is beast!!
I thought for the first couple of weeks he was a little bit of a hybrid of ministry taker and American Badass. I mean upon his return he did do the eye roll, the entrance was still creepy before kidrock kicked in obviously then after it all got toned down and became full American Badass.
Man, I remember watching that Judgement Day PPV when Taker returned as The American Badass. I was so amped! I'll never forget the goosebumps I felt that night.
Me too!! Senior year of highschool. After Undertaker left and then Austin got "run over" and was out for a long time, I got sort of sick of wrestling but remember hearing rumors of his return at Judgement Day and it was awesome! He came in on that Harley and Jerry says "It's the Undertaker!!" LoL. Then he kicked everyone's ass. So awesome.
I was getting bored with wrestling around this time especially after an underwhelming WrestleMania 2000 (16) because Austin and Undertaker were both out for a long time and I was so very happy when Undertaker came out on the Harley.
Something to really really think about - is how nostalgia effects our culture. At the time, in 2000 the ABA Undertaker was symbolic of the "biker nostalgia era" for Baby Boomers, still dreaming about "Easy Rider." Giant Harleys were selling in record numbers, and GenX got Orange County Choppers, West Coast Choppers and everything else "custom chopper" and "custom hot rod." That movement ran until about 2013 and stopped cold. Boomers couldn't keep up, medical bills started to pile - and bikes started to go on sale. The "Biker Era" ended.
There was an episode of RAW, back in the late 90s, I think maybe January of 1998, that aired from the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA. For context, it was the night Mark Henry joined the Nation of Domination. Anywho, the post-show Dark Match saw Undertaker vs. The Rock (who had just started calling himself "The Rock") in a Casket Match. Naturally, the Nation escorted Rocky to the ring. Then, Taker's music hit, but Taker didn't appear. Instead, the Desciples of Apocalypse came riding out to ringside on their bikes to keep the Nation in check. Taker's music hit again, and he came out on a SUPER SWEET Titan motorcycle - something he wouldn't do on TV for another 2 years. It was absolutely amazing to think that I saw the genesis of this gimmick live, as I was in the crowd that night, directly opposite the ring from the Titantron and Ramp...
Biker Taker was awesome and may have fit Calaways personality better than the Deadman gimmick but no one can deny that Takers best years (wrestling and cutting promos) was when he was back in that Deadman gimmick feuding with Orton and competing for the World Heavyweight title on Smackdown. His promos and matches were top notch especially around WM when someone wanted to take on The Streak. He was the true face of the company.
Great video as always! I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about the initial American Badass gimmick, but Big Evil is my favorite Undertaker gimmick hands down
If and only if Undertaker had ever signed with WCW durign Attitute Era days, this would for sure been his gimmick. So in a parallel universe where we imagine Sting challenging Undertaker to a dream match, I also picture Undertaker coming into WCW 97-98 and challenging Sting (or Hogan) but with this gimmick.
I remember being absoluted devastated at Rocks loss at Judgement Day. I was such a huge Rocky fan. 😭 But Taker clearing out the ring gave me such goosebumps. Love American Badass character. Undertaker did such a great job at keeping things fresh.
I remember the promo poster for that Judgement day. They had Kane front and center (Which is funny cause I dont remember him being on the ppv though I could be wrong) and if you looked close taker's symbol was in his eye
The American Badass gimmick was perfect for the early 2000s, as it was the era of nu metal culture! The familiar Deadman gimmick would not work well in that period.
Remember trying to watch this PPV main event all scrambled but being perfectly content with being able to hear the audio. One of the few clear images that came through was Taker coming down on the bike. I was so confused, but then he just laid everybody to waste and I was sold.
