Why do you think The Undertaker worked where other similar gimmicks failed?
 

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I was looking at some early Undertaker matches and before he became "The American badass" or the "Lord of Darkness", I was wondering why do you think he was able to stick around for soo long as "an undead wrestler" where other gimmicks like Adam Bomb (a superpowered survivor of the Three Mile Incident), or Papa Shango (a voodoo priest) didnt? Both Bryan Clark and Charles Wright had long careers after there original gimmicks faded. They were both very agile for there size, just like taker was. Why do you think that Undertaker was able to get over where other gimmicks failed?

If you could be a undead man, a voodoo priest, or a survivor of the Three Mile Incident what one are you picking?

The fact that he was always protected, from the get-go, and was the first heel to really beat Hogan. He got a huge push, more than those guys got. He perfected the gimmick, and it evolved with the times.

Adam Bomb and Papa Shango looked like guys in costumes. There was something about the way that man got deep into his gimmick that made it look entirely real. The way he walked, the way he moved, all of it. As much as I hate to quote Hogan, in his book (I bought it for a dollar for laughs) he says something about how every movement the Undertaker makes has a meaning and a purpose to it. And the biggest thing that he brings to that gimmick that a tiny, tiny portion of wrestlers ever could is his ability. Walking the top rope, sending his immense body flying through the air without ever missing a beat. And how many times do you hear "oh hey remember when the Undertaker botched that move?" The production, protection, and all of it was a large part of it, but Mark Calloway made that gimmick work like nobody else could have. Other people may have been able to pull off some success with it, but nobody else could have been what he is.

lo;l "That evil goo"

Couldn't have put it any better myself.

Now let's get *cough* someone *cough* in here to claim that he never did anything but walk slowly and sit up.

WrestleMania XXV.

Seriously, though, I think a lot of it had to do with how protected the character was. Taker came through when people really bought into the larger than life heroes. There was nothing more intimidating than The Undertaker to those fans, because he would be uneffected by offense, and appeared to be just what he claimed to be.

Adam Bomb's name just sounds like a joke, and Papa Shango worked to some degree, but I think lacked the same commitment as The Undertaker.

His look also was similar to what an "undertaker" looked like on films, tv shows, or descriptions from stories and accounts. Tall dark hats, black clothes with or without a long jacket/tail coat, gloves or dark hands due to the dirt from digging. Originally Undertaker had makeup on his face to show off bags under his eyes like someone working non-stop in a cemetery at night.

Unlike Adam Bomb's appearance that had almost nothing to do with nuclear power plants or Shango's weird voodoo priest (most of the famous ones were actually women), the Undertaker looked the more realistic of the three.

Yea, thats one of the reasons I went back to the old Undertaker matches

The Papa Shango character was based off of the character Baron Samedi in the James Bond movie "Live and let Die". It's one of those things that most people dont know alot about so it could haved worked. It a funny story about the "Adam Bomb" gimmick because Bryan Clark was offered the role as "The Ringmaster" but he turned it down for the Adam Bomb gimmick (imagine "Stone Cold" Bryan Clark, dosent have the same ring to it :shifty:)

Count stands at one.

Was Adam Bomb going to have Austin's Ringmaster gimmick though, or was he going to be given a top hat and tailcoat and portayed as a guy who ran the circus that Doink came from?

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Undertakers character evolved and was sustained by his fan base. When the undertaker debut he was somewhat of an addams family type character but Vince had him go over super strong over hogan etc.

Lol, remember how Undertaker used to measure the interviewer while Paul Bearer cut the promo

Papa Shango scared me as a child. When he made Ultimate Warrior throw up, I was seriously disturbed and scared by the whole scene and stopped watching wrestling for a few years.

papa shango scared me as a kid too... lol

but taker's been able to keep his character fresh and evolve throughout his career. even if it was an outfit change, music.. he never let his character get too boring.

though i do wish he'd bring back the ministry. that was awesome... lol

2 words..... Mark Callaway

Excellent post, and I completely agree with this.

Simple Answer.

Look at Taker's very first match. They put him over HUGE. As soon as he came out through the curtain, the announcer's put him over, they zoomed into the kid's faces who were terrified. Then he gets in the ring and destroys everyone. He was eliminatd via countout, so he did not get pinned. He had so much momentum behind him within 8 miniutes and they never let up. That's how he got over

I've got to agree, at least partially with this. No doubt Callaway put a lot into the character, but the booking for it certainly helped. Kevin Fertig is great at playing characters, as well, and is decent in the ring, but Mordecai and Kevin Thorn never had the backing that The Undertaker did.

It was all about the presentation and evolution of the character. Mark Callaway plays the character very well. The connection with the fans is what really put it into place. I remember the first time I saw him and I was in awe. I'm not saying Callaway can take any gimmick and make it work but this one he nailed it on the coffin

When I finally saw Taker live (this year), I will remember this. He comes down the aisle to a pop.

He raises the lights, and the crowd pops.
He removes the jacket, and the crowd pops.
He removes the hat, and the crowd pops.

It was impressive.