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[[quoteright:251:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taker_3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:251:Undertaker's VictoryPose after another grueling title defense match.]]

It's hard to believe that in the course of 30 years in WWE history, the Undertaker had evolved from a [[CuteBruiser budding young Phenom]] to [[RingOldies an aging Deadman with]] [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane supernatural powers]]. And yet his abilities were so kick-ass and unbelievable (as well as a mix between Awesome Moment and NightmareFuel) that they can be talked about for years to come, long after his retirement.

* WWE [[https://youtu.be/1yT9LC6-i64 obligingly compiled a top 20 list]] in the wake of ''[=WrestleMania=] 33''.
* ''From his very debut'' Undertaker has been an awesome force. While Mark Calaway had been wrestling for 3 years already, the first time the world got to see The Undertaker was in [[https://youtu.be/xp6ruCqGYKM the 1990 WWF Survivor Series]], when he, at age 25, was recruited by Wrestling/TedDibiase as the "Mystery Partner" on his "Million-Dollar Team" for the four-on-four tag-team match against the "Dream Team" of 33-year-old Wrestling/BretHart, 45-year-old Wrestling/DustyRhodes, 35-year-old Jim Neidhart and 32-year-old Wrestling/KokoBWare. When he stalked into the stadium at the end of [=DiBiase's=] LargeHam introduction (complete with [=DiBiase's=] trademark EvilLaugh) he stunned ''everyone,'' who'd never seen his like before. Barely a minute into the match, after [[NoSell shrugging off every attack directed at him]], he flattened Koko with a Tombstone and pinned him with casual ease. Later in the match he would drop The American Dream with a Double Axe Handle ''off the top rope'' and send him out. He would have been [[TheJuggernaut completely unstoppable]] if his manager, Brother Love, hadn't picked a fight with the eliminated Rhodes, getting himself beaten up in response and causing Undertaker to leave the ring [[BloodKnight as if he didn't care about the match at all and brutally go after Rhodes again]] to protect him, leading to him being counted out[[note]](The Million-Dollar Team still won when [=DiBiase=] pinned Bret Hart, meaning 'Taker didn't start his career with a loss)[[/note]]. One of the most [[EstablishingCharacterMoment awe-inspiring debuts]] in wrestling history.
* Throughout the early part of 2004, Undertaker had been sending Kane signals of Undertaker's impending return. In the middle of a match between Kane and Wrestling/{{Goldberg}}, the arena was drowned in blue light and smoke began to fill the ring. At this point, Goldberg, a tough-as-shit super badass who backs down from absolutely nothing, immediately said [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere "Fuck this"]] and left the ring. '''Bill Goldberg''' wanted NOTHING to do with The Undertaker.
* Undertaker's ''Wrestling/WrestleMania'' "Streak" is a career-spanning [=CMoA=], but he has a few more.
** Said streak was officially beaten at [=WrestleMania=] 30 by Wrestling/BrockLesnar, but damn if 'Taker didn't go down without a fight.
*** Oh, and didn't we mention that Lesnar slammed Taker's head against the floor outside the ring almost six minutes in, unknowingly giving him a severe head concussion that lasted throughout the match? Although he felt the symptoms from the concussion (dizziness, blurred vision, headaches, difficulty thinking), that didn't stop him from becoming a HandicappedBadass until the very end of the match and going all the way to the backstage when the match was done.
** He [[HesBack came back]] for [=WrestleMania=] 31, beating Wrestling/BrayWyatt in an amazing match.
* Whenever he cleans house, he almost always takes on a huge number of men and still beats them all.
* Saving Miss Elizabeth and an injured [[Wrestling/RandySavage Macho Man]] from Wrestling/JakeRoberts, who was ready to hit them with a chair behind the entrance ramp. Then kicking Jake's ass at ''[=WrestleMania VIII=]''.
** Although The Undertaker had teamed up with Jake Roberts in a program against Wrestling/UltimateWarrior in late 1991, [[EvenEvilHasStandards Jake "The Snake"'s actions against Miss Elizabeth]] might've fueled The Undertaker's first HeelFaceTurn.
