PhenomForever.com Q&A (Frequently Asked Questions)
Note: This Q&A Took place 4 years ago, some information may have changed since then!
Did the Undertaker invent the Tombstone Piledriver?
The Tombstone Piledriver is a modified version of the Belly-to-Belly/Reverse Piledriver, which ends with the person falling to a sitting position rather than landing on their knees. Undertaker is not the first person to land on his knees with the manoeuvre or call it the Tombstone. Notably Andre the Giant used it as a finishing move occasionally, although Undertaker is certainly more
Who’s taller, the Undertaker or Kane?
According to Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer) Undertaker is a legit 6’8 and Kane is about an inch and a half shorter. To make Kane look taller on TV, he had lifts on the bottom of his boots.
How does the Undertaker appear/disappear in the ring so quickly?
This is in reference to when Undertaker suddenly appears in the ring, almost immediately after the lights go out and come back on. To do this ‘Taker comes out during a break in the show with the ring crew in their overalls and cap as they tidy the ring up. The arena is dark and they have something on the titan tron to act as a distraction. ‘Taker quickly rolls under the ring and strips off the overalls. When it’s his cue he simply rolls out from under the ring and slides in. This takes place usually right before his segment so he doesn’t have to stay under there too long. Sometimes they may have ‘Taker disappear from the ring. To do this he usually rolls out of the ring and underneath it. Once the segment’s over and the show takes a break, the arena darkens and ‘Taker walks to the backstage area for those in the first few rows to see. To make the appearance or disappearance look instant, they may edit the footage on SmackDown (since it’s a taped show).
Did Simon Cowell sign the Undertaker to a music label?
Yes, Simon Cowell, the famous English artist and repertoire signed the Undertaker to a music label. Representing Sony BMG, Simon struck a deal with the WWF/E to release an album called “WrestleMania – The Album” in 1993. Undertaker’s song on the album is called “The Man in Black”.
Where can I find a leather trench coat just like the Undertaker’s?
Undertaker had the coat custom made so you won’t find one exactly like it anywhere.
What happened with the first Chokeslam to Hogan at Judgment Day 2002?
This is in reference to the first Chokeslam to Hulk Hogan at Judgement Day 2002, which barely lifted him of the ground. This was no fault of the Undertaker’s. Hogan sandbagged ‘Taker, meaning he deliberately didn’t jump at all. It was lucky ‘Taker managed to get him off the mat at all.
What did Undertaker mean by JLC, at the 1996 Slammy Awards?
At the 1996 Slammy Awards, during one of the Undertaker’s acceptance speeches he said “JLC, you are always on my mind”. This is the initials of his ex-wife Jodi Lynn Calaway, who was his current wife at the time.
Do you have any information on the Undertaker’s current gloves?
They are Primetime MMA Stopper Gloves, closed palm.
How did Undertaker manage to have a new bike every week during his Badass persona?
The WWE rents the motorcycles from local motorcycle shops in the area they’re in. Undertaker does not own these bikes. There are times when he does ride his own motorcycle to the ring, such as at WrestleMania X-7 in his home town of Houston, Texas.
What was the controversy surrounding Undertaker strapping Steve Austin to his T symbol?
Steve Austin being strapped to ‘Taker symbol was obviously reminiscent of the story of Jesus being crucified. As a result there was a small backlash in some parts of the Evangelical Christian community, labelling ‘Taker the Anti-Christ.
Was Undertaker in the Indian movie Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi?
The Undertaker character appeared in the movie, however despite what some websites say he was not played by Mark Calaway. It is believed Brian Lee, the fake Undertaker played the role.
Did Brian Lee wrestle any other matches as the Fake Undertaker?
As the Fake Undertaker Brian Lee wrestled in the following matches:
Raw 04-Jul-94
Ted DiBiase’s Fake Undertaker pinned Mike Bell
Raw 08-Aug-94
Ted DiBiase’s Fake Undertaker pinned Butch Banks
When was the first time the Undertaker was busted open?
The first time Undertaker bleed on TV was at SummerSlam 1996, in the Boiler Room Brawl against Mankind. His arm got cut, but there was no major blood loss. This was not an intentional injury. The first time Undertaker was busted open on TV, for storyline purposes, was on Raw August 18th, 1997 as a result of two chair shots in a Tag Team Match with Mankind against Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
Has the Undertaker ever refused to lose a match?
There has been no reports to my knowledge of the Undertaker ever refusing to lose a match or do the job as some. However this doesn’t mean he hasn’t.
Has the Undertaker ever tapped out/submitted?
The only time the Undertaker has tapped out was in a match against Kurt Angle on SmackDown July 4th, 2002. This is not considered an official submission by some because Undertaker pinned Kurt at the same time he tapped the canvas. The match was ruled a draw as a result.
When is the Undertaker going to retire?
