Tag: The Undertaker

The Undertaker returns to WWE on NXT, chokeslams Bron Breakker

The American Badass version of The Undertaker made for a fitting finish to a star-studded night on NXT.

NXT stacked its lineup against AEW Tuesday night, with Dynamite moving from its usual Wednesday slot for one night. Cody Rhodes opened the show, John Cena and Paul Heyman got involved in the main event, Asuka competed and more, making this episode of WWE’s developmental brand special.

However, at the end of the promos for this episode of NXT, an ominous gong sound, identical to The Undertaker‘s, could be heard. WWE never officially advertised The Deadman for the show, but that sound probably wouldn’t play for no reason.

Carmelo Hayes pinned Bron Breakker in the main event of NXT, and just when it seemed like The Undertaker wouldn’t show up, the gong sound played and out came the American Badass version of the WWE legend to stop Breakker’s post-match attack.

Breakker told Undertaker that he is the only badass here, but The Phenom said that while he thinks Breakker will be special one day, today is not that day. He then proceeded to punch and chokeslam the former NXT Champion.

To close the show, Undertaker told Breakker that “there’s always an ‘older, bigger badass waiting around the corner,” and that he had met the biggest one of them all. He then pointed to Hayes, putting him over to close the show.

The wild development of Cena in NXT was made even more surreal when The Undertaker appeared on the show. One of WWE’s most iconic stars, his presence inside the Performance Center was something no one could have predicted.

The Undertaker made a usually small-scale NXT show feel grand for one night by appearing and getting physical in a segment. Though he won’t be coming out of retirement, fans had a moment to savor, and two future main roster talents had a chance to shine alongside a legendary figure in the business.

WWE seems to be teasing The Undertaker for NXT, which is bonkers

An already loaded NXT card may also be getting an appearance from the Dead Man next Tuesday.

The temporary “Tuesday Night War” coming next week, Oct. 10, may have just reached absurd levels of hype.

With AEW Dynamite forced to move up a day by the MLB Playoffs, WWE hasn’t just been sitting back accepting that NXT might have less eyeballs on it than usual. No, it has loaded up the show, with Asuka, Becky Lynch, John Cena and Cody Rhodes all involved.

But that apparently wasn’t enough. Several ads for NXT ran during Raw on Monday night, and if you watched all the way until the end, you heard an unmistakable sound: the gong that signals the arrival of The Undertaker.

So is the Dead Man really going to show up for an episode of NXT? Normally we’d say no way, but since WWE is pulling out absolutely all the stops for next week, we wouldn’t be surprised at all at this point.

The Undertaker seems to be pretty firmly retired, so don’t expect him to be wrestling. But literally anyone on the NXT roster would benefit from getting his seal of approval or even standing toe to toe with the Hall of Famer (even if they end up getting chokeslammed afterward), so Shawn Michaels and company can have some fun thinking of ways to use him.

It’s another reason to tune in, but let’s be real: If you’re reading this, you probably already were planning on it.

WATCH: Texas football releases hype video with The Undertaker ahead of Alabama game

This will get you fired up for the big game tomorrow.

If you weren’t already fired up enough for the massive matchup between No. 11 Texas and No. 3 Alabama on Saturday, this short clip will certainly fix that. Continue reading “WATCH: Texas football releases hype video with The Undertaker ahead of Alabama game”

20 best WWE finishers of all time: The best finishing moves ever

Finishing moves come and go in WWE, but these 20 are the best we’ve ever seen.

There’s something undeniably thrilling about the best WWE finishers. Just the anticipation for an especially great finishing move is a lot of fun, the palpable feeling that ripples through the crowd when a match is about to reach its dramatic conclusion.

And those occasions where a wrestler unexpectedly kicks out of a top finisher — provided they don’t happen too often — produce some of the loudest crowd reactions in the business.

Thanks to its position as the No. 1 pro wrestling company in the world for decades (even during times it didn’t want to admit it), WWE has seen more than its fair share of amazing finishing moves. But we wanted to dive in and find the ones that were truly the best, the crème de la crème of match-ending maneuvers.

To do that, we consulted a number of lists of this type that are already out there, including the WWE’s own rankings of the 50 best finishing moves of all time. Like our list of the top WWE PPVs ever, that makes this list pseudo-crowdsourced and not just our own opinions — though we slid some up or down where we felt it was warranted.