--->'''Jake Roberts:''' [[https://youtu.be/ZjIFYyCWS3g C'mon, tell me!]] [[WithUsOrAgainstUs Tell me whose side you're on]]. Face to face. C'mon. Make up your mind, man. Make it up.\\
'''The Undertaker:''' [=NOT YOURS!=]
*** And he would cement this by not only getting up every time Roberts would land a chairshot on him or some other vicious heelish move, but ''dragging the damn coffin his hand was stuck in'' as he went after his ex-partner, a huge indicator of just how much of an utter {{Determinator}} the Deadman could actually be.
** Talking about his feud with Wrestling/UltimateWarrior, it says a lot when a character that was mainly known for his crazy, intense, and narm-filled promos is suddenly visibly scared and even talking in a low voice about just how terrifying The Undertaker is. That's right, at the beginning of his career, The Undertaker managed to scare the ''craziest'' wrestler in the whole company.
* At [=WrestleMania=] VIII, Roberts hit Undertaker with his DDT, a finishing move that ''always'' meant instantly knocking a guy out and the easy win for the Snake...and the Undertaker ''sits right up from it.'' Roberts beautifully sells being totally horrified as Bobby Heenan began his famous mantra of screaming that Undertaker "is not human! The man's not a human being!"
** Jake hit ''another'' DDT on the Undertaker before going to the outside to attack Paul Bearer. Sitting up once more, Undertaker walks out and gives Jake a Tombstone ''on the floor.'' He then rolls him back to the easy pin as Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are awed on commentary about how unstoppable this man is.[[note]](For a little bit of inside baseball: Roberts told 'Taker to hit him with a Tombstone to the outside and not in the ring to get the pin because he wanted to protect his character a little bit. In Kayfabe, there is a pretty big difference between taking a pin after a finishing move to the outside and taking a finishing move right in the middle of the ring (the idea being that the exposed floor adds an extra "kick" to your finisher, thus making it stronger than a "normal" finisher). However, it didn't really work, because the Undertaker was supremely over and all anyone noticed was the fact that Roberts got pinned by 'Taker.)[[/note]]
* Winning the WWF title from Wrestling/HulkHogan only after ''a year'' of being in the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]].
* At ''[[Wrestling/KingOfTheRing King of the Ring 1998]]'', the Undertaker met [[Wrestling/MickFoley Mankind]] at a Wrestling/HellInACell match, which is legendary for its JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient.
** A lot of people see this (deservingly) as Wrestling/MickFoley's Crowning Moment, but Mick admits in his first book that Undertaker's immense expertise at what he does and professionalism is what kept the match going after the infamous chokeslam through the cage. Also, climbing the cell (twice) and then dropping from it to the ring with a broken foot is pretty badass.
* His return at ''[=WrestleMania=] 20'', [[https://youtu.be/lBr_Kz2MCrk signaling the return of his "Deadman" persona]], preceded by a group of hooded figures and OminousLatinChanting.
* His matches against Wrestling/ShawnMichaels at ''[=WrestleMania=] 25 and 26'', considered to be instant classics by many.
** Any match he's had with HBK (the 1st HIAC, final two in the 2007 Wrestling/RoyalRumble)
** Taker's match with Shawn at ''[=WrestleMania=] 26'' deserves special mention for ending with the best Tombstone ''ever.'' AKA the [[https://youtu.be/4vBFF88JJ6w Atomic Jumping Tombstone Of Death.]]
* Mark Calaway as opposed to Undertaker gets one for calling Wrestling/VinceMcMahon out backstage on the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob. Long story short, he put Vince on the spot (after threatening to kick down the office door if Vince didn't let him in) and said most of the talent would be prepared to walk out unless amends were made. He allegedly did it a few months later before ''[=WrestleMania=] 14'' (where WWF Champion Shawn Michaels was facing Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin), and told Vince that if another screwjob happened, Vince would have to answer to ''him.''
