View Single Post
Old 11-29-2017, 06:04 AM   #76
Mr. Nerfect
 
Posts: 60,894
Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)Mr. Nerfect makes a lot of good posts (200,000+)
One of my more controversial opinions on wrestling is that I actually wonder how much Undertaker has hurt the business. Inside it, everybody respects Taker, and this isn't actually meant as a knock on him. The dude did break his body for our entertainment and was involved in some classics. I'm not doubting that.

What I do doubt is how much widespread appeal there actually is in the guy. He did draw early in his career, but beyond that, Taker has actually performed quite badly when it comes to garnering PPV buys -- a trend that has followed him, except for a few notable occasions -- into even his run as an active legend. HBK vs. Taker didn't do too well at WrestleMania XXVI.

There's also the issue of the talent he has gone out of his way to try and get one over. It's not as bad as, say, Triple H, but he's one of the worse offenders for a good period of time there. 2000-2002 were pretty dark times. And then when you get into his later career, I wonder how many people were actually turned off by the gimmick and a guy that old still being presented as a major attraction. You can't measure the money you don't make, but I do wonder how many people think it's kind of hokey the guy stuck around in a protected spot for as long as he did. Was it really the best for wrestling, as rewarding as it may have been for The Undertaker or fans of his (of which I consider Vince McMahon one of the biggest).

Just some food for thought. I'm sure many will disagree with me. I know Destor ranks him quite highly. I just wonder if it ticked over to a point where you're only appealing to a certain type of fan. Which is what wrestling is right now, and he's certainly a bigger star than a bunch of non-stars. But maybe a world where The Undertaker's streak ends much earlier than it did in ours is actually a much healthier one?
Mr. Nerfect is offline   Reply With Quote