Rate The Gimmick: The Undertaker - American Bad Ass

[Ferbian]

Yep people, it's time for yet another installment in the Rate The Gimmick series. The purpose of this series is to rate a former, or current gimmick that has been used in WWE. The rating system goes from 1-10 (Bad - Genius/Whatever you want to call it).

This week we're gonna be looking into one of my own favorite gimmicks ever.

Yep that's right. Undertaker's American Bad Ass gimmick. This gimmick started in 2000 after Undertaker took a small break from wrestling to reinvent himself into this biker moniker.

Under the American Bad Ass gimmick we have arguably seen some of the best microphone work from Undertaker, mostly because this gimmick made sense to have him talking. It had some great feuds as well with Triple H, Brock Lesnar and Ric Flair to name a few.

During Undertaker's presence under this gimmick he made a difference in the Invasion angle as well, putting up quite a force with Kane in a form of reformation of the Brothers of Destruction, even going as far as to winning the WCW tag team championships. Undertaker has won the WWE Undisputed championship during this period of time as well.

This gimmick ended in 2003, after Kane interfered in the buried alive match between Undertaker and Vince McMahon, ultimately resulting in Undertaker getting buried and left for dead, for him to later return as the Deadman.

So now I ask you to rate this gimmick, and to give your overall opinions about it as well.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I liked this gimmick, not so much than the phenom gimmick, but it was good as we got to see a different side to Taker...we got to see his family, he talked, he was a totally different person...his fueds were great, he threatened anyone who stood in his yard and its when his streak was first mentioned...

Note to Ferbian, I think American Bad Ass didn't last all the way til 2003, he became Big Evil, he was obviously heel most of this run..

But back to the American Bad Ass, like I said, we saw a different side all of us thought we could never dream of seeing...I mean when I watched Judgement Day live and heard Jim Ross say, thats the Undertaker, I was like.. bullshit, how da hell does he know!! but then I looked at him and I marked the fuck out...

I rate this gimmick 9/10...it really suited him...and it was good seeing something other than the phenom/dead man gimmick...

Ferbs, what do you think of the gimmick??

 

[Ferbian]

Ferbs, what do you think of the gimmick??

Never really gave any ratings to my series myself, once perhaps to the Vince McMahon one. Oh well, I'm more of an 8/10 guy. Mostly because while I absolutely loved it, I feel it was cut short. I would've loved to see it lasting perhaps a year more.

It definitely had some great moments, which I've listed some of in the OP. He definitely made Smackdown worth watching, and was just overall awesome to watch during the invasion angle.

Also Big Evil is a part of the American Bad Ass moniker, it's more of a nickname variation to it all. So I credit them as one and the same.

 

[RKO2rule]

I'd give it a 9/10 in all honesty , He ruled when he was the american badass , his theme music was not as "explosive" as the gong but he still put up great promo's , had great feuds and he had great moments with a lot of wrestling legends like the rock , triple H , ric flair , he won the title , and WHO would say the undisputed title DID NOT fit him when he was the american bad ass !

American Bad Ass = Undisputed champion in my opinion it suited him and it was great seeing him with it plus his intro was sweet too =p

so basically over all his American Bad Ass gimmick was a 9/10 to me.

 

[The Ram]

I give it a 9/10 also he has had great fued and I feel like when he was the american bad ass he was being him self and having alot of fun. I'm not saying that he isn't having fun or enjoying his undertaker gimmick because if that was the case he wouldn't still be doing the gimmick. I loved his theme too keep rollin is the second on my favorite themes of all time (kanes theme slow chemical being number 1) and if I had the chance to see him with that gimmick again I would be all for it.

 

[Hawkeye]

I don't really feel strongly about The Undertaker,but I have to give that gimmick a 9/10. As the Deadman,you can visibly see him playing a part,acting for the majority of his career.But as the American Bad Ass there was no acting involved,that was actually Mark out there just being himself.That's how he is in real life,I've met him at a signing here in Houston.I could hear his southern accent,the way he drags out the last syllable in his words,that's H-Town slang,so it really hit home with me.I guess it gave me a sort of home team feeling,the same feeling I got watching Booker T.

 

[Ming]

I'd give it 7/10, it was a good gimmick but I've seen better gimmicks so I can't give too much praise to this one

 

[The Holy One]

For me, I enjoyed the American Bad Ass more than the Demon of Death Valley. I felt he was way better on the mic and he seem to fit the role better. From his motorcycle entrance to his promos about being the big dog in the yard, The Undertaker just seem more natural in his character at the time. I kind of wish he stayed with the gimmick. Overall I'll give it a 10/10.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Hey Yo!

The American Bad Ass gimmick was so well praised and successful as it was because it was so drastically different from the gimmick he had before it, which i believe was still the ministry type Undertaker. American Bad Ass showed that the Undertaker could amazing promos outside of his comfort zone (that being the deadman character) he really grasped this character and made it his own which produced some awesome and memorable matches. He also got an undisputed title run which is win-win. Tha Woflpac says 8/10.

 

[SpoodBeest]

What a glorious time to be an Undertaker fan, back when he had a completely altered gimmick from what were so used to before. Instead of being this dark, gothic supernatural being we were all so used to, he changed to an average American Harley rider. He was basically just a bad ass who rode a bike to the ring and when he got in that ring he could really give you an ass whipping. Also the Rollin' theme song he used by Limp Bizkit during this time really enhanced the mood and excitement of his bike riding entrances. It was simply an adrenaline rush and the crowd loved to see Taker go strolling by on his motor cycle.