** Also, so the story goes, told Michaels (who was complaining about having to lose despite a back injury that meant he would likely have to retire) that if Shawn didn't do the job, he would kick Shawn's ass. And then, to prove he meant it, made sure that he taped up his fists in Shawn's eyeline during Shawn's entrance. Claimed untrue by Michaels (though he has a history of {{Retcon}}), though appx 4:50 of [[https://youtu.be/O8XNMDyStFk&feature=player_embedded this]] interview Undertaker did back in 2002, implies the story is at least partly true.
*** Wrestling/JimCornette [[https://youtu.be/tI5YDqkrbkc backs this story up.]]
* The Undertaker once participated in an Elimination Chamber... moments after being accidentally ''lit on fire.''
** Specifically, one of the bursts of flame that are part of his entrance went off almost directly underneath him instead of when he was already past, whether through timing issues or technical problems isn't known. Rather than (understandably) freaking out, he just tossed off his smoldering jacket, recovered from the stumble before emerging from the smoke and fog, and continued his [[ImplacableMan unnervingly slow walk]] down to the ring.
** What's more: according to Wrestling/ChrisJericho, Undertaker had suffered anywhere between ''second and third degree burns'' from the accident and then had to go wait in one of the Pods. And since Taker was not one of the first men out, he had to stand in those (according to Jericho) uncomfortably hot pods for-freaking-EVER. And never once did he break character. After the match, Undertaker was understandably pissed about the special effects guy, who was summarily fired.
* The entire Wrestling/MinistryOfDarkness gimmick. The chilling speeches, the wardrobe, the special effects and the comic book-like storyline were all proof that wrestling doesn't need to fool its audience into thinking it's real for it to still be SugarWiki/SoCoolItsAwesome.
* [[https://youtu.be/mSDAu0mfvN4 Literally dragging Kane into Hell.]]
* Though the majority of Undertaker's promos with Wrestling/PaulBearer are [[{{Narm}} very cheesy]], [[https://youtu.be/7NrtxpK8w9k this]] segment with the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior is surprisingly quite effective.
* Any time he busts out his top-rope suicide plancha (seen here over the top rope, over a casket, and onto Wrestling/MarkHenry). DeathFromAbove doesn't even ''begin'' to cover it.
** On the 2001 ''Undertaker: This Is My Yard'' [=DVD=], Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}} puts over this move and suggests that there's no way a guy Taker's size should be able to do it.
** His performance of the move during [[https://youtu.be/lvM8_uth5BU&feature=fvsr the first Inferno Match with]] Wrestling/{{Kane}} made for an awesome visual.
* His "[[https://youtu.be/KuslLsd1q9E Spirit of The Undertaker]]" speech at the 1994 Wrestling/RoyalRumble, before he "crossed over".
* When he appeared as #30 at Wrestling/RoyalRumble 2007. After [[TheGiant the Great Khali]] [[https://youtu.be/1qLtJCkZj7k punched out everyone in the ring]], Wrestling/TheMiz then entered at #29, getting thrown out as soon as he entered. Then when the buzzer sounded for number 30, [[PreAsskickingOneLiner the gong went off]], the lights went dark, and the fans went BERSERK. Cue Undertaker beating the crap out of the Great Khali and cleaning the ring.
** And after that, he managed to resist the combined efforts of Randy Orton and Edge (which included a Spear and TWO chairshots to his bleeding head), before fighting and eventually defeating Shawn Micheals for the final win, in what is considered by many the best ending of a Royal Rumble match in hystory.
* The Undertaker saving [[Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr Rey Mysterio]] and giving Wrestling/{{Batista}} [[https://youtu.be/DbjtR2XCMmQ the beating of a lifetime]].
* Taker's match with Wrestling/TripleH at ''[=WrestleMania XXVII=]''. The amount of punishment both men absorbed [[SerialEscalation escalated to the point that Taker]] (who won the match by submission, of all things) was the one that had to be carted out of the stadium.
