From 2000-03 The Undertaker switched up his iconic gimmick, moving away from the mythical aspects of his “Deadman” character and reinventing himself as the “American Badass.” Looking back, fans look at the “Biker Taker” gimmick with mixed reactions — some love it, others think it took away some of the mystique behind his character. Taker returned to his classic persona at WrestleMania XX and hasn’t gone back since, but in the weeks leading up to his WrestleMania 36 match with AJ Styles fans have speculated that he’ll bring it back for their Boneyard Match based on how he’s dressed and what he’s said in promos.
With that in mind, it’s time to take a look back and see Undertaker’s best matches from that era. You can check out all of these matches over on the WWE Network.
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Are there any we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar — No Mercy 2002 (Hell in a Cell)
Though their clash inside Hell in a Cell was well-received back in 2015, it doesn’t hold a candle to what Undertaker and Lesnar did in their first Hell in a Cell match back in 2002. Lesnar was in his first run as WWE Champion at the time and was still being portrayed as an unstoppable monster, while Taker played the crafty veteran who used the the environment to his advantage. The end result is a bloodbath!
Undertaker vs. The Rock vs Kurt Angle — Vengeance 2002
Three of the best to ever step inside a WWE ring working at their absolute peak. And to top it off it has one of the most creative finishes in WWE history when it comes to triple threat matches.
Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy — Monday Night Raw (July 1, 2002)
Years before Jeff Hardy winning world championships, the young high-flyer was viewed as being too small to break into the main event scene. But in mid-2002 he gave “The Deadman” the fight of his life in a ladder match for the WWE Championship, turning what could’ve been a violent squash match into a star-making performance.
Undertaker vs. Ric Flair (WrestleMania X8)
While his “American Badass” persona originally arrived on the scene as a babyface, that eventually morphed into him becoming a heel (aka Big Evil). It was during this run that he essentially bullied Ric Flair into coming out of retirement for a match at WrestleMania X8, which (no surprise) was excellent.
The Brothers of Destruction vs. The Two-Man Power Trip (Backlash 2001)
In 2001 a heel Steve Austin and Triple H were running roughshod over the rest of the Raw roster while holding the WWF and Intercontinental Championships. The only thing standing in their way was the Brothers of Destruction, who held the WWE Tag Team Championships at the time. The two teams clashed in a Winner Take All match for all three titles at Backlash, resulting in the heels getting their hands on all the gold.
The Undertaker vs. Rob Van Dam — Vengeance 2001
The Undertaker’s run as Hardcore Champion is woefully underrated, and it started off here when he beat RVD for the title in a stellar Hardcore match. As is often the case when he fights smaller competitors, Taker did an excellent job making Van Dam look like a legitimate threat, right up until he stopped his Van Daminator attempt with a thunderous chokeslam.
Undertaker vs. The Rock vs. Steve Austin vs. Rikishi vs. Kurt Angle vs. Triple H
Yep, the one where Undertaker threw Rikishi off the top of the cell onto a truck. It’s just as much fun as you remember!
