When fans and critics regard The Undertaker as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, there's plenty of proof to choose from throughout his thirty-year career. The Deadman provided WWE audiences with countless classic matches; many of them taking place at WrestleMania.
RELATED: The 9 Best Undertaker WrestleMania Matches, According To Dave Meltzer
But too many people forget that The Undertaker had plenty of legendary rivalries outside The Granddaddy Of Them All. It's how Taker earned his reputation of being the most reliable star WWE ever had; year-in, year-out.
10 The Undertaker Vs. Kane - Unforgiven: In Your House 1998
First-Ever Inferno Match One Month After WrestleMania 14
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
April 26, 1998 | Greensboro, North Carolina, USA | 16:00 | Inferno Match |
Following The Undertaker & Kane's legendary clash at WrestleMania 14, Paul Bearer challenged the Phenom to another match where the ring would be surrounded by fire. The winner would be the first combatant to set their opponent ablaze.
RELATED: Every Kane Vs. Undertaker WWE Match, Ranked Worst To Best
As epic as their WrestleMania bout had been, the first-ever Inferno Match was even better. Working in such a dangerous, challenging environment, both Taker and Kane delivered an amazing spectacle, with the flames leaping higher & higher upon every slam. Ultimately, Taker took his revenge on Paul Bearer and Kane; setting his brother on fire to win the match.
9 The Undertaker Vs. Bret "Hitman" Hart - One Night Only 1997
The Epic Rematch From SummerSlam 1997
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
September 20, 1997 | Birmingham, England, UK | 28:34 | WWE Championship Match |
The Phenom and The Hitman tangled occasionally throughout the nineties, with their greatest match-up being at One Night Only. The Undertaker had lost the WWE Championship to Bret Hart at SummerSlam 1997, and was granted his rematch in Birmingham, England.
Taker and Bret put on a technical masterpiece for the British fans, who loved everything the champion & challenger did. Sadly, the match suffered a lame disqualification finish where Bret retained the belt. Nonetheless, it's an excellent match between two amazing workers.
8 The Undertaker Vs. Batista - Backlash 2007
After WrestleMania 23, It Was Last Man Standing
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
April 29, 2007 | Atlanta, Georgia, USA | 21:23 | Last Man Standing for the World Heavyweight Championship |
The Undertaker's terrific showdown with then-World Heavyweight Champion Batista at WrestleMania 23 saw the Deadman defeating the Animal to get back on top. A rematch was booked for Backlash under Last Man Standing rules.
This Last Man Standing match was a grueling, exciting affair; ending when Batista speared Taker off the stage and neither man was able to get back up. Taker retained the World Title via draw, and the fierce rivals continued their epic war throughout 2007 and beyond.
7 The Undertaker Vs. Brock Lesnar - No Mercy 2002
Long Before The WrestleMania Streak Ended, There Was Hell In A Cell
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
October 20, 2002 | North Little Rock, Arkansas, USA | 27:18 | Hell In A Cell Match for the WWE Championship |
When people think of Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, the first thing that comes to mind is the Beast ending the Phenom's much-revered streak at WrestleMania 30. But long before that fateful day in 2014, Taker and Lesnar had a bitter blood-feud in 2002.
The hostilities could only be settled at No Mercy inside Hell In A Cell. In one of the most violent matches in WWE history, Lesnar reversed a Tombstone into the F-5 to cleanly retain the WWE Championship.
6 The Undertaker Vs. Edge - SummerSlam 2008
The First Hell In A Cell Match Of The PG Era
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
August 17, 2008 | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA | 26:44 | Hell In A Cell match |
On the May 11, 2007 episode of SmackDown, Edge cashed-in Money In The Bank to take the World Title from Taker. It was the beginning of a long, personal feud between the Phenom and the Rated-R Superstar.
At SummerSlam 2008, the Deadman and the Rated-R Supertstar ended their wicked feud with a fantastic Cell match. Taker avenged all the injustices he'd suffered at Edge's hands; delivering a spear, hitting him with a TV camera, a Conchairto, a Tombstone and then chokeslamming him to Hell.