The American Badass Undertaker had it’s good points, but I still think the Deadman Undertaker was way better. The Deadman Undertaker was so awesome and was what The Undertaker really was and who he started off as. The Deadman Undertaker brought the Casket Match, The Hell in a Cell Match, The Buried Alive Match, The Inferno Match and many more great matches and how awesome was the ministry of darkness too!! So I think the Deadman Undertaker was way better than the American Badass Undertaker. That’s why he went back to the Deadman persona in 2004 because the American Badass and Big Evil were getting stale! Everyone was just amazed when the Undertaker returned as the Deadman at Wrestlemania 20 in 2004 and when he entered with Paul Bearer, that was even more awesome!! Thank You Undertaker for all your years of service.
I liked the american badass. Well, I still do. Loved the promo with the girls. There were almost a "1,2 Freddy's coming for you" vibe with it and It's one of my favorite promos ever.
I was nowhere near as big a fan of American Badass/Big Evil-era Undertaker as I was the original Deadman gimmick, but they handled his re-debut perfectly. With the exception of the build around Bray Wyatt’s return earlier this year, you almost never see “main roster” WWE handle big character changes like this anymore.
Everyone needs a break from their gimmicks a chance to show fans that they can do other things , but the dead man gimmick is a classic and goes down in wrestling history as one of the greatest gimmicks of all time .
Once "The Old Man" (Vince) finally calls it quits, or just clings on until he croaks in his office chair - I think I will like the nostalgia wave to follow.
It might be an unpopular opinion, but Biker Taker is my favourite version of Taker and was actually kinda disappointed when he went back to the old Zombie gimmick at WM XX.
I did enjoy the ABA but do have a love for the Ministry Tanker because of the theme music he had and how cheesy it was between all the sacrifices and kidnapping Stephanie. I know I didn't really care for Big Evil or Deadman INC
*NEVER MIND - FOUND IT. NOT FULLY MATCH UNFORTUNATELY THO* Can anyone post the link for the house show footage from the mentioned Taker return in late 99 at all? Thanks
Another great video! I was a huge fan of the ABA version of Taker. What a great era to be a fan! I’ve always been a wrestling fan (a little less now than ever) but the attitude era was a great time in the WWF/WWE!
I choose to believe Kevin Nash about Mark Calaway in WCW. Everyone, even Shawn, considered jumping ship. Bret, Hogan, and Savage (among many others) wound up going with the bigger payday and I’m sure it was tempted Taker. The Undertaker likely devised the “American Badass” gimmick for WCW and repurposed it for the latter half of the Attitude Era after it became clear the WWF was gonna win the war.
@@Lakeshow11 That's the answer Vince McMahon would want to hear. The Undertaker may very well have never made plans to leave, but what he said on Austin's podcast only proves that if he did ever make those plans, he wants to them a secret.
JakeTheFakeReal i think it’s more MARC’s answer, Vince is the one who saw something in him and gave him a chance. Especially after what he was told in the prior company. Plus Kevin Nash flocked wherever the money was gonna be at, that’s all he knew at the time.
I fully enjoyed watching i just binge all these with undertaker going into retirement i had rewatch these very informative undertaker my favorite wrestler ive been event and watched wrestle when world heavyweight champ
Undertaker was truly one of a kind he kept the badass dont disrespect him with every gimmick which fans loved about him. In his biker gimmick he could own guys like the rock and austin on mic.
Even though I love the darker version of the Undertaker and always will, I felt he had gone as far as he could go after the Ministry gimmick, I think changing into the American Badass was a risky move but it worked and proved to be a great fit for the attitude era heading into the 00s. The persona allowed him to be more human based, cut believable promos and talk trash on the mic with the best in the business. It also showed just how versatile Taker was as a performer and it added a few more years to his career and his ever growing legacy
He was, and is, so good he could do whatever he wanted and get over.
@@kummakummakummakummakummac8606 you're absolutely right, that is so true
@Pip Smith he put Maven over twice, once at the Royal Rumble in 02 when Maven eliminated Taker and on a Smackdown show when he beat him for the hardcore title
@@WarhawkBeyond2040
Well he did bludgeon him with a chair after being eliminated but it just made him a better heel.
@@irvinmorales1409 he certainly did and let's not forget he beat him up through the crowd all the way to the food stand where he rammed his head through the glass, ate some popcorn and walked away like a true boss.
