The Undertaker’s WWE Legacy Can’t Be Matched In The Modern Era
As The Undertaker retires from active wrestling in WWE, he leaves a legacy like no other. And his is a success story that won’t ever be matched.
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The Undertaker leaves an incredible legacy behind in WWE – one that will be virtually impossible to replicate in the modern era. After a WWE career spanning three decades, The Undertaker revealed that he has no desire to get back into a wrestling ring, content to bow out with his Wrestlemania 36 Boneyard match against AJ Styles. A 7-time World Champion, the man known as Mark Calaway has enjoyed enduring popularity and era-defining matches throughout every stage of his career. A trailblazer in terms of wrestling gimmicks, The Undertaker will go down for many as the greatest WWE character of all time.
As The Undertaker hangs up his coat and tells his in-ring career to “Rest. In. Peace.” thoughts naturally turn to which of the current WWE roster could potentially follow in his footsteps. When it comes to leading the WWE, becoming a wrestling icon and worshipping at the altar of supernatural gimmicks, there are a few contenders who could succeed The Undertaker – The Fiend and Aleister Black come to mind, among others. But even if The Undertaker’s torch does pass onto another, the current landscape of wrestling means the Deadman’s success and legacy is something that will likely never be repeated.
The Undertaker made his name in an era where the “kayfabe” pretense of wrestling was still strictly upheld. This was particularly important for The Undertaker, who was presenting himself as an undead mortician at the time. For the vast majority of his career, the only time fans glimpsed The Undertaker was when he was in-character. “Mark Calaway” was a name uttered in hushed tones among wrestling fans. This aura of mystique, combined with talent and hard work, of course, helped turn The Undertaker into a wrestling phenomenon. In the modern era, wrestlers are no longer just wrestlers – they’re brands too. Every major superstar has a social media profile, a podcast, a YouTube channel; an array of other business interests that peel back the curtain. This isn’t simply a case of “kayfabe is dead,” it’s just hard to imagine The Undertaker getting over as a WWE character if he was doing Fortnite streams on Twitch at the weekend.
Aside from the habits of individual wrestlers changing, the past decade has also seen a heavy shift towards a more athletic style of wrestling. The Undertaker has never been a slouch in the ring, but the Deadman belonged to an era where slower-paced, more methodical wrestling was the order of the day. Current fans tend to gravitate towards those with a more athletic or technical move set or a high work rate – the likes of Daniel Bryan, Ricochet and AJ Styles. These superstars don’t necessarily have the most outlandish, larger than life characters, but they put on exciting, fast-paced matches. Part of NXT’s popularity comes from their specializing in this style.
Even then, wrestlers who do get over through their character work find face a far more fickle audience. The Undertaker has never not been popular. Even if his “American Badass” persona wasn’t universally adored, Calaway always enjoyed popularity both as a face and a heel. In 2020, fan opinion can change on a dime. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, John Cena and Charlotte Flair have all experienced adulation and derision (often within the same year) despite not changing their approach in any way. There’s just so much wrestling on offer, and the internet provides such a vast platform to express opinions, WWE will struggle to find that Undertaker-esque superstar fans will unanimously get behind for 30 years.
The Undertaker has shown unwavering loyalty to WWE, but he also began his run at a time when WWE was the undisputed place to be for wrestlers. After seeing off WCW in the Monday Night Wars, WWE had no major competition to contend with in the wrestling business, but that’s no longer the case. On one hand, AEW has provided a new contender to WWE’s crown – one with major names, a TV deal and big money backing. On the other, there’s also a thriving independent scene across the world that offers wrestlers a successful career without ever signing to WWE or AEW. As more career options in wrestling emerge, the chances of seeing company loyalty like The Undertaker’s becomes increasingly slim.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/undertaker-wwe-legacy-match-modern-era-reason/