He has no plans to retire.
How do the Buried Alive Matches work?
The losing wrestler escapes the “grave” via a trap door on one side of the pre-dug hole. The wrestler lies in the grave until enough dirt has been piled onto the hole to conceal the escape and create the illusion that he has been “buried alive”, at which point he moves into the hidden chamber joined to the grave. The construction of the grave is crucial to the act. The grave is a precisely constructed fibreglass fabrication. This can be observed by watching the sides of the grave. If the grave were real, dirt would be cascading down the sides of the grave during the show, which does not happen. The grave is constructed backstage as a two-chambered contraption. The first chamber is the open grave. The second chamber is hidden. The pile of dirt is always on the same side of the grave to conceal the exit hatch from the hidden chamber. The open grave has a trapdoor on the right side of it which leads to the hidden chamber in which the wrestler who is “buried alive” sits in until the end of the show. A flashlight, towel and some water are placed in the hidden chamber for the wrestler who stays there until the end of the show. If the match takes place in the middle of the show, an oxygen container might also be provided. These two chambers are then covered with sod, and a pile of dirt is placed on top of the grave. To enhance the appearance, real dirt is placed around the grave to create a “mound” effect. Stagehands touch up the grave, add a headstone, and do some last minute cosmetic touches to complete the grave. The headstone serves to block the view of fans behind the grave so they can’t see the escape. The pile of dirt serves a similar purpose, to block the view of fans sitting to the right of the grave. Dirt is also placed into the grave to cushion the fall of the wrestler who falls in. During the show, the buried wrestler falls into the grave. Once inside the grave, the camera cuts away while the victorious wrestler begins to dump dirt into the grave. The buried wrestler waits for a bit of dirt to fall in before making his escape through the trap door. The buried performer then waits in the chamber until the arena is empty of spectators before he can come out. When it is time for the buried wrestler to get out, stagehands take the pile of dirt on top of the hidden hatch and shovel it into the half-filled grave to reveal the hatch. The hatch is opened, and the performer comes out, still alive. Contrary to popular belief, there are no hidden tunnels to the locker rooms, as WWE plays in arenas either where the floor is concrete, or in ice hockey venues, where either the concrete or the ice under the floorboards would make a tunnel impractical. (From Wikipedia.com)
Here’s some notes relating specifically to some of Undertaker’s Buried Alive Matches:
Survivor Series 2003
Kane gave the all clear signal (when he raised his armed) so that Vince knew the Undertaker had left the grave and could fill it with the dirt. Some people seated near the rear of the grave said that after the lights went out for the entrances of the next match they could possibly make out Kane helping ‘Taker out of the rear trap door.
In Your House 11, October 1996
Although you could see the Undertaker’s body being buried underneath the dirt by Mankind and the Executioner, there is a point when the arena is darkened and the thunder is rumbling, and for about 20 seconds, the camera is focused solely on the two men putting dirt into the grave. The camera doesn’t pan back into the grave during this 20 seconds, giving ‘Taker enough time to exit the grave through the trap door. When the camera pans back into the grave, Undertaker’s body had disappeared suggesting he had been completely buried under the dirt.
Regarding the Undertaker’s hand coming out of the grave, in fact his hand came up from the grass area, right in front of the gravestone. This implies he was already safely out of the grave and in a small compartment underneath the gravestone from where he could raise his hand.
Who has the Undertaker made submit or choked out?
This is a list of wrestlers the Undertaker has made submit or choked out:
SmackDown 27-Dec-01
Match: Undertaker vs. Tajiri
Submission: Takin’ Care of Business (Dragon Sleeper)
SmackDown 03-Jan-02
Match: Undertaker vs. Big Show
Submission: Takin’ Care of Business (Dragon Sleeper)
SmackDown 07-Mar-02
Match: Undertaker vs. Al Snow & Maven
Submission: Takin’ Care of Business (Dragon Sleeper) on Maven
Raw 03-Jun-02
Match: Undertaker vs. Tommy Dreamer
Submission: Takin’ Care of Business (Dragon Sleeper)
SmackDown 11-July-02
Match: Brawl with Kurt Angle & the Rock
Submission: Takin’ Care of Business (Dragon Sleeper) on Kurt Angle
No Way Out 2003
Match: Undertaker vs. Big Show
Submission: Triangle Choke
SmackDown 06-May-04
Match: Undertaker vs. Nunzio & Johnny Stamboli
Submission: Butterfly Lock on Johnny Stamboli
SmackDown 24-Feb-05
Match: Undertaker vs. Luther Reigns & Mark Jindrak
Submission: Triangle Choke on Mark Jindrak
SmackDown 25-Jan-08
Match: Undertaker vs. Big Daddy V
Submission: Gogoplata
SmackDown 01-Feb-08
Match: Undertaker & Kane defeated Mark Henry & Big Daddy V
Submission: Gogoplata on Mark Henry
SmackDown 29-Feb-08
Match: Undertaker vs. Zack Ryder
Submission: Gogoplata
SmackDown 21-Mar-08
Match: Undertaker vs. Chavo Guerrero
Submission: Gogoplata
WrestleMania XXIV
Match: Undertaker vs. Edge
Submission: Gogoplata
SmackDown 11-Apr-08
Match: Undertaker vs. Festus
Submission: Gogoplata
What was the meaning behind the tear drop?
