The GoAT Files: The Undertaker

Often times, there's debate on who the best professional wrestler of all-time is. We all know the names that come up in debate: Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock and so on and so forth. It's a debate that will probably never be comprehensively settled, given that different communities will swear by different standards. For example, try and say anyone was better than Thesz at the Wrestling Classics board, and not only will you be banned, but you'll be tarred, feathered and paraded around the town square for mockery. Try to insinuate that Triple H is the best of all time at A1, and you'll be flamed like a Frenchman in the wake of German flamethrowers in World War I. Trust me, I know, I'll be leading the brigade.

Here, in the interest of getting all the information out, I'll be profiling all the names that appear in debates, whether they be the no-brainers like the guys I've listed above or the ones off the beaten path, like Bob Backlund, Shawn Michaels, Sting, Mick Foley and today's profile...

The Undertaker


Pros: Long career with very few valleys, was over feuding with several of the industry's greats, solid workrate even late in career, respected by WWE to the point of holding the longest WrestleMania undefeated streak

Cons: Was never really the top draw in his company, always seemingly overshadowed by megastars, had problems staying healthy

When looking at the real impact players from the WWE in the last two decades, it's pretty easy to overlook the Dead Man. With guys like Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Triple H, Brock Lesnar and now John Cena manning the ring as the company cornerstones, Undertaker can seem like a background player.

However, all of those guys except maybe John Cena, have feuded with Undertaker, have had classic matches with the Undertaker and were in some way enhanced by the Undertaker's presence. Even though he's had two "WrestleMania moments", they were in some way overshadowed by other guys on the card (WM13 was the Austin/Hitman double turn, last year had Flair's retirement match), so in a way, it's easy to forget that the Undertaker has had almost 20 years of solid service with the WWE as a reliable part of their backbone.

But let's forget for a second that he was never the top draw in the company, or that he was always there concurrently with other stars. He has remained over and one of the most recognizable people in the company, whether heel or face. He never fails to get a crowd reaction. He was able to get Glen Jacobs as Kane over merely by being attached to him, after the WWE had failed in getting him over with other gimmicks. And if backstage lore is to be believed, he ensured that Steve Austin would win the World Championship at WrestleMania 14 by threatening Shawn Michaels with bodily harm if he pulled any funny business during the match. Sure, he wasn't Hulk Hogan, but he has done so much for the company in his own way that it would be hard to imagine what the WWE would be like now if it didn't have a reliable rock like 'Taker to lean on.

And when you think of who the best worker in the company has been this decade, how could you not come to the conclusion that it's Undertaker? He's been around and putting on fantastic matches with wrestlers across the spectrum for the entire decade. He carried Batista to a good match, something that most people can't claim to do. He's been in WrestleMania classics with Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Edge and this year, Shawn Michaels. He was in a classic Hell in the Cell match where he put Brock Lesnar over and arguably cemented Lesnar's title reign. Who else can claim 'Taker's resume in terms of ring work alone? Not Rock or Austin, as they weren't around for the latter part of the decade. Triple H hasn't been a top flight worker since before his first quad blowout. Lesnar had perhaps the best one or two year peak in the decade in the company, but he left far too soon. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit can both claim similar rap sheets, and they're really probably the only two I can think of. However, Taker has three years on Benoit, and Angle leaving for TNA hurts his resume a bit.

I know when talking about the GoAT, Taker admittedly is a fringe candidate to seize the top spot. However, looking at his whole career, it's very, very hard to leave him out of the top ten, and he has to be seriously considered for a spot in the top five. While appreciated by his home company as referenced by the title reigns he gets today and his awesome WrestleMania streak, other fans and those in the know may not appreciate him for various reasons. It's a shame, because those who've been watching the Dead Man over the years are in on the secret. He's something special, and the 'E will have a hard time replacing him when he finally hangs up the boots.