How did he get Over?

[Vastardikai]

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D1g0gFgBdj4&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D1g0gFgBdj4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

The question I have to ask is basically based off of using one of the early matches of the Undertaker. He was still being announced as "Cain the Undertaker" by the ring announcer, he still had Brother Love as his manager (a lousy fit, to be honest.). He wasn't even rolling his eyes into his head yet.

However, the question I have to ask is this: What was the main thing that made the Undertaker over: The Performer, The Announce Team or the Crowd Shots?

The Performer: the Undead Zombie character that was incredibly agile despite his size. Mark Calloway was playing this cold monster to a hilt. Various tweaks would make him even scarier. You couldn't give this gimmick to just anyone and it get over. At the same time, you couldn't make Mark Calloway an Eggman (A rumored idea for his original gimmick) and it work, either.

The Announce Team: The team here would be Honky Tonk Man, Vince McMahon, and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. You could tell in Vince's inflection that he was selling him as a scary human being. Honky tries to play it cool but you could sense an undertone of intimidation when he speaks. Piper is quiet for most of the match, outside of goading Honky early and the replay. He sells 'Taker as a wrecking ball during the replay.

The Crowd Shots: During his entrance and during the aftermath. The shots, mostly of children, being absolutely horrified by the sight of this man. It was almost like "This is how you should react to him." You were supposed to be scared of him.

Two main questions:

1. What is the reason why he got over. Was it one thing in particular or a combination?

2. Can Vince come up with something this awesome again?

[Supreme Olajuwon]

It's never one thing. It's always a combination.

[Cool King]

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1500/faceshock.jpg

[Lock Jaw]

It was the tie.

[Xero]

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1500/faceshock.jpg

My thoughts exactly.

Someone gif that. Now.

[Lock Jaw]

I too thought that when I saw it.

[Rollermacka]

http://i570.photobucket.com/albums/ss141/Celtic-Witch/Web%20Pictures/090105-pink-iguana-photo_big.jpg

[FourFifty]

For a second I thought we were talking about the surefire first tier Hall of Famer Terry Daniels... or was it Davidson.... or Dran..... Bah, whatever.

If I could be serious for a moment....
The Undertaker got over because he was the total package. He could wrestle, he could brawl, he could preform. I have never seen any other wrestler who was so good at everything from mind games, to ring psychology, to being a backstage general, to understanding the pageantry.... The Undertaker is all around awesome.
And today he gets his responses from the crowd for who is is and what he does, not what he did and who he was. Very few people who have been a major force in the industry for as long as The Undertaker can say that.

[Nicky Fives]

its combination of both.... but Mark Callaway had the most to do with the gimmick getting over

[thedamndest]

He was pushed steadily, he had an intimidating look, the character worked at the time, but even then I wouldn't say he was "over" all at once. He beat Hogan for the title just to put the title on Flair. After that he went back to the mid-card and continued a steady push.

[FourFifty]

He was pushed steadily, he had an intimidating look, the character worked at the time, but even then I wouldn't say he was "over" all at once. He beat Hogan for the title just to put the title on Flair. After that he went back to the mid-card and continued a steady push.

Another thing that could be added to any post, and I'd like to thank Thed for jogging my memory.
He got a rub from the two most iconic wrestlers in the history of this industry. Interacting with Flair and Hogan in that day meant you were going to be somebody.

[The Gold Standard]

Everything. He is just the shit.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Yeah, there's really no one factor that on it's own could possibly explain Taker's meteoric rise. I mean he could (still can, quite frankly) compete with all the major players in WWF/E to this day, he's great on the stick, the announcers hardly ever can find a negative thing to say about the Phenom, and he goes in and gets shit done and then when he's conducted his business, he leaves (i.e., He's a "no-B.S., just business" kind of guy, which I love about him), and he gets some of the loudest pops/heat ever to this day. I'm sure there's several intangibles, like Paul Bearer, the urn, his entrance, his feuds with Kane, and stuff like that that are also a part of it, though.

[Emperor Smeat]

I believe he reached mega-star level once he started with the whole Ministry and evil Undertaker phase. Best feud during that time was probably with Stone Cold and the whole series that led up to him hanging Stone Cold on his symbol and probably the 1st time Mr McMahon was a heel character.

Backstage it probably was more of him being very reliable and trustworthy when it came to taking care of issues or the company. Him forcing HBK to drop the belt to Austin in a storyline meeting ended up being a massive moment during the Monday Night War era.

[The Jayman]

With Undertaker it's never just 1 thing. I think one of the biggest things that got him over was the mystique of the character.