Wrestling Bios keeps rollin' rollin' rollin' with these uploads.
WHAAAAT?
Agreed, I love these!
It's a shame wrestling, or well the WWE is in the state that it's in and the only thing that's good about it is the past.
19822andy He said it was a “kid rock song”..:
@Eric Belinc Undertaker never had Rollin on WrestleMania 2000 for the N64 (or even on No Mercy for the same console)
I was at Judgement Day and man..... when those girls popped up on the screen, it was a mad house!
Sweet! How did ya know it was Taker though? I'd have been confused as heck seeing random girls on Titantron lol
CEWIIH Well, the videos had been running for several weeks. So by the time we got to the ppv, I think it was just the thought of, who else would have these creepy ass videos? The whole place was buzzing about Taker. Now.... we had NO clue we’d be getting Biker Taker. THAT was a high surprise.
Wow... Nice.... I watched it on ppv and i lost it lol i imagine how it felt live...
One of the loudest pops ever
The greatest moment ever and I only saw it on TV. Must have been awesome to see it live
I remember that night vividly. I had no idea Taker was undergoing any sort of update. The motorcycle and the biker outfit was so alien to me at first. But somehow the look still felt like the Undertaker. Like if a superhero was updated from a period character to a modern one. Taker was the Western Mortician and then he was updated to a biker Outlaw. It oddly worked. Taker was also very conscious of the difficulty some fans may have had - so he insisted on the long black coat to still have that classic Undertaker silhouette and we still had the classic GONG at the beginning to usher in his entrance. The man never failed to evolve.
It was so awesome.
YoaciNFLoResJaVieRHeRNaNDez 💀☠️🇱🇷⚰️
when two of the greatest gimmicks of all time were played by the same man that tells you something, legend
14 year old me:
"I don't know about this biker Undertaker
(Sees last ride power bomb)
"Okay I get it now."
My first memory of Taker outside of games was during the Invasion ppv,i was a wcw fan......i instantly loved this guy,he reminded me of Nash but soooo much better
I know! I've always been a fan of powerbombs, the jackknife, the last ride, A-trains detailer, Brock's triple powerbomb, the baristabomb
Lol I turned 14 in 2000 too
When I was a kid I absolutely loved using the last ride through the top of the hell in a cell on the wwe games 🤣
@@derrickscott1630 Sid Viscious was ruthless with his powerbomb, especially on his debut in the ecw
A lot of people tend to confuse Big Evil Taker for the American Badass Taker. American Badass Taker was from May 2000 to December 2001 and Big Evil Taker was from December 2001 - November 2003.
They're basically the same thing
Same gimmick turned heel
@@ummehabibaa5880 Well the difference between ABA Taker and Big Evil Taker is the Hair, he had short hair as Big Evil, the theme, as ABA Taker had American Badass and Rollin as his themes, as Big Evil he had a Jim Johnston theme.
And the denim, as ABA Taker wore a lot of denim. While as Big Evil, he dropped the denim.
Turning into Big Evil was a nice subtle change and even by that point people were growing a tad weary of ABA Taker. Then when he left at the end of 03 to come back as the Deadman it was the perfect time.
No, it's really not lol @dr.loomis4221
I don’t see how this gimmick gets hate. You actually get to see his personality. And the stuff with David flair was gold
Agreed. I never liked the deadman persona. He had to keep an image using that persona & i never liked that.
I don’t hate the gimmick I just prefer the deadman gimmick because it fits better with who Undertaker is supposed to be yes it does show Mark’s personality more but it shows Undertaker’s personality less
I did like this character I actually got to see the end of this character with the buried alive match
No one hates this gimmick
A giant, angry, Texan, biker. Just whooping peoples asses. I believe that more than a deadman whose mom got railed by Paul bearer
I loved when he took over stone cold’s dressing room and started drinking his beer
He was pretty much taking his character, he might as well of.
And spat on Debra.
I literally watched that segment yesterday classic
Vintage Undertaker
That time he threw Austin through the glass and continued the assault while Austin was on the stretcher was my favorite.
