“There is no shame in fighting and getting your ass kicked. There is shame in not fighting at all.”
— The Undertaker, WWE Raw before the Invasion PPV, 2001
In the “Notes to Self” series, I write down words my mind and heart should fully remember.
The Undertaker is my favorite professional wrestler of all time. In fact, I wrote a tribute to him here. And today’s entry for Notes to Self has been on my mind way before I became The Deranged Writer, and way before I was introduced to the Internet.
Speaking of The Undertaker, have you heard he has an Instagram already? Like I said a while ago, he’s my favorite wrestler. But what the hell?
Note: This piece was first written last November 22, 2017, in light of the 27th anniversary of Undertaker’s World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) debut.
The Undertaker as then-new World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 23. 2007.
Since the start of 2007, I have this pro wrestling moment booked in my head—the final curtain call of my favorite wrestler of all time The Undertaker. The fantasy match involved would change from ‘Taker in one more Hell in a Cell match to a simply brutal one-on-one sanctioned match with another company flag bearer like John Cena or even Triple H again. But the ending moment in my mind was always the same—the Deadman leaving his trademark coat, hat and gloves in the center of the ring at WrestleMania, WWE’s flagship annual show.
Roman Reigns decimates The Undertaker. WrestleMania 33. 2017.
Last April 2 2017 (US time), the next face of the company Roman Reigns would face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. I have a feeling that the match will be a passing of the torch from the 52-year old veteran to “The Big Dog”, but I was not prepared by how it would end. Reigns did get the torch as he would give ‘Taker his second ‘Mania loss in his career. And then the bittersweet moment I booked in my head a decade ago slowly turned into reality—he left his trademark coat, hat and gloves in the center of the ring at WrestleMania.
The moment I saw that at 12pm (Philippine time), live on the WWE Network, at the comfort of my own workstation, I cried. I really did. I don’t know if anyone in my office noticed my crying, and I don’t care if anyone did.
And as today marks the 27th anniversary of The Undertaker’s debut, let tell you why this sad/glad moment is a big deal for me.