So what makes a truly great finishing move? The answer varies from fan to fan, but we considered the following:

  • Recognizability/cultural impact – Is a finisher so famous that even casual or non-wrestling fans know what it is or who does it?
  • Believability – If pro wrestling wasn’t scripted, does the move look like it would really end a fight?
  • Uniqueness – Does the move stand out on its own, or does a certain performer elevate it by adding more atmosphere to it?
  • Sellability – Does it offer the person on the receiving end the opportunity to play it up even more?
  • Legacy – Has it passed the test of time, even if others don’t use it as a finisher?

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive in and check out what we found to be a bit of a consensus on the 20 best WWE finishers of all time, starting at 20 and working down to No. 1.

Best WWE SummerSlam main events of all time: Tier list rankings

Some WWE SummerSlam main events were legendary. Others were duds. Our tier list helps rank them all.

No matter what WWE tells you on television, this year’s SummerSlam has one true main event.

No, it is not the World Heavyweight title match between Seth Rollins and Finn Balor, nor is it the grudge match between Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar.

It’s undoubtedly, no, unequivocally, Tribal Combat between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. That’s it, end of discussion, debate whomever you hold dear.

Although I believe Tribal Combat is the biggest WWE match of the year so far, does it have the chance to sit among the classic main events in SummerSlam history? Before we answer that question, we have to answer another question: What are the classic main events in SummerSlam history? And to that end, where do the other ones rank?

That is where I step in to help provide an answer … my answer, at least. I attempt to answer these questions with a tiered list of the main events throughout the event’s 35-year history.

I broke down every SummerSlam main event into four tiers: The Classics, The Hall of Very Good, “It was fine, I guess”, and “Feel free to skip.”

The only matches that qualify are the ones that closed the show, so no double main event nonsense here. However, there is one exception in 2013, which I will explain when it comes up.

Each match is listed in each tier based on chronological order, so don’t take anything away from the order that they are listed.

The Undertaker will reportedly be in Detroit for WWE SummerSlam weekend

It wouldn’t be shocking to see the Dead Man help with tryouts or appear in some kind of non-wrestling capacity at SummerSlam 2023.

A big name will be in town for WWE SummerSlam weekend in August.

PW Insider reports that The Undertaker will be in Detroit for WWE’s biggest party of the summer on the weekend of Aug. 4. However, his role remains unclear, as he is not planning to host one of his 1 deadMAN shows.

WWE is holding a tryout camp in Detroit and is likely to film material for the WWE Network, PW Insider adds. The Undertaker previously said he discussed the idea of working with future WWE talents at the Performance Center, so it’s possible he is there to help at the tryouts. It would make sense to bring cameras to film if he’s there, to make the tryouts a bigger spectacle and for potential use on the WWE Network in a documentary or other storytelling form.

If not, SummerSlam is WWE’s second biggest weekend of the year. With the scale of this premium live event, The Undertaker can appear in a mid-show segment alongside a talent like John Cena did with Grayson Waller. Earlier this year, in a similar instance, The Undertaker made an appearance, his last one on WWE programming, on Raw XXX with Bray Wyatt and LA Knight.

Don’t expect The Undertaker to wrestle at SummerSlam either since hanging up his boots at WrestleMania 36 after a Boneyard match against AJ Styles. He made frequent appearances on SummerSlam from 1992-2015, and his last appearance was a victory over Brock Lesnar in their post-WrestleMania 30 feud, when the Beast Incarnate ended the Dead Man’s undefeated streak.

WWE will benefit greatly from Undertaker’s presence at SummerSlam weekend, whether he helps young talent or works on the show in some capacity. As one of the company’s greatest talents of all time, any appearance from him is special. Let’s see if he shows up at Ford Field.

The Undertaker says Roman Reigns is having ‘one of the greatest runs ever’

The Undertaker is an all-time WWE great. But he thinks the current Universal Champion is too.

Roman Reigns has held the Undisputed WWE Championship for over 1,000 days, pushing him into a pantheon of WWE that few have reached. From main eventing multiple WrestleManias to his acclaimed storyline with the Bloodline captivating SmackDown each week, Reigns is on a historic path.

Before this dominant era, Reigns’ 2017 victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania was a defining moment in his career. It further solidified his place as one of the top stars in the WWE and marked the beginning of his dominant era.

Now retired from WWE, Undertaker is able to look upon who’s running the place like he did. In an interview with The Independent, the Dead Man praised Reigns’ work, calling it “one of the greatest runs ever.”

“He’s doing a phenomenal job. His character, his talent and everything has grown exponentially through this run. It’s arguably one of the greatest runs ever. I like it because it’s such an old school move, to have the title that long.”

Is he in the same category as other all-time greats? Undertaker, for now, won’t say yes or no.