Firstly, the tear drop is in reference to the tattoo (which was not real) on the Undertaker’s right cheek from late 1996.
According to Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer) the tear drop was in memory of someone close to the Undertaker who had passed away and whose death had saddened him greatly. He would not name the person, their relationship to the Undertaker or the circumstances surrounding their death.
Who first defeated the Undertaker?
There are several matches that people consider the Undertaker’s first defeat, lets take a look at why they’re not and what actually was:
The Undertaker lost two Handicap Tag Team Matches in the spring of 1991, teaming up with Sgt. Slaughter and Gen. Adnan against Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. However he was never pinned.
From April to August 1991 he lost many matches against the Ultimate Warrior (and occasionally Davey Boy Smith and Randy Savage in Warrior’s place). However he was always disqualified and never pinned. These matches were not televised, as they were all house shows, with the exception of one which was locally televised in the Toronto area.
The same thing happened from August to October 1991, when he lost several house show matches against Sid Justice (and sometimes his substitute Roddy Piper).
The first time the Undertaker was pinned was by Hulk Hogan at a house show in Worcester, MA on July, 29th 1991. Hogan rolled ‘Taker up for the win in a few minutes, after he accidentally knocked his manager, Paul Bearer, off the ring apron. However this was a non-televised match and does count as an official loss.
On October 5th, 1991, the Undertaker was pinned by Tito Santana. The reason for this loss was because they were in Barcelona, Spain, where Santana was the local hero. He pinned the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) in 13:53 minutes after escaping from the body bag, hitting three piledrivers, stealing the urn from Bearer, and hitting Taker with it for the win. The whole card was televised by Tele5 in Spain, but it’s still considered a house show by the WWE and therefore not an official loss.
Undertaker also lost to Hogan in another house show match in November 1991, prior to their Survivor Series encounter.
The first official worldwide televised loss in a singles match was against Hulk Hogan at the Tuesday in Texas PPV in 1991.
Which wrestlers have defeated the Undertaker cleanly?
The following is a list of instances when the Undertaker has been defeated cleanly. By cleanly I mean, someone has scored a victory fairly without breaking any of the rules of the match.
This list is excluding all house show matches:
Raw 28-June-99
Match: Undertaker (C) vs. Steve Austin
Result: Steve Austin (C) pinned the Undertaker
Raw 28-Sept-98
Match: Undertaker & Kane vs. Mankind, the Rock & Ken Shamrock (Handicap Tag Team Match)
Result: The Rock pinned the Undertaker
Raw 04-Jan-01
Match: Steve Austin vs. Kane vs. the Undertaker (Triple Threat Match)
Result: Steve Austin pinned the Undertaker
Insurrextion 2002
Match: Triple H vs. The Undertaker
Result: Triple H pinned the Undertaker
No Mercy 2002
Match Brock Lesnar (C) vs. the Undertaker (Hell In A Cell Match)
Result: Brock Lesnar (C) pinned the Undertaker
(It is said that interference from Heyman and the Undertaker’s broken hand gave him a major disadvantage and therefore Lesnar did not beat him cleanly. This is not true, firstly in a Hell in a Cell match interferences are legal and more importantly Heyman’s part was so minimal it made no difference to the outcome of the match, from a storyline perspective of course. Undertaker stated the following week on SmackDown a broken hand was no excuse and that Lesnar was the better man that night.)
No Way Out 2006
Match: Kurt Angle (C) vs. the Undertaker
Result: Kurt Angle (C) pinned the Undertaker
Judgment Day 2006
Match: Great Khali vs. the Undertaker
Result: The Great Khali pinned the Undertaker
Cyber Sunday 2007
Match: Batista (C) vs. the Undertaker (With Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee)
Result: Batista (C) pinned the Undertaker
What does the B.S.K tattoo stand for?
The BSK Pride tattoo is found across the Undertaker’s stomach. Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer) has confirmed that the initials B.S.K stand for Bone Street Krewe, a member of “Krewe” himself. This is contrary to the popular belief it stood for Brotherhood of Solitary Knights. Mideon (Dennis Knight) has said that he, Mark Canterbury, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Godfather, Savio Vega were also part of the group, which was established so they could protect each other due to the power the Kliq had in the locker room.
Leave Your Feedback Below!
Submit your review | |