5 The Undertaker Vs. The Rock Vs. Kurt Angle - Vengeance 2002
The Winner Would Defend The WWE Championship Against Brock Lesnar At SummerSlam
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
July 21, 2002 | Detroit, Michigan, USA | 19:47 | Triple-Threat Match for the WWE Championship |
The American Badass was forced to defend his WWE Championship in a triple-threat match against The Rock and Kurt Angle at Vengeance 2002. It was a high-stakes main event between the three legends, with the winner going on to defend the gold against then-King Of The Ring, Brock Lesnar.
In one of the greatest triple-threat bouts in WWE history, Taker, Rocky & Angle threw everything at each other; even going so far as using each other's finishing moves on one another. Ultimately, The Rock outlasted his foes to win a record-breaking seventh WWE Championship.
4 The Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels - Royal Rumble 1998
The Final Undertaker/Michaels Confrontation Until The 2007 Royal Rumble
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
January 18, 1998 | San Jose, California, USA | 20:37 | Casket Match for the WWE Championship |
Ever since Shawn Michaels' officiating had cost The Undertaker the WWE Championship, the Phenom had sworn vengeance on the Heartbreak Kid. But thanks to the interference of D-Generation X and Kane, the Deadman's revenge had been denied.
After Shawn regained the WWE Title, The Undertaker challenged Michaels to a Casket Match. It was yet another spectacular showdown between the polar opposites; regarded by many as the greatest casket match of all time. Although Shawn retained the title, injuries from this match would ultimately force him to retire for four years.
3 The Undertaker Vs. Kurt Angle - No Way Out 2006
The First Time The Undertaker & Kurt Angle Had Faced Each Other In Three Years
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
February 19, 2006 | Baltimore, Maryland, USA | 29:38 | World Heavyweight Championship Match |
After Kurt Angle retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Mark Henry at the 2006 Royal Rumble, the Phenom immediately emerged as the Olympic Gold Medalist's next challenger. It was the first time in years that Taker and Angle had locked horns, and WWE fans were excited to see them clash.
The main event of No Way Out was simply one of the greatest bouts in both men's careers, with Angle and Taker cementing their legacies in a thrilling classic for fans and critics alike. Ultimately, Angle retained the World Title by countering Taker's Triangle submission into a surprise roll-up for the clean, decisive victory.
2 The Undertaker Vs. Mankind - King Of The Ring 1998
The Sixth & Final Undertaker/Mankind Singles Match On Pay-Per-View
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
June 28, 1998 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA | 17:38 | Hell In A Cell match |
The feud between Mankind and The Undertaker had ranged from Boiler Room Brawls to Buried Alive matches to contests over the WWE Championship. Two years after their first singles match at the 1996 King Of The Ring, Mankind and The Undertaker would again face each other at the same event.
RELATED: Every Mankind Vs. Undertaker WWE Match, Ranked Worst To Best
Hell In A Cell at the 1998 King Of The Ring has been chronicled countless times for the unmatched brutality and Jim Ross' impassioned commentary that night. Twenty-five years on, this remains the definitive Undertaker/Mankind encounter, and one of the greatest matches ever witnessed.
1 The Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels - Badd Blood: In Your House 1997
The First-Ever Hell In A Cell Match In WWE History
Date | City | Match Length | Stipulation |
October 5, 1997 | St. Louis, Missouri, USA | 30:00 | Hell In A Cell match with the winner becoming the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship |
In the fallout of SummerSlam 1997, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels had their first pay-per-view meeting at Ground Zero, which ended in a no-contest. A rematch was scheduled to take place within a brand-new WWE concept.
RELATED: 10 Best Undertaker Vs Shawn Michaels Matches, Ranked
The success of Hell In A Cell owes everything to the efforts of Shawn and Taker, who delivered one of the most revolutionary matches of all time, where Kane debuted and Shawn emerged triumphant. It would also be the last WWE match to receive five stars from Dave Meltzer for fourteen years.