** Their rematch at ''[=WrestleMania XXVIII=]'' inside Wrestling/HellInACell. Among the many things 'Taker survived to win the match included a spinebuster on the ring steps, multiple sledgehammer shots to the face, over a dozen chair shots and a [[FinishingMove Sweet Chin Music]] from guest referee Shawn Michaels that was immediately chained into a [[FinishingMove Pedigree]].
* Undertaker's return at [[https://youtu.be/yo41xWacVCU 2005]] Wrestling/SurvivorSeries.
** While executed well, it might have been better if WWE hadn't advertised it as heavily beforehand and left it a surprise. Since he only showed up at the very end of the show this made him an AdvertisedExtra, and the crowd chanted "We Want Taker" throughout much of the final match.
* After enduring a round of smug insults from Randy Orton during [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THDcLO23M0g his "funeral"]], the Undertaker woke up, grabbed Randy by his neck, and chokeslammed him into the very casket the Undertaker was in a few moments ago. Randy Orton and his father were then sent cowering by the Undertaker's subsequent DeathGlare.
* Taker's triumphant rebirth as the [[BadassBiker "American Bad-Ass"]] at the 2000 Judgment Day pay-per-view, as he beat the holy hell out of Triple H and his goons.
* His Casket Match at the 1994 Royal Rumble and Yokozuna. Granted he lost, but let it be said it took the ''ENTIRE'' heel roster the WWF had at the time to put in him down.
* Undertaker appearing out to help Kane against 6 men. Oh boy, [[http://www.wwe.com/videos/undertaker-and-kane-fight-off-their-attackers-and-stand-tall-raw-july-23-2012-26039958 check this out]].
* His feud with Wrestling/CMPunk leading to ''[=WrestleMania=] 29'', ending in a brutal match, where he made sure that Punk paid for every bit of disrespect he gave to Paul Bearer and the streak, bringing it to 21-0. During the match, you can see that Taker didn't just want to hurt Punk, he wanted to ''murder'' Punk, well, as much as he could while keeping it legal.
** At one point, Punk has the Anaconda Vice locked in on Undertaker, who is almost pinned to the mat as a result. After a close pinfall attempt, Undertaker sits up ''while still locked in the Vice''. Punk's [[OhCrap reaction]] (and the crowd's cheering for it) was priceless.
* Let's talk about the Undertaker's entrances for a moment. By the time he'd adopted his Deadman persona once more in 2004, Taker had long had his BigEntrance down to a science. The UnflinchingWalk. The DeathGlare. The BadassLongcoat. The funeral dirge. Say what you will about the Undertaker, but he has one of, if not ''the'', best entrances in ProfessionalWrestling, and it's still cool enough that [[https://youtu.be/oricUgTqV_s the company even compiled a "Top 10" of his best returns to the ring]]. Some other notable entrances include:
** ''Summerslam 1992,'' for his match with Wrestling/{{Kamala}}, where he arrived on a hearse. Not in a hearse. ''On'' a hearse, perched up top with that trademark glare in his eyes. No wonder Kamala was scared out of his wits for much of the feud.
** ''Survivor Series 1994'' vs Wrestling/{{Yokozuna}}. The original Titantron was a grid of 16 screens, and for this entrance, it was split down the middle in order to make Taker's entrance look that much bigger. Paul Bearer ahead of him, wheeling a casket out, was just the icing on the cake.
** A bit of a HarsherInHindsight due to [[Wrestling/OwenHart later events]], but the ''Survivor Series 1996'' entrance, where Taker descended from the ceiling with a new, darker look, complete with bat-cape, was wicked cool at the time.