[Rollermacka]

The Undertaker got over because he was the total package. He could wrestle, he could brawl, he could preform. I have never seen any other wrestler who was so good at everything from mind games, to ring psychology, to being a backstage general, to understanding the pageantry.... The Undertaker is all around awesome.
And today he gets his responses from the crowd for who is is and what he does, not what he did and who he was. Very few people who have been a major force in the industry for as long as The Undertaker can say that.

I think that because he is able to keep evolving the character is why he is still around today. Over the years he's been through diffrent stages of the gimmick and he always finds a way to improve it. He was never a generic slam, punch, boot repeat bigman, but he was still able to mix submissions into an offence that is still changing today.

[Anybody Thrilla]

His debut was at the 1990 Survivor Series. Get that dumb video out of here.

Also, his actual debut probably helped him get over a little bit.

[BDR]

The debut was awesome. His first major feud was with the Ultimate Warrior, which was a big deal at the time and PWI feud of the year for 1991. The segment with Hogan/Flair staredown interrupted by the taker is a classic.

[Kane Knight]

It was the eyeliner.

[abec]

What got him over to me was just him sitting up after getting laid the fuck out by everyone's finishers.

[The Gold Standard]

It was the eyeliner.

[Damian Rey]

I think that because he is able to keep evolving the character is why he is still around today. Over the years he's been through diffrent stages of the gimmick and he always finds a way to improve it. He was never a generic slam, punch, boot repeat bigman, but he was still able to mix submissions into an offence that is still changing today.

:y:

I think this, more so than a plethora of other intagibles, is what really got Taker over and kept him there. Everytime he came back, there was always something different, or new and improved.

Depsite my dissapproval in its early stages, I think the Biker Taker gimmick was the true turning point for Taker. It allowed him to finally ditch the deadman gimmick, and the ring style that came along with it. He was allowed to sell properly, and when he turned heel and became Booger Red or Big Evil, he started working matches in a different style, including the overhand right punches, the submissions, etc.

I think to his matches with Flair at Mania and with Angle and Lesnar as defining matches to his Biker gimmick.

The biker gimmick allowed to be a great hybrid of both that and the deadman gimmick when he finally decided to go back to the darkside. He continually pulls off great matches with an array of opponents becuase of his infused style that has an immense range. He pulled a helluva match out of Batista at Mania, and not many, if anyone, can say they carried Batista to match that was more than viewable.

Just my opinion.

[Kami Raki]

1. Taker got over to his consistent and solid in ring work. Not to mention his loyalty to the WWF/E.

2. I doubt Vince could replicate his work with Taker.....oh wait...he did with Cena.

[Vastardikai]

This is actually one of my better threads.

Just a few notes:

1. I went with the jobber match BECAUSE of the crowd shots. It was also filmed before his Survivor Series debut.

2. Again, there were several character tweaks that came after this: the eyes rolling into the back of his head, his chasing off the referee, and most importantly, replacing Brother Love with Paul Bearer.

3. I am gonna keep the thread going.

I agree with the majority on the combination. This was quite possibly the finest hour for the WWF/E marketing machine. Everything came together like never before (and quite possibly never again.). I think the creation and evolution of the Undertaker is better than Hulkamania as far as something Vince came up with. (Austin 3:16 is more of an Austin creation that Vince wisely hitched his wagon to.).

This may end up leading to a different poll.

[Skippord]

Eggman?

[Vastardikai]

One of the rumors was that Mark Calloway was supposed to come out of the big egg that year. Someone realized that a 6'10" 300+ man who was incredibly agile and had a tremendous upside wouldn't do well with that introduction, and they scrapped it.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Just to clarify, Undertaker's debut was on a taping of Superstars just before Survivor Series. However, the episode was not aired until after Survivor Series for storyline continuity. So the first time the Undertaker appeared on television was at Survivor Series.


HOWEVER, the match posted against Terry Davis was not the debut match. That was against Mario Mancini.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JfMbOH_ZolM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JfMbOH_ZolM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Vastardikai]

^

Good point.

I went with the Terry Davis match because of the pre-match crowd shots. The commentating was better here. But it lacked one thing that is necessary for a great match:

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1500/faceshock.jpg

[Xero]

A young, coked-up CM Punk, before his straight edge days?

[FourFifty]

http://gremlins.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/gizmpillow.jpg

[pooperscooper]

how'd he get over???

the same way they all get over!!!

he gave pat patterson the best handjob the IWC could ever specualte that he gave....

PUT THAT IN YOUR DIRTSHEET MELTZER!!!!