Well, last week’s column about Chris Benoit certainly elicited plenty of response. Of course anytime you say anything that even be partially construed as negative about Chris Benoit on the internet, I suppose a great deal of response is to expected. Even though there were a lot more responses disagreeing with my point of view than agreeing with it, I appreciate the manner in which these discretions were expressed. I received very few “you’re a moron†letters and far more detailed, well thought out, and courteous
e-mails that offered good counterpoints to my argument. As such, though I didn’t have the time to respond to each e-mail individually, I do feel that I owe it to you the readers to respond to the main points most of you raised:
1) Many of you said that I did not know enough of the details of the Sullivans’ marriage to “pass judgment†on Chris Benoit. Many people suggested that the marriage may have been bad or that Nancy, not Benoit, may have initiated the affair; I acknowledge these points, but find them ultimately pointless. Regardless of the details of the marriage or who initiated the affair, as one reader points out “it takes two to tango;†Chris Benoit had a choice to make, and in my opinion, he made a poor one. Many people are also ignoring the second part of what I said last week: I first said that Benoit’s decision was ethically wrong, but I also said that it was a foolish move professionally, which I think few can argue. It is never a good idea, if you want to advance yourself in your career, to have an affair with your boss’s wife. Further, I don’t presume to “judge†Chris Benoit or anybody else in this column; I didn’t say whether or not I felt Chris Benoit was a good person or a bad person, I simply analyzed his career and the choices he made.
2) Other people pointed to a statement I made: “Perhaps Kevin Sullivan did abuse his powers in an unprofessional manner, but he certainly had the moral grounds to do so.†With a week to reflect back, I now realize how foolish this statement sounds. There is never any moral grounds to abuse your professional power and Sullivan was wrong in his actions just as Benoit was; the difference between the two men is that Benoit made his decision first, but that doesn’t make Sullivan’s actions any less wrong.
But enough about Chris Benoit; as this past Monday proved, his career is far beyond his years in WCW under Kevin Sullivan’s thumb (and kudos to him for his big win and career advancement). Let’s move on to this week’s column
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that everything in life could be broken down into two extremes: excess and deficiency. He believed that if a person could find the medium or mean between the two extremes in all that they did in life, they would travel down the path to happiness and virtue. With pro wrestling fans, the two extremes are clear: the deficient “mark†enjoys watching wrestling more than anybody but has very little knowledge of anything not on TV, while the excessive “smart†knows every backstage dealing, but as a result can become highly bitter and cynical, losing their ability to enjoy the show. These two extremes view each wrestler differently, often disagreeing with each other. Each week I look at both perspectives and then attempt to find “The Mean†between the two. This week, let’s take a look at The Undertaker
The Undertaker is an interesting man. For one thing, the Undertaker gimmick is perhaps the most enduring popular “gimmick†to come out of the early ‘90s WWF. For another, he himself has been one of the few men to never jump ship after becoming a superstar; he has spent the last decade plus as a loyal WWF employee. But perhaps the most interesting thing about The Undertaker is the way he seems to polarize certain factions of fans; but I’ll get back to that, first let’s take a look at the history of the man’s career.
Mark Calloway got his start in Texas independents and in the USWA, before getting a shot at the bigtime with the NWA in the late ‘80s. First as The Punisher and later as “Mean†Mark (Sid Vicious’ replacement in The Skyscrapers), Calloway was never much more than a big man with above average agility. By the summer of 1990, Calloway was out of the NWA and pondering what would come next.
What came next was history. The early ‘90s WWF was replete with “gimmick†wrestlers like “The Model†Rick Martel, The Big Bossman, The Mountie, and others; but at Survivor Series 1990, Vince McMahon introduced a gimmick unlike any other wrestling fans had ever seen: The Undertaker.
For weeks leading up to Survivor Series ’90, Ted DiBiase had been promising a mystery partner to round out his “Million Dollar Team.†Many thought it would be an old, recognized superstar, but instead it was a repackaged Mark Calloway. As The Undertaker, Calloway wrestled in a black bodysuit and came to the ring in a long black cloak and black hat; his skin was a pasty white, his entrance music the chime of a church bell followed by a chilling funeral procession. The image was only the beginning; in the ring, The Undertaker moved slowly and methodically and seemed impervious to pain, often being knocked down by a big move only to sit right back up. Fans had never seen anything like The Undertaker before; in his first few matches, many just sat in awe with their mouths agape.