** But, perhaps, nothing can beat his entrance at ''Summerslam 1994''. For a recap, Undertaker had disappeared after losing to Yokozuna in a Casket Match at the ''Royal Rumble'', and Ted [=DiBiase=], the man who had introduced the Deadman, claimed he had "bought" the Undertaker into joining his Million Dollar Corporation (the one [=DiBiase=] managed was an impostor played by Brian Lee). However, Paul Bearer, the manager of the actual Undertaker, spent months taunting the Million Dollar Man and his creation, promising that the real deal would return to thwart [=DiBiase=]'s plans. When it came time for the real Phemom to make his return entrance at ''Summerslam'', Paul Bearer entered the arena first, but without the Undertaker. Bearer would direct some druids to wheel out a casket, which contained the urn, before entering the ring and opening the urn, which revealed a blinding light. Bearer would proceed to, in the words of commentator Vince [=McMahon=], "command the spirit of the Undertaker" as the violet-shaded silhouette of the Undertaker, the real Undertaker, stalked toward the ring.
** His ''[=WrestleMania=]'' entrances:
*** His first match against Wrestling/{{Kane}} at ''[=WrestleMania=] XIV'' saw him enter to lines of druids holding torches, set to "O Fortuna." [[https://youtu.be/UJfGyEeta6s This raised the bar for epic entrances, even for Taker,]] and the druid motif has been reused and modified a few times since.
*** He had [[https://youtu.be/lBr_Kz2MCrk a similar entrance]] six years later at ''XX'', when he returned to his "Deadman" persona for the first time in years to take Kane down again.
*** His ''23'' entrance featured him coming out of the entranceway while backlit by a giant spotlight. Some fans likened it to Undertaker walking out the entrance of Hell itself.
*** And speaking of walking out of Hell, Undertaker's entrance at ''29'' featured him ascending from a pit of hands reaching out to him -- ostensibly, souls of the damned collected by The Deadman himself. Combined with the FinalBoss nameplate used during his walk to the ring, that sight was enough to make many fans treat this as his absolute best entrance ever.
** That moment was probably displaced by his entrance at ''Survivor Series 2015'' (celebrating his 25 years in WWE), with some fans calling it "the best [=WrestleMania=] entrance in a non-[=WrestleMania=] PPV".
* His return to the match after being knocked out cold and carried away on a stretcher after Giant Gonzalez, the tallest wrestler in history, held a cloth soaked in chloroform to his face for several seconds. Though Gonzalez had already lost by disqualification, Undertaker still dished out a brief beating, even as Paul Bearer desperately attempted to hold him back.
** This was the only match of Undertaker's ''[=WrestleMania=]'' appearances that he won via disqualification.
* How does Undertaker accept Brock Lesnar to be his opponent for [=WrestleMania=] 30? ''Stabbing Lesnar's hand with a pen on the contract''. Followed by a chokeslam through the table.
* He and Wrestling/{{Kane}} save Wrestling/{{Lita}} from a brutal beating at the hands of Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin and Wrestling/TripleH. [[Music/LimpBizkit Rollin']] hits and through a pillar of fire they ''casually'' stroll to the ring like they had all the time in the world. Austin and Trips see this and go ScrewThisImOuttaHere.
* The 5/11/07 episode of ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown'' ended with him beaten comatose by Wrestling/{{Batista}}, Wrestling/MarkHenry, and Wrestling/{{Edge|Wrestler}}, so how did he leave the arena? [[https://youtu.be/UugNtNWZBWk Like a fallen king.]]
* His BadassBoast to Wrestling/{{Kane}} before their No-Holds-Barred Match at Night of Champions:
--> '''Undertaker:''' You called yourself the Devil's Favorite Demon. Well, Kane, have you forgotten that the house that Devil lives in, I built? Brick by fiery brick. And when I come calling, the Devil still answers to me with 'Sir'.
* '''HesBack'''. At Battleground 2015 he made his return by delivering a brutal beatdown to Brock Lesnar, also costing him the title in his match against Wrestling/SethRollins.
* Undertaker ''finally'' ending his losing streak to Brock Lesnar in a PPV event during Wrestling/SummerSlam 2015 via submission.
