This will come as no shock to many that saw the Undertaker’s match with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, or his promo during the buildup for the match. However we look at it, it appears the Undertaker’s American Badass character is back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0r7bP86XzY
Deadman walking
As much as it sucks to say it, the Undertaker’s Deadman gimmick was growing old once more. It lacked the umph it needs to be effective with audiences, but that’s expected as re-inventing oneself during their career is typical of anyone in the entertainment industry.
This must’ve been a work in progress for some time as the Undertaker’s presence has been less than meh with his fellow wrestlers in the ring. Going back to last years Super Showdown and his match buildup with Bill Goldberg, Goldberg laughed him off in their promo.
At the time, it didn’t seem like much aside from one legend viewing another on equal footing (The Undertaker stands on higher ground, so it’s not really equal. Just saying.), but then when AJ Styles got real by calling him by his name, Mark Calaway, and hurling insults at his wife, the Undertaker was truly dead.
The perfect symbolism of this was at the end of the Undertaker and Styles’ match when the Undertaker rode off victorious. The Undertaker’s cross, insignia, whatever you’d like to call it was blazing away on the barn, signaling his victory as ‘Taker rode away from it, leaving it in his past.
While this would be a really cool symbolic gesture, and given the cinematic quality would make it more poignant, we have yet to know if this is what was implied and meant, or just something someone thought would be a cool shot. It was, by the way.
American Badass 2.0
Out of the funeral ashes rose a figure we haven’t seen for many years, and with his new theme song, Metallica’s “Now That We’re Dead”, we got to see as close to cinematic perfection as the WWE is capable of (a close second to the Wyatt vs. Cena WrestleMania match, in my opinion).
What’s more is this incarnation seems to have more of a mix of the mystical powers the Undertaker had with the biker mentality of the American Badass, and it’ll be cool to see how it’s going to be used going forward.
One question that’s come up from a few fans is what will the Undertaker call himself now? Will he keep the American Badass persona or change it up, too?
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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