“He’s got to be in the conversation. But do you put him in the same boat as Stone Cold Steve Austin, or Hulk Hogan? I don’t know. Everything’s so subjective when it comes to that.”

The Undertaker also praised Reigns highly, mentioning his ability to choose his own schedule and expressing his pride in how far Reigns has come.

“Reigns has the claim to fame now. He’s the man. I mean, it’s not even close, really. He’s had the title for a thousand days. Business is incredible. He picks his own schedule. He’s got a claim, he’s got an argument. I’m really proud of him for how he’s come. It really has been impressive.”

Reigns still has an opportunity to expand his career, even in his current position. As a title loss appears to be unlikely in the near future, he could continue dominating WWE programming for a long time, prolonging his long-running reign.

The Undertaker says Conor McGregor obvious UFC crossover pick: ‘He has WWE written all over him’

The Undertaker said a former two-division UFC champ would be the obvious pick for giving WWE a try.

From things like the gloves he’s worn in the ring to his Hell’s Gate submission hold (a variation on the gogoplata), The Undertaker has made his love of MMA apparent throughout his WWE career. That makes his insights into the upcoming WWE/UFC merger, which will turn the world’s leading pro wrestling promotion and top MMA company into one publicly traded business entity, worth hearing out.

In a recent interview with The Independent, ‘Taker said he thought what new parent company Endeavor has maintained since announcing the merger would turn out to be true: that WWE and UFC would mostly stay in their own lanes.

“Both companies will continue to grow,” Undertaker said. “You may see a few more fighters in the WWE audience and a few more wrestlers in their audience. But I don’t really envision too much crossover.”

Of course, having the two brands under the same umbrella will make it that much easier for MMA fighters to try their hand at pro wrestling in the future should they choose to do so. When asked to name one that might, The Undertaker didn’t hesitate.

“It’s pretty easy to figure out, that would have to be Conor McGregor,” he said. “He has WWE written all over him. He would be the ultimate heel, and that would be kind of fun.”

It’s hard to argue with that assessment, as McGregor, a former two-division UFC champ, rose to stardom on the back of both his prodigious striking skills and a wrestling-like persona. He’s also done a fair amount to stoke the fires of this type of speculation from time to time, including calling out Roman Reigns in a string of now-deleted tweets earlier this year.

The issue would be with his size, as McGregor is listed at 5-foot-9 and has fought only as high as welterweight in MMA, which has an upper limit of 170 pounds. That makes him very small by wrestling standards.

Still, Bad Bunny isn’t exactly a huge man, and he’s done just fine in his WWE in-ring appearances to date. The Undertaker is right on target with his assessment of McGregor and his seemingly made for WWE personality, so no one will be surprised if he decides to give it a shot someday.

The Undertaker names 2 current WWE superstars he wishes he’d wrestled

The Undertaker wrestled nearly everyone during his incredible Hall of Fame career, but still wishes he could face two current top WWE stars.

The Undertaker is at peace with his decision to hang up his boots, coat and hat. But that doesn’t mean he can’t look around the current WWE and see performers with whom he thinks he could have had fantastic matches if he was still in his prime.

In a recent interview with The Independent, the WWE Hall of Famer said that the business was “still in my heart,” to the point where he sometimes wishes he was still healthy enough to perform at the level he made famous over the years against today’s main eventers.

Who’s caught his eye among the current top superstars? The Tribal Chief, for one.

“I would love to be healthy enough to have a match now with Roman Reigns,” he said.

The Undertaker faced Reigns in a singles match just once, losing to him in a No Holds Barred contest at WrestleMania 33. Still, ‘Taker wasn’t in his prime then and Reigns had yet to evolve into the kind of talent who WWE trusts to hold a world championship for more than 1,000 days.

“When we worked at [WrestleMania 33], I was on my last legs. And he wasn’t he wasn’t nearly the performer that he is now.”

The other wrestler on the Phenom’s wish list also just won a world title.

“And then another guy that I would love to have worked with would be Seth Rollins. He’s just an incredible in-ring talent. And now he’s got this really flamboyant character, which would have been a really interesting contrast between the doom and gloom of The Undertaker and his over-the-top character.”

Undertaker and Rollins never had a one-on-one match together, and shared the ring just once: for a six-man tag match that teamed ‘Taker with Daniel Bryan and Kane to face The Shield on a 2013 episode of Raw taped in the U.K.

It’s hard to argue with either of Undertaker’s selections, and the feeling of “what could have been” definitely resonates. Will it be strong enough to have him come out of retirement for “one more match” with either Reigns or Rollins? We’ll see.