The WWF knew they had a good thing and augmented the Undertaker gimmick by giving Calloway former Texas mainstay Percy Pringle, repackaged as creepy mortician Paul Bearer, and turning the arena lights off to signify his entrance into the arena (drawing a huge pop even when ‘Taker was playing a heel). Calloway to his credit played the role with an enthusiasm and dedication that doubtless few others could have; he seemed to literally live the character. Undertaker was so over that the WWF made the gutsy move at Survivor Series ’91, a mere year after ‘Taker’s debut, of putting him over the WWF’s ultimate hero Hulk Hogan for the World title. ‘Taker’s initial World title reign lasted only a few days, but it was a shadow of things to come.
By the winter of ’92, Undertaker was getting such tremendous crowd reactions that the WWF had no choice but to turn him babyface. The turn came about when Undertaker saved Randy Savage and his wife Elizabeth from his then-ally, WWF veteran Jake Roberts. The WWF chose to put ‘Taker over even further by cleanly putting him over the departing Roberts at Wrestlemania VIII. It seemed odd, the living embodiment of death playing the good guy, but somehow Calloway made it work. As a babyface, Undertaker was more of a force of nature than a mere wrestler, often called the “conscience†of the WWF.
Throughout the mid-‘90s, ‘Taker, despite his tremendous popularity, was never the WWF’s top draw. He always played second fiddle, be it to Bret Hart, Lex Luger, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Steve Austin or whomever; ‘Taker was never a World title contender, he was the WWF’s protector. While the others battled in the main events, ‘Taker fended off freakish monsters such as Kamala, Giant Gonzales, Yokozuna, and whoever else came down the pike. Often ‘Taker was put in situations that made him look foolish (see Royal Rumble ’94 when he “ascended†to the heavens after being put in a casket by Yokozuna, Summerslam ’94 where ‘Taker had to face his “evil twin,†or the year ’95 when ‘Taker jobbed repeatedly to the clearly not over King Mabel), but nothing could rob him of his tremendous fan following.
In 1996, it was decided that the Undertaker gimmick was getting somewhat stale, and that a change was necessary. The WWF brought in Mick Foley as “Mankind,†the man who would finally make The Undertaker “human.†Mankind was allowed to gain repeated victories over ‘Taker, and his Mandible Claw submission hold put ‘Taker down for the count more than once. Even ‘Taker’s longtime manager Paul Bearer turned against him and joined up with Mankind. ‘Taker altered his outfit, dropping the classic mortician look and adopting more of a “leather biker†look. Fans loved the new Undertaker just as much as the old one and he had finally got his second reign as World champion, this one lasting longer than the previous.
When it was decided to refocus the WWF on Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, and later on Steve Austin, ‘Taker graciously stepped aside, surrendering the World title and moving into yet another soap opera-like storyline in which former manager Paul Bearer brought in ‘Taker’s supposedly deceased half-brother Kane, hideously scarred by a fire that may or may not have been caused by ‘Taker himself and that also killed his parents and forced to wear a mask; it was later revealed that Bearer was also Kane’s father, having had an affair with ‘Taker’s mother (follow all that? Add a few hundred heel-face turns by both brothers and then try following it ).
When new World champion Steve Austin needed a credible superstar to make him look good in ’98, ‘Taker again stepped up to the plate, doing numerous clean jobs for Austin, and even turning heel for the first time in years so as not to take any of Austin’s heat. The heel turn resulted in the generally poor regarded “Ministry of Darkness,†a group led by a supposedly demonic Undertaker who “sacrificed†victims and urged his followers to “embrace the purity of evil.†This Undertaker was not well received, drawing a tepid reaction, and eventually in the fall of ’99, ‘Taker went on hiatus to recover from injuries and to find a new, more appealing gimmick.
In the spring of 2000, Undertaker returned as never before: dressed in a biker’s bandana and jeans, riding a motorcycle to the ring, and coming out to Kid Rock’s “American Badass,†The Undertaker has undergone a radical transformation, finally becoming human. Once again a babyface, Undertaker has again become one of the WWF’s most popular stars over the past years.