I remember watching that Judgement Day live, I was like 9 and a massive Undertaker fan. Then suddenly I see an Undertaker riding down to the ring looking just like my dad....I was instantly hooked, again. Best wrestler ever.
Have a lot of love for the American badass, I remember finishing primary school and my dad surprised me with an biker taker figure and a Tazz.
I never knew Tazz had toy merch.
Yea it was later on in his career, had a Tazz baseball shirt
That Tazz Action Figure maybe worth a lot one day cause it wasn't a mass sell on that Action Figure..
@@kenrickeason this is going back a few years now so It had scuffs plus I don't have my collection anymore
@@mrowley7300 SMH.. Damn..
Probably one of my favourite Undertaker gimmicks, yeah sure we all love the “deadman” thing but this was Mark just being himself
Alongside with the Ministry of Darkness Undertaker gimmick back in 1999.
Kickass Texan kicking ass is best for business
@@SSJ491 word he looked like a metalhead. Very intimidating stuff.
Balla Bayside wannabe tough guy? What are you talking about? Taker is one of the toughest guys in the business
The ABA/Big Evil undertaker was terrible what are you talking about
I only bought the chocolate starfish album because of The Undertaker
And the hot dog flavored water???
Bro My Way was the best song off that album. Literally synonymous with the greatest WWF PPV of all time
well i bought it because of The Rock
Same
@@johnalbent they shouldn't use either lol...I get it man I'm just joking
This has fast become my favourite youtube channel.
You make great content, thank you
I always said there should of been a Deadman/ABA hybrid. Keep the Deadman gimmick but come out on a bike, kind of Ghostrider-esque. Wrestlemania especially would of looked epic
He should do that.
Yeah that would have been sick
@@JonnyAugz It might give relevance to the gimmick in hindsight.
Lol looks like wwe thought so too minus the ghostish deal but the deadman riding off on the bike
Kinda happened against AJ Styles in his career finale.
I find it kinda surprising that Vince dislikes the american badass character. I'm a huge fan of that version of Undertaker, like it better than his dead man character.
BRAUUUN it’s funny the undertaker has gone on to say he really liked it, it was an extension of who he is.
Vince doesn't know nice things
I liked it better than the deadman too.
That's because Vince loves over-the-top, larger-than-life characters, and Biker!Taker didn't fit that mold nearly as well as the Dead Man.
Same.
I loved this version of Taker! I was 10 years old at the time and was so excited when he returned! The Undertaker was the baddest muthafucka who ever stepped foot into the ring!
I take it your 25-26? I too was about 10 or so when i saw this event on ppv :0
@@marcelopena3537, I'm actually 29 and I'll be 30 on the 26th of this month.
@@criminalmindsgirl2936 So if my math is correct, you were born in November or December of 1989, yes ?
How come I’m watching these every day🤔
I didn’t really watch wrestling that much.
I think I like these vids more than the actual wrestling.
Great work👍🏻
Cain Cotterill - Besides the fact this channel always has great videos they get right to the point and tell the story. They don’t waste you’re time with unnecessary information. One of the best channels in my opinion.
@@kummakummakummakummakummac8606 I don't get why he has dislikes? Will someone tell me why?
@@lukebaer6258 internet assholes is my guess.
Same!
What was Undertaker's smarter decision? To adapt to the Attitude era with American Badass? or always staying loyal to Vince & never defecting to WCW?
The former
I'd say both of those options. The former doesn't happen without the latter. Buuuut, definitely the ability to adapt your character to the times is Mark Calloway's strongest attribute.
Undertakers early years are my fav hence I’m watching survivor series 1991 lol
I'll always be a fan of the Ministry of Darkness. The Cult stable gimmick never gets old, for me.
Bucky Hate ministry of darkness is my second fav
Ruthless Aggression Taker was so cool. He was in his athletic prime in the mid-late 2000's.
@@dadumbfuck420 He was in his prime debut and ministry of darkness. As he said on Stone Cold's new show he had to slow himself down to fit his character.
