Sometimes being corny sells, the over-the-top characteristic of the Undertaker is part of what made him such a colossal figure in WWE. From a practical standpoint, fans would boo an undead zombie wrestler out of the arena. Fortunately for WWE and the Undertaker, fans bought into the gimmick. To do so, WWE sometimes had to take it a step further to drive home the point that Taker was really dead.

Wrestlers who tried to kill the Undertaker

WWE really came up with the most insane ways to kill the Undertaker. Every time the Deadman would ‘die’ fans would automatically start clamoring for his return. WWE perfected this in the very first attempt. In 1994, Yokozuna became the first wrestler to kill the Deadman.

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The two behemoths faced off in a casket match. Yokozuna stuffed Taker into the casket and had it sealed with the help of several other superstars. As Yokozuna and the heels celebrated, Undertaker appeared on the video screen. Representing his spirit, he warned the world that he would return. Of course, the real reason for that was to give him time off to heal a back injury.

Mankind buries Undertaker alive

The next attempt to kill the Deadman came in 1996. This time, Taker was feuding with the deranged Mankind. Mick Foley’s first gimmick was his most terrifying, because of his ability to pull out all the stops. The man would do literally anything to win, including burying the Undertaker alive.

Taker featured in a video package of him preparing a grave for Mankind. However, interference from a man called the Executioner helped Mankind bury the Deadman. Taker would obviously return soon, and at Survivor Series he beat the man who attempted to kill him. The feud would end with the infamous Hell in a Cell match where Taker launched Mankind off the cell.

Kane sets his brother on fire

After being trapped in a casket and being buried alive, the WWE came up with the insane idea of having Taker set on fire. In Kane, The Undertaker’s storyline brother, they had the perfect candidate to do so. The Devil’s favorite Demon made his debut in 1997 and immediately set his eyes on his ‘brother’.

During a WWE Championship match between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, Kane locked his brother inside a casket. HBK won the match, being a casket match. Subsequently, Kane set the casket on fire and left the Deadman to burn inside it. When the casket opened, the Deadman had vanished. He would return in time for WrestleMania 14, where he beat Kane in a thrilling match.

Kane tries a second time

The rivalry between Kane and the Undertaker is one that extended across decades. This time, Taker was in the midst of his Big Evil/American Badass persona. He had let go of Paul Bearer and was running after the WWE Championship. Vince McMahon screwed him out of a title win against Brock Lesnar, which led to a Buried Alive match being set between Vince and Taker.

There was an obvious mismatch between Vince and Taker. It was clear that for Vince to win, someone would have to interfere on his behalf. The unmasked Kane interfered and shoved his brother into the grave. He then had mud poured into the grave to cover the Deadman completely. This turned out to be the impetus for the return of the Deadman.

The Viper strikes the Undertaker

Randy Orton became a made man in WWE when he beat the Undertaker at SummerSlam. Orton lost to the Deadman at WrestleMania but got his revenge at SummerSlam. Following that match, Orton made two attempts to rid the world of the Deadman. He once drove the Undertaker into the SmackDown set, which triggered a set of explosions that killed the Deadman.

Orton even tried Kane’s tactic by burning the Deadman alive inside a casket. At No Mercy 2005, Taker lost to Orton and his father Cowboy Bob Orton in a casket match. After winning, Orton set the casket on fire, only to find out that the Deadman had vanished once more. He returned at Survivor Series in a flaming casket and beat Orton at Armageddon inside Hell in a Cell.