He was a good face when he used it and even team up with Kane to create The Brothers of Destruction which for the most part was fun to watch. Then we seen the evil side of this gimmick draw it's weary head in. He first showed this sinister side by forcing Jim Ross to kiss Mr. McMahon's ass. From then on Taker would assume the roll of a monster heel. Who would decisively take the WWE title from Hulk Hogan, dominate Triple H and Jeff Hardy, as well as intimidate and destroy various others who he felt he could make victims out of. It was awesome just to see the evil in Taker come out once again, and especially cool to see it actually work under the biker gimmick. This was also the timeframe where he would adorn the moniker of "Big Evil".

A great gimmick because it was so diverse from the Taker we had seen before this one. The only issue I ever had with it was just it wasn't around for that long and Taker ended up going back to the much more popular supernatural character he is today anyway. It just lacked the suspense and theatrics the original gimmick had and not that necessarily a bad thing but it will take away a few point from my final mark. I will give the gimmick a solid 8/10 though as it was such a diverse and fun gimmick to watch. Overall very enjoyable and worked for the time frame it was needed in.

 

[Hazardous]

LOVED it. 9/10 (vince is the only one who can get a 10 from me)
when he first came out as the Biker, i lost it. the gimmick was the real him, and being that guys like HBK, HHH, and to some extent Austin got to be themselves, why couldnt 'Taker? you knew by the Tat's, and the overall look that he really was a biker! even more crazy was when he cut his trademark long hair! i dont think i've been that shocked since.

probably one of the best Heels of smackdown history, and should have had a longer run, i agree, but no matter what the Gimmick, Taker will always be a 9/10 for me, as he is one of the greats.

 

[The Whole F'N Show]

I'm gonna go with a 8 or 9. I loved it when he returned as the ABA, I loved his work as a face & heel as the Big Evil. The Theme, The Feuds, The Mic Work, The Re-branding of one of the most well known figures in WWE history was a risk, maybe fans wouldn't like this 'new Undertaker' but it was a risk worth taking. I just wished they gave an explination to why he became the American Badass and why he went back to the Deadman.

So it's a 8/9.
____________________
Listen, It's Time!

 

[TJ Matics]

I'm giving Big Evil a 10/10,
This was just perfect im my eyes,
Much more beleivable
It showed him as a real person,
& Yet and still ppl were pissing there pants in his presence,
Though it was cut WAY to early.
It showed his then wife Sara,
Which I really liked,
Plus 5 star storylines,
Including my personal favorite,
Him vs HHH
SpoodBeest said it best,
What a glorious time to be an Undertaker fan!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I'll give it a 7/10. It was weird to see Taker normal. Although, I thought he was able to pull this gimmick off pretty good. One major thing I enjoyed about The American Bad Ass gimmick were the promos. Taker on the mic during this time could be pretty intense, and "this is my yard" sort of became a catchphrase for him back then. The promos weren't anything special, but it sure does beat the "I can't die" or "I'm going to take your soul" stuff we here from the Phenom version of The Undertaker, because that stuff can become tiresome after a while.

Then there are the matches. The match with HHH at Wrestlemania 17 was fantastic, and his Wrestlemania match with Flair wasn't bad either. Taker wasn't as banged up as he is now, so we got to see some good stuff from him back then.

 

[XXI Raven XXI]

i loved the American Bad Ass Gimmick, like many of you have said, it fit him perfectly, he just looks like a biker, the tattoo's, the bandana, long hair it was just perfect for him, dont know what they were doing with that chuck palumbo gimmick though, but, were not here to talk about that,

10/10 for the american bad ass! keep rollin rollin rollin rollin

 

[Hitman80]

I think the biker gimmick was needed to give us the Undertaker we have now, which is kind of a mix of the two as he introduced more moves to his moveset and become a bit more humanised and athletic, which is what he needed to have really.

I think he was at his best during his 98-99 run, when he evolved a bit more in his original Taker gimmick but the biker gimmick sure gave him more depth and allowed him to show his skills to their full potential.

8/10

 

[LascoX]

10/10 from me. I thought it was a perfect fit for him. I have never been big on the cartoonish creations that Vince came up with sometimes. Don't get me wrong , I like his undertaker persona but The American Bad Ass just fit Mark perfectly. I think Hitman 80's assesment of the current incarnation of a mix of the two is correct. The ABA persona opened up Marks style more and endeared him to the fans even more then he already was. It was good to see the person behind the Phenom surface for a bit and his combo entrance with Kane during that period kicked ass!

 

[Porter1989]

im going to have to go with 9/10 simply because this his second best gimmic behind the ministry undertaker, then the one we got now. i enjoyed it and was shocked that we seen who undertaker really was and everything he did in/outside the ring was perfection just like he did in the ministry. this ABA was simply great.


the whole f'n show and why he went back to the deadman was because of the burried alive match and who comes away from the match alive? no one. now hes the deadman. and the real reason why is because the undertake takes the deadman gimmick seriously and loves to use it, that or vince killed the ABA. (hints burried alive) vince is a prick and hes the chairman so he gets his was no matter what.

 

[barclayteo]

i give it a 9 out of 10 i would have liked to see him lose a little bit more i mean im a fan of him but he has about as much of creative control as tripple h and i dont really like his undefeated streak at wrestlemania we get it the dude can win but give someone a push thats why i liked his american badass cause he wasnt like im gonna take your soul every week like he does in his gimmick he does now and did before american badass he shown his real mic skills not just look creepy rolling his eyes in the back of his head