@@samuelwoods164 No, i need to check it out
The trench coat was awesome. I felt like that really gave the gimmick a nice dark edge
People forget that Hogan was doing a similar gimmick a few months before in wcw but without a bike,Hogan was decked out in black Jean's and black shirt and was basically doing a badass version of himself.
I loved The Undertaker's "American Badass " gimmick, very fitting for wwe attitude era plus, we got to see Mark's personality. I think the kid rock's " American Badass" theme music was pulled because, it sampled Metallica's "Sad but true".
Agreed. Plus it has Rollin on the videogames too. Smackdown 2 Just Bring It was an awesome game and had Undertaker as the American Badass.
One of the greatest if not greatest returns in WWE history. Still gives me chills when I remember it. Great video!
It was truly awesome.
Without a doubt!!!
The ABA was a great character and it was really good to see how his departure of WWF the previous year as well as the evolution of his Lord of Darkness persona in late 99 played into it. He was humanized even more when he was protecting his wife from DDP during the Invasion and also kind of becoming the heart and soul of the WWF and the leader of the locker room. I think in 2001 and 2002 he started using the Big Dog moniker and talk about WWF being his yard. When he was Big Evil he turned heel, he cut his hair short, he changed his theme music again and he modified a bit his gear. The story of him becoming the Deadman again wss perfectly executed and when he came back he wasn't the original Deadman or the Lord of Darkness either but some sort of hybrid. His gear was very much the same he had as Big Evil and he brought back the leather coat he had as the American Badass, but the hat made the difference. His music wasn't the same as in 95 or 96 either, but an updated version of it. He spoke as the Deadman but he didn't mention the creatures of the night anymore. He was a new dead man.
He came back as the phenom
Every Gimmick Taker did , was awesome
Undertaker is a Goat , So Perfect
From Western Mortician To Dark Ministry
From Deadman to American Badass
From Big Evil to Corporate ministry
The Pioneer of Global Wrestling
Hey all! If you'd like to help support the channel and my work, consider becoming a channel member : czcams.com/channels/If44toFAHLORJ8dwEQkh9g.htmljoin
Thanks and hope you enjoy this look at "American Badass" Undertaker.
Can you do one on the Ministry Of Darkness Undertaker.
@@shane-irish what the hell are you talking about?
Please do sting crow gimmick
Your channel has been popping up more & more on my feed lately so I gave this a watch. Enjoyed it! Well covered! *Subscribed*
@@shane-irish yeah, seriously? ..are you yelling at (or did you unsub because of) people on CZcams searching for/watching videos...on CZcams? 🤔 Or are you telling everyone else to unsubscribe from this channel.... because..they search for/watch videos on CZcams?
IDK man, sometimes you need to know what substance a person is on to kind of understand where they are coming from. 🤷🏻♂️
Man, this guy is awesome. Been recently binging on your videos. I love how you narrate. You seem to have been watching wrestling for many many years, and it shows. Keep it up!!!♥️😎👍💪👌
I agree. I been loving these vids and reliving the Attitude Era.
He could do no wrong in my opinion. I wouldn’t have cared if he was the deadman or not. He’s the freakin Undertaker. The greatest wrestler of his size ever. Great gimmicks, great name, great looks, great ability in the ring. Mount Rushmore of wrestling for sure.
I love the American Badass remix for the intro!
I could be wrong, but I seem to remember they had to switch from Kid Rock's American Badass to Limp Bizkit's Rollin' because American Badass used a sample of Metallica's Sad but True and while they had the OK from Kid Rock's representatives, they couldn't get Metallica's reps to agree, so they changed it up.
I remember the “I demand respect” promo. He cleaned house and beat down anyone who got in his way. If he shook their hand after it got crazy pop.
Me too
Taker was never going to WCW. Listen to his interview with Stone Cold. He said they told him before he went to WWF that "No one will ever pay money to see you." That stuck with him and was going to remain loyal to the guy who gave him a shot to prove those people at WCW wrong. Besides that, they would have had no clue what to do with him.
