The Undertaker will always be regarded as one of the greatest in-ring performers in WWE, with an amazing tenure that spanned three decades in the company. The thirty years of destruction led by The Phenom saw him undergo continuous evolution in his character. Pivoting at the right stage of his career was the sole reason for The Undertaker's magnanimous persona staying relevant for a long time.
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The Undertaker debuted at WWE Survivor Series 1990 as a mortician character and was revealed as a mystery addition to 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase's team in the traditional 5-on-5 namesake elimination match. Over the years, The Phenom made constant innovations to his dark character, which was perceived as a supernatural force of nature. However, in the early 2000s, the fans got to see a more human side of The Undertaker as he adopted his famous 'American Badass' character that was a biker gimmick with much more freedom to talk smack and abandon the dark traits of his previous incarnations.
However, the year 2004 finally saw The Undertaker return to his dark roots and resurface as The Deadman at WrestleMania 20. So let's dive deep and trace back the events that led to the WWE Hall of Famer embracing the dark side once again in his career.
The Undertaker Was Buried Alive By His Brother Kane At WWE Survivor Series
The Undertaker was in the midst of a heated rivalry with his boss, Vince McMahon leading up to WWE Survivor Series 2003. This led to a Buried Alive match set in stone between McMahon and Taker at the event. The contest looked one-sided from the get-go as The Undertaker pulverized Vince McMahon and led him toward the burial spot to end the match and the legacy of the wrestling pioneer.
As The Undertaker threw Vince McMahon six feet under the ground and proceeded to lay mud to bury him alive, The Undertaker was knocked off the roller present to pour the mud by an explosion. Right after, Taker's psychotic brother Kane emerged and proceeded to attack the fallen warrior, further helping Vince McMahon to come out of the burial spot and pushed The Undertaker inside it. Kane watched as the mud was poured into the ground and The Undertaker was buried alive and presumably gone.
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Kane arrived at the following edition of SmackDown to give an eulogy for The Undertaker. He claimed that the man he buried was a shell of a monster The Undertaker once was. Kane insulted his brother and claimed that The Undertaker was gone for good. This marked the end of his American Bad Ass/Big Evil persona.
The Weeks Leading Up To WrestleMania 20 Signaled The Return Of The Undertaker's Previous Gimmick
Kane had been a tormenting force in WWE during 2003. He entered the 2004 Royal Rumble match and began establishing dominance by tossing out multiple superstars. As another superstar was set to enter the match as the countdown ended, the lights went off in the arena with the sounds of The Undertaker's gong going off, which led to Kane being shocked and distracted, long enough to be eliminated from the match.
For weeks and weeks, Kane was constantly haunted by The Undertaker's mind games, whether it was the lights going off, caskets and urns, tormenting vignettes, and even the wrestling ring lifting and shaking with The Big Red Monster present inside at one point. The final messages hinted at The Undertaker's return at the upcoming WrestleMania 20 pay-per-view and the match between the two brothers was made official.
The Undertaker Returned As The Deadman At WrestleMania 20 To Battle Kane
Kane arrived at Madison Square Garden, the sight of WrestleMania 20, still hoping that his brother's return was nothing but rumors. However, Kane's belief was short-lived as the arena went dark and his own father, Paul Bearer, returned with his signature urn and was accompanied by a couple of hooded druids. As Bearer stood at ringside and pointed the urn towards the entrance ramp, the gong went off again with familiar music from the past playing in the entire arena. As Kane stood in shock inside the ring, much to the crowd's jubilation, The Undertaker, donning his trench coat and hat made his comeback to WWE after months.
The Undertaker's return saw him presenting a hybrid version of his old Deadman persona with his supernatural elements and the ability to strike fear in the hearts of all. As Taker entered the ring and stood across from his brother Kane, the Big Red Machine could not believe that the man he buried alive months ago was standing right in front of him.
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The match saw amazing back-and-forth action between the two behemoths who clashed at the Grandest Stage of them all for the second time. However, much like their first encounter, The Phenom put down his younger brother with a thunderous Choke slam and sealed his fate with a devastating Tombstone Piledriver for the win.
The Undertaker's win extended his then-undefeated streak to 12-0 and signaled the return of dark days to WWE, going on with the persona for the remainder of his career, until his official retirement from in-ring competition in 2020.