* The 1996 Survivor Series: YMMV applies to Taker's Flying Bat-man entrance, but the finish of his match against Mankind was an awesome spot - Mankind jumped from the top turnbuckle to catch Taker with a double axhandle strike, only to be caught mid-air by a snarling Undertaker who quickly converted it into a Tombstone for the win.
* Taker makes a surprise cameo on ''[[Series/TheTonightShow The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon]],'' of all places, [[https://youtu.be/MFiRImul_d0 just to Tombstone]] Wrestling/BradMaddox in a turkey costume. Only Taker could make this awesome.
* Oh BTW, did we mention being so awesome he could use a ''Johnny Cash'' song as his entrance for a spell and still be twice as awesome? Song says it best: ''Ain't no grave can hold my body down''.
* Similar to Undertaker putting Shawn Michaels in his place to make sure he "did the job" at [=WrestleMania=] 14, Kevin Nash once told a tale of Taker doing the same to Bret Hart: the 1996 Royal Rumble had Nash (as Diesel) and Hart in a steel cage match that ended when Undertaker - who had been robbed of a title victory against Hart by Nash at the previous PPV - was to come up from underneath the ring, drag Nash down, giving Hart the chance to escape the cage and retain the title. One problem - in the storyline of the match Nash was supposed to hit Hart with the Jackknife, allowing him to escape the cage, only to be snagged by 'Taker, but while laying out the match beforehand, Hart was refusing to take the powerbomb, giving reason after reason. Nash called Hart out, saying that Hart was going to win the match anyway, but Hart wouldn't budge. Finally, 'Taker, in a rare outburst, stood up and, according to Nash, yelled at Hart, "Motherfucker! It is NOT all about YOU!"
* At the end of ''[=SmackDown=]'''s 900th episode, the [=SmackDown=] Survivor Series team are all in the ring, and AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose particularly are about to make things break down. And then....[[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound GONG.]] The Undertaker returns to the ring, telling everyone that not only does he plan to work outside of [=WrestleMania=], but that his home is [=SmackDown=]. He then follows it up with a speech similar to the one he gave during [[CallBack the end of the 2001 Invasion,]] telling the team they don't have to fear failure....but should they fail, [[OhCrap they will have to fear HIM.]] Safe to say Undertaker just got the [=SmackDown=] team on the same page, with just one conversation.
** The best part? EVERYONE was cowed by the Deadman, considering that everyone in the ring had felt his wrath at one time or another (except AJ Styles and James Ellsworth, and neither of them looked like they wanted any part of Taker).
* During his shocking announcement to enter the 2017 Royal Rumble, he made one point very clear, particularly to Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon, that this is not the same Deadman who more or less did Vince's dirty work the year before at [=WrestleMania=]:
--> '''Undertaker''': I answer to no one...I go where I want, when I want...Nobody controls Wrestling/TheUndertaker...(pointed DeathGlare at Stephanie) ''No one.''
** And much like Team Smackdown, Stephanie was sufficiently cowed and didn't budge an inch or say a word.
* The go home RAW before the Rumble had Taker make a surprise appearance by staring down two other guys in the Rumble match. Those guys? Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. That's right: Undertaker and Goldberg staring each other down for the first time.
* Even one of his [[{{Mooks}} druids]] got one, [[https://youtu.be/GKw4rXwWzNM against]] Wrestling/MarkHenry.
* Undertaker deserves one for the sheer amount of respect he commands [[AFatherToHisMen from everyone in the wrestling industry]]. Rarely is anything bad said about the man by insiders and fans alike, and the fact that he was able to ''believably portray'' a superpowered undead cowboy all the way up until 2017, a time at which such outlandish gimmicks had been almost entirely phased out, is awe-inspiring even long after Taker's retirement. Even among the most cynical of wrestling fans, the Undertaker remains one of the last things about wrestling they genuinely and unironically love.
* [=WrestleMania=] 36 is both a career resurrection AND a satisfactory sunset for The Phenom all in one as he fights AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match. At first, one's questioning his decision to be the American Badass, especially when the numbers game of The OC puts him on the brink of being buried alive again, but then it's revealed that he still has his supernatural powers! [[https://youtu.be/266C_taG-TU It must be seen to be believed]].