"I don't believe that anybody would want to jump to WCW in the year 2000"
Lance Storm and Mike Awesome:"Are we a joke to you?"
How about Chris Jericho's first introduction to the WWF and before the Y2K thing happened.
And the countdown clock started.
And raw is Jericho was born.
I was 4 or 5 at the time, my Dad recorded that King Of the Ring on VHS. I've watched that over and over again, it's one of my earliest & favourite wrestling memories. Kane and Taker were my guys, I don't think I even watched anything else on the card... That match had everything for me; the star power, great action, the drama of the faces turning on each other. Even Kane/Taker/Rock all getting a chance to whoop Shane at the start was gold. Thanks for the nostalgia sir, awesome work as always!
I would sell my body just to hear you say Stank Ass on a loop. Lmiao. I died laughing. 💞
This version of taker was my childhood and will always be my favourite
Even though I'll always love the Ministry of Darkness Undertaker, I still liked the American Badass/Big Evil Undertaker since it introduced me to both Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit also the last ride was/is an awesome finisher.
That Sad but True fit so well with the undertaker's video.
Great job!
You should do Triple H’s main event push as “The Game” from early 1999 when he turned on DX to 2001 when he tore his quad. Also a Kurt Angle bio and a bio about the “Triple Threat” in ECW would be nice
When he Nashed his quad? I remember now
Samuel Woods No I’m sayings do an individual bio about Kurt Angle and do an individual bio about the group/faction “The Triple Threat” that consisted of Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and their was another version with Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Candido. I thought they were an underrated group that gets forgotten about due to being in ECW
And come to think of it he should do a Shane Douglas bio as well when he gets the time
👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
The American Badass was a perfect fit for the Attitude Era and ended when the Ruthless Agression era started which is the best way to shift back to the Deadman. Biker Taker is beast!!
No matter what Mark calaway dose in professional whistling..
He is always be a a true legend.
Undertaker for life!!
Is he the greatest Whistler to ever whistle?
Nice
I thought for the first couple of weeks he was a little bit of a hybrid of ministry taker and American Badass. I mean upon his return he did do the eye roll, the entrance was still creepy before kidrock kicked in obviously then after it all got toned down and became full American Badass.
Man, I remember watching that Judgement Day PPV when Taker returned as The American Badass. I was so amped! I'll never forget the goosebumps I felt that night.
Me too!! Senior year of highschool. After Undertaker left and then Austin got "run over" and was out for a long time, I got sort of sick of wrestling but remember hearing rumors of his return at Judgement Day and it was awesome! He came in on that Harley and Jerry says "It's the Undertaker!!" LoL. Then he kicked everyone's ass. So awesome.
I prefered the big evil persona over the American badass gimmick
Big Evil is my fave too
8:48 shame we never saw him do that again during American Badass
I was getting bored with wrestling around this time especially after an underwhelming WrestleMania 2000 (16) because Austin and Undertaker were both out for a long time and I was so very happy when Undertaker came out on the Harley.
My guy back at it again with the hard work!!!! Love all your vids brother. They could be 2 hours long and id still watch. Thank you!!
This is my favorite version of Undertaker
Something to really really think about - is how nostalgia effects our culture.
At the time, in 2000 the ABA Undertaker was symbolic of the "biker nostalgia era" for Baby Boomers, still dreaming about "Easy Rider." Giant Harleys were selling in record numbers, and GenX got Orange County Choppers, West Coast Choppers and everything else "custom chopper" and "custom hot rod."
That movement ran until about 2013 and stopped cold.
Boomers couldn't keep up, medical bills started to pile - and bikes started to go on sale.
The "Biker Era" ended.
