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A dip into the archives
With me watching wrestling less and less these days, it is hard to keep up with current story lines and new characters. About two years ago, I wrote an article outlining a character continuation storyline. The Undertaker for all ages. As part of a new series of dipping back into the archives or previous Rachel Talks Wrestling posts, I’m going to revisit the idea and expand on it.
Characters of Yesterday
The characters and stories of the past, like The Rock, Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon, or even ones more recent, like Seth Rollins versus Sting, have not been matched or surpassed in these modern times. And because of this, WWE focuses on bringing characters of old back for one-off matches at large pay-per-view events. With that in mind, why not continue this trend but with “new” old characters.
Through the inception of a character like the Undertaker being revamped and continued, we can marry this favorite character into new storylines and new events.
I like seeing these “older” characters and personas back in the ring, but the challenge becomes the life-span of the athletes themselves. In a world like wrestling, the bumps and bruises that come along are just part of the job. But over time, those can lead to very serious injuries that an older body does not recover from as quickly. So what happens? Characters of the past are brought back for greatest hits matches. They are included in one-off storylines that culminate in a single match that lasts at most 5 minutes. Or, they are introduced as a sort of valet, adding allure and intrigue, but without setting foot in the ring.
I’m not knocking this idea, but what about a character that continuously changes face by a new body taking on the persona. I think this could be done beautifully with a character like the Undertaker.
How could this work?
Back in 2018, I posed this idea like a “Doctor Who” scenario. The Undertaker would be injured and unable to continue in his current body. The solution? He becomes someone new. Male, female, young (probably), or even old, The Undertaker can continue and be the greatest superstar of any generation. Think of the future? There could be full Undertaker conventions. Dress as your favorite iteration. Okay, a bit of a stretch. But this could take off like Rusev Day!
Final thoughts
My wrestling fandom has been waning, but I’m ready to return to it. Introducing this sort of storyline would be quite impressive to me. Perhaps it can take on a new meaning. Perhaps they can work in some more pop-culture and less politics. But for now, my escape will be to these pages in the hopes of a bright future of wrestling.