* Looking back at the stories behind his [=WrestleMania=] matches from Randy Orton on all the way to AJ Styles, there were several opponents who Undertaker pitched behind the scenes that they should beat him--yet every single one of them turned it down out of pure respect. That is how renowned Undertaker was by his peers. He was down to sacrifice his biggest selling point to benefit others, yet they all asked to take the fall instead for his sake. The only reason the losses to Lesnar and Reigns still happened is because Vince [=McMahon=] himself overrode their declines and made the call for them to win anyway, and even then, both men have needed to question and clarify if they absolutely had to at the end of the day.
* The Undertaker's promo in 2002 against the Un-Americans, particularly this gem "Just like my country, I don't take NO SHIT!" A line like that would make George Washington proud.
** Doubles as another crowning moment of awesome that in real life, Mark Calaway actually is fiercely patriotic.
* Undertaker's run as a Hardcore champion deserves a mention because even though the 24/7 rule (which allows any wrestler to challenge the title at anytime, anywhere providing they have a referee to count the pinfall) is still in effect during Taker's reign, no one ''dared'' to try blindside Taker even once. All of Taker's Hardcore title defenses were done in standard hardcore matches and he continued to beat challengers one by one. In fact, Undertaker is so feared by the hardcore division that when Maven finally took the Hardcore title off from him, he only managed to do so because of interference by ''The Rock'' (someone who pretty much was never in the Hardcore title scene in his career). While he "only" held it for 58 days, Taker's reign had lasted long enough for it to be the third-longest Hardcore title reign in the 24/7 era.[[note]]Only Steve Blackman's fourth reign (89 days) and RVD's third reign (90 days) were longer.[[/note]] JR sells Taker's time as the Hardcore champion the best:
--> '''JR:''' The 24/7 rule is still in effect, ''but who'd be stupid enough to try The Undertaker''?
* Undertaker returned for the ''30th'' anniversary of RAW as the American Badass and even got a ''stare down'' with Bray Wyatt. The two said nothing before Undertaker essentially and briefly passed the torch onto Bray as this generation's WrestlingMonster. Ironically, this would be the last time that Taker and Wyatt met each other, as Wyatt died of a heart attack a few months later.
* In October 2023, when Bron Breakker was shooting off his mouth in NXT, declaring himself the greatest Badass in the WWE, Undertaker's music and 'tron start up, and the man himself comes into the ring to remind him that he is '''''far''''' from the greatest Badass in the WWE. The greatest Badass in the WWE? ''Always The Undertaker''.
* At ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XL'', when it seemed that it was over for Wrestling/CodyRhodes with Wrestling/TheRock about to help Wrestling/RomanReigns retain, the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field lost their ''minds'' when the iconic '''[[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound GONG]]''' sounded and The Undertaker chokeslammed The Rock to help Cody finish the story.
** For bonus points, not only does The Undertaker [[StealthHiBye completely disappear]] when the lights go out, but ''so does The Rock''. Many declared it was if The Undertaker had risen from the afterlife to [[DraggedOffToHell drag The Rock with him to the underworld]].
** The cherry on top of all of it is that in the lead to ''[=WrestleMania=] XL'', The Rock had coined for himself a new RedBaron, "The Final Boss", referencing both how he would be clearly the biggest challange Cody would face in his quest to finish his story (and also how, as a member of the board of WWE's newly-minted parent company TKO, he was now ''literally'' the boss of all WWE wrestlers). And yet, much like the Bron Breakker example, 'Taker's appearance at 'Mania seemed to prove that, as long as he's around, 'Taker is the '''true''' Final Boss of WWE.
** In helping Cody finish his story, Taker finally gets a measure of revenge on the [[Wrestling/RomanReigns two]] [[Wrestling/PaulHeyman men]] that were responsible for his only losses at [=WrestleMania=].