Age and injuries have taken their toll on the ‘Taker, but he remains incredibly popular. During his time in the WWF Mark Calloway has been the ultimate “company man,†stepping aside when a new superstar needed to be created and doing jobs to help others get over whenever called upon. Any wrestler who has ever given a shoot interview or written any sort of documentation has referred to Calloway in glowing terms, describing him as a “locker room leader†and a positive influence. But how do the fans see The Undertaker? Let’s take a look
THE MARK: The Undertaker made his debut in an era before the internet and smart fans. He showed the mark fans something they had never seen in 1990, and he has never stopped impressing them. The Undertaker has always had allies in mark fans, new and old. The Undertaker is a “big†name to fans who have followed the sport for years on TV or fans who grew up on the early ‘90s WWF and have just recently gotten into it with the recent boom. To fans watching wrestling for the first time, Undertaker is #1: a unique character (whether it’s as a “creature of the night†or an “American badassâ€Â), and #2: somebody whom the other marks support. Take a friend who has never seen wrestling to a live show and watch their face as The Undertaker enters; gauge their reaction when they hear the pop. The Undertaker will always be a winner when it comes to the marks.
THE SMART: The attitude of the smart fan towards The Undertaker is an interesting one. It has always been somewhat polar, but never moreso than in recent months and years. For the most part in the past, the smarts have shown a great deal of respect for The Undertaker. For one thing, Undertaker is, and supposedly always has been, as this article has pointed out the ultimate “company man.†He’s done what has been asked of him, whether that means participating in ridiculous gimmicks or feuds, doing high profile jobs, or putting over younger stars. For another thing, Undertaker has always been respected a big man (almost 7 feet tall, checking in at somewhere around 330 pounds) who has great agility and athleticism; he has put on some classic matches with Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, and others that have stood the test of time. However, there has always been a sect of smart fans that have never liked The Undertaker, be it for his goofy gimmick, the fact that although he jobs when asked, he doesn’t do it often, or whatever; in the last two years, smart backlash towards The Undertaker has grown in leaps and bounds. ‘Taker is no longer able to move or perform with the accuracy with which he did in the past; age and injuries have taken their toll. Whereas Undertaker’s no-selling was once seen as an integral part of his gimmick, smart fans now see it as ‘Taker being selfish and see ‘Taker just being another old-timer refusing to phase himself out and holding the young guys down.
And finally
THE MEAN: Speculation is all well and good, but evidence and testimony from people who were actually there always wins out. As I mentioned, every time I’ve seen a wrestler interviewed or read a wrestler’s book, The Undertaker is referred to as a guy who is great to work with and who is unbelievably unselfish; indeed the “company man.†These aren’t just mid-card suckups I’m talking about, the names I’ve thinking of include Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, HHH, Mick Foley; basically a veritable who’s who in the pro wrestling business. Granted The Undertaker no-sells, but it has always been a part of his gimmick; when he’s told to sell, he does so (he’s been knocked out by countless Stunners and Rock Bottoms and been taken out by the Mandible Claw on repeated occasions). Undertaker doesn’t job a lot, but he does when necessary (did anybody really expect him to job to Kama or Giant Gonzales? But he did job cleanly to Steve Austin at Summerslam ’98 in a match that elevated him to legit World champion, if he wasn’t there already). Basically, it’s important to distinguish between the worker and the guys backstage. The Undertaker character, if he were real, would be a no-selling, never-jobbing, piece of crap. As a human being, Mark Calloway is a hard worker and, according to those who know him, a heck of a nice guy; all he’s ever done is what he’s been told. If you disagree with the things ‘Taker has done as far as selling and jobbing recently and over his career, more than likely you have a problem with the powers that be in the WWF, not with Mark Calloway.
Many people were upset with ‘Taker’s recent main event run with Steve Austin as we’ve seen it before, calling instead for Austin to do a new program with somebody like Chris Benoit or Chris Jericho. To these people I say this: Steve Austin is the most popular wrestler of all time. Turning Austin heel was a huge gamble on the part of the WWF. Had the WWF stuck the immediately heel turned Austin in with Benoit or Jericho, more than likely either the fans would have sided with Austin, or worse, they wouldn’t have chosen a side (see Goldberg’s ill-fated heel turn from which he never recovered). The Undertaker was the only person over enough with the mark crowds around the country to make them even think of booing Austin. Granted the matches the two put on weren’t the greatest (not the worst either though), but they slowly but surely allowed Austin to develop himself as and get over as a heel. Now Jericho and the like are able to have programs with Austin and not worry about where the heat will be; indirectly, ‘Taker has possibly helped to make another generation of stars. Of course, ‘Taker is now expected to help these new stars by doing some high profile jobs to them, but whether or not he does so remains to be seen (I’d say if the company tell him to, he’ll do it), and will decide a lot as to how the smarts perceive him.
In the mean time, thanks for reading.