There is literally nothing you put out that I’m not excited for. For real, your channel is something I ALWAYS look forward to
There was an episode of RAW, back in the late 90s, I think maybe January of 1998, that aired from the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA. For context, it was the night Mark Henry joined the Nation of Domination. Anywho, the post-show Dark Match saw Undertaker vs. The Rock (who had just started calling himself "The Rock") in a Casket Match. Naturally, the Nation escorted Rocky to the ring. Then, Taker's music hit, but Taker didn't appear. Instead, the Desciples of Apocalypse came riding out to ringside on their bikes to keep the Nation in check. Taker's music hit again, and he came out on a SUPER SWEET Titan motorcycle - something he wouldn't do on TV for another 2 years. It was absolutely amazing to think that I saw the genesis of this gimmick live, as I was in the crowd that night, directly opposite the ring from the Titantron and Ramp...
Remember when Fred Durst was a playable character in Smackdown! Just Bring It!
Even when he was a heel u couldn't help but love him taker the only reason I loved wwe
Brilliant as usual...keep up the content. Big John Stud next please!!
Biker Taker was awesome and may have fit Calaways personality better than the Deadman gimmick but no one can deny that Takers best years (wrestling and cutting promos) was when he was back in that Deadman gimmick feuding with Orton and competing for the World Heavyweight title on Smackdown. His promos and matches were top notch especially around WM when someone wanted to take on The Streak. He was the true face of the company.
I loved his Youre gonna pay theme song. It encapsulated the undertaker Perfectly That song is still a staple in y music playlist to this day
The last 2 minutes of that iron man match were incredible.
Great video as always! I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about the initial American Badass gimmick, but Big Evil is my favorite Undertaker gimmick hands down
He was basically Biker Taker at the end of '99 in that Vince interview, which was interesting.
Biker Taker gets hate now but it was time for something new when Taker made his change. Smart man.
If and only if Undertaker had ever signed with WCW durign Attitute Era days, this would for sure been his gimmick. So in a parallel universe where we imagine Sting challenging Undertaker to a dream match, I also picture Undertaker coming into WCW 97-98 and challenging Sting (or Hogan) but with this gimmick.
This was my favorite version Taker
I've loved every thing the undertaker done he has been my favorite since I started watching wrestling imo he's the goat hands down character wise
Loved the American badass version.. That's how he actually is.
I remember being absoluted devastated at Rocks loss at Judgement Day. I was such a huge Rocky fan. 😭 But Taker clearing out the ring gave me such goosebumps.
Love American Badass character. Undertaker did such a great job at keeping things fresh.
KICKING STANK ASS
I love these videos dude. Very well done.
I remember the promo poster for that Judgement day. They had Kane front and center (Which is funny cause I dont remember him being on the ppv though I could be wrong) and if you looked close taker's symbol was in his eye
That time when Taker became Johnny Blaze.
The American Badass gimmick was perfect for the early 2000s, as it was the era of nu metal culture! The familiar Deadman gimmick would not work well in that period.
He knew that.. The Era of Metal, Crunk and X Games.. Cause that's my era I grew up in..
the deadman would work perfectly in any era, but the American bada$$ fit better for that time.
I click like even before watching. I know it's going to be a great video.
Remember trying to watch this PPV main event all scrambled but being perfectly content with being able to hear the audio. One of the few clear images that came through was Taker coming down on the bike. I was so confused, but then he just laid everybody to waste and I was sold.
I watched like 20 of your videos over the last 2 weeks and realised today im not subscribed. I fixed that error real quick.
His channel is great. I’m reliving my teens.
The American Badass Undertaker had it’s good points, but I still think the Deadman Undertaker was way better.
The Deadman Undertaker was so awesome and was what The Undertaker really was and who he started off as.
The Deadman Undertaker brought the Casket Match, The Hell in a Cell Match, The Buried Alive Match, The Inferno Match and many more great matches and how awesome was the ministry of darkness too!!
So I think the Deadman Undertaker was way better than the American Badass Undertaker.
That’s why he went back to the Deadman persona in 2004 because the American Badass and Big Evil were getting stale!
Everyone was just amazed when the Undertaker returned as the Deadman at Wrestlemania 20 in 2004 and when he entered with Paul Bearer, that was even more awesome!! Thank You Undertaker for all your years of service.
I liked the american badass. Well, I still do.
Loved the promo with the girls. There were almost a "1,2 Freddy's coming for you" vibe with it and It's one of my favorite promos ever.
I was nowhere near as big a fan of American Badass/Big Evil-era Undertaker as I was the original Deadman gimmick, but they handled his re-debut perfectly. With the exception of the build around Bray Wyatt’s return earlier this year, you almost never see “main roster” WWE handle big character changes like this anymore.
BY FAR my favourite version of Taker.
He went from the ridiculous bulls**t deadman stuff with the chanting and rituals to a straight up badass!
Thanks for another video. As always, thumbs up.
Everyone needs a break from their gimmicks a chance to show fans that they can do other things , but the dead man gimmick is a classic and goes down in wrestling history as one of the greatest gimmicks of all time .
Once "The Old Man" (Vince) finally calls it quits, or just clings on until he croaks in his office chair - I think I will like the nostalgia wave to follow.
Undertaker's heel big evil gimmick was.. 🔥🔥🔥
I still say his last gimmick should be a ghostrider hybrid type character
The American Badass version of his was the best, I’ll never understand why people hated it. It felt more relatable to who Mark is as a real person.
Because some people don't like change
It might be an unpopular opinion, but Biker Taker is my favourite version of Taker and was actually kinda disappointed when he went back to the old Zombie gimmick at WM XX.
I did enjoy the ABA but do have a love for the Ministry Tanker because of the theme music he had and how cheesy it was between all the sacrifices and kidnapping Stephanie. I know I didn't really care for Big Evil or Deadman INC
When is this guy gonna do a bio on Ron Simmons?
Im 100 positive he's done it.
@@noskoolikeoldskool He hasn't ive watched all of his wrestling bios
@@mrnash2390 i checked em out and couldn't find it, my mistake.
@@noskoolikeoldskool its kew man
Great talent
*NEVER MIND - FOUND IT. NOT FULLY MATCH UNFORTUNATELY THO*
Can anyone post the link for the house show footage from the mentioned Taker return in late 99 at all?
Thanks
Thanks for the uploads
Undertaker is always gonna be undertaker I've always seen this taker as the TAKER
Another great video! I was a huge fan of the ABA version of Taker. What a great era to be a fan! I’ve always been a wrestling fan (a little less now than ever) but the attitude era was a great time in the WWF/WWE!
I think the way they transitioned Taker back to the deadman was iconic
When I saw Taker as American Badass for the first time, I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen!
lol “the creatures of the night will kick your stank ass.”
Hilarious dude 🤣🤣🤣
I choose to believe Kevin Nash about Mark Calaway in WCW. Everyone, even Shawn, considered jumping ship. Bret, Hogan, and Savage (among many others) wound up going with the bigger payday and I’m sure it was tempted Taker. The Undertaker likely devised the “American Badass” gimmick for WCW and repurposed it for the latter half of the Attitude Era after it became clear the WWF was gonna win the war.
JakeTheFakeReal he said himself he wasn’t going to leave wwf/e on stone cold’s podcast.
@@Lakeshow11 That's the answer Vince McMahon would want to hear. The Undertaker may very well have never made plans to leave, but what he said on Austin's podcast only proves that if he did ever make those plans, he wants to them a secret.
JakeTheFakeReal i think it’s more MARC’s answer, Vince is the one who saw something in him and gave him a chance. Especially after what he was told in the prior company. Plus Kevin Nash flocked wherever the money was gonna be at, that’s all he knew at the time.
"The creatures of the night will kick your stank ass" 😂😂😂
No one really points out that Judgement Day 2000 is the last time we get the Taker eye roll until 2004
Loved the Big Evil and Ministry of Darkness Undertaker those two are the best
I fully enjoyed watching i just binge all these with undertaker going into retirement i had rewatch these very informative undertaker my favorite wrestler ive been event and watched wrestle when world heavyweight champ
Undertaker was truly one of a kind he kept the badass dont disrespect him with every gimmick which fans loved about him. In his biker gimmick he could own guys like the rock and austin on mic.