The story

At the 1990 Survivor Series, Ted DiBiase promised a mystery partner for his "Million Dollar Team." That surprise turned out to be the Undertaker, who made his World Wrestling Federation debut at the November spectacular! Led to the ring by Brother Love, the Undertaker dominated in his first bout, utilizing the Tombstone piledriver to swiftly dissect the opposing team! From that moment on, no one in the Federation was safe - a "Decade of Destruction" was about to begin!

The Destruction Begins!

The new year 1991 began for the Undertaker with a new manager, as Paul Bearer joined the Phenom. In March, the Undertaker made his WrestleMania debut, pinning the legendary "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. Throughout 1991, the Taker put together an impressive undefeated streak, which World Wrestling Federation President Jack Tunney felt was worthy of a title match. At the 1991 Survivor Series - just one year after making his Federation debut - the Undertaker pinned Hulk Hogan to win the World Wrestling Federation Championship! The Taker’s reign would be short-lived, however, as Hogan won the title back in controversial fashion the following week.

The fans begin to cheer...

The Undertaker underwent a marked transition early in 1992, as he went from being one of the most hated villains in the Federation to one of the most cheered favorites. At WrestleMania VIII, he dispatched of his former partner, the evil Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Soon after sending Jake out of the Federation, the Dead Man began a rivalry with Kamala, the Ugandan Giant. After an indecisive match at SummerSlam, the two giants waged war in the first-ever coffin match at the 1992 Survivor Series. At that event, the Taker put the 400-pound behemoth into the casket, and sealed the deal on another banner year!

A war between giants

The Undertaker entered the 1993 Royal Rumble with a solid chance to win the event. Indeed, when the Phenom hit the ring, he dominated his competition. But suddenly, an eight-foot monster headed to the ring to attack the Undertaker! The man known as Giant Gonzalez eliminated the Undertaker from the event, and tortured the Phenom in the process! At WrestleMania IX, the Taker would defeat Gonzalez by disqualification. After the bout, Gonzalez choked out the Taker with an ether-soaked rag. But much to his shock, the Undertaker recovered and came back to knock out the Giant! At SummerSlam, the Undertaker pinned Gonzalez in a "Rest in Peace" match, eradicating the Giant from the World Wrestling Federation!

Two Undertakers?

1994 was perhaps the strangest year in the Undertaker’s history. At the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna defeated the Undertaker in a Casket Match when a dozen Federation Superstars helped the 500-pounder to lock the Taker in the casket! As they wheeled him away, however, the Undertaker’s spirit rose high above the arena, and he vowed he would return!

As the summer began, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase claimed to have bought the Undertaker - and indeed, he produced the Phenom! But Paul Bearer claimed that DiBiase’s Taker was nothing but a faker, and at SummerSlam, Bearer brought back the real Undertaker, who defeated the imposter!

At the 1994 Survivor Series, the Taker earned a measure of revenge against Yokozuna, defeating him in another casket match. Movie star Chuck Norris was the special ringside enforcer for this bout!

The Phenom takes over

As 1995 began, the Undertaker was embroiled in a feud with Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation. The issue at hand seemed to be the Undertaker’s prized urn, which DiBiase and his goons had stolen from Paul Bearer at every given opportunity.

At the Royal Rumble, the Taker defeated Irwin R. Shyster and almost got back the urn - until it was again stolen by King Kong Bundy! At WrestleMania XI, the Taker pinned Bundy to regain again the urn.

At the 1995 King of the Ring, the Undertaker suffered an opening-round loss to Mabel in the King of the Ring tournament. As the summer wore on, he resumed his feud with the Million Dollar Corporation. Soon the Corporation again stole his urn - and Kama melted it down to make a necklace!

At SummerSlam, the Undertaker defeated Kama in a Casket Match. Then, at the Survivor Series in November, the Undertaker absolutely dominated! The Phenom single-handedly defeated Triple H, Isaac Yankem, Mabel and Jerry Lawler to win the match for his team!

Be afraid....Be very afraid.

Looking for his second World Wrestling Federation Championship reign, Undertaker started 1996 off on the right foot with a shot at Bret "Hit Man" Hart’s title at January’s Royal Rumble. This was one of the rare occasions that the champion actually walked into the match as the underdog. This turned out to be a re-occurring theme with all of Undertaker’s opponents in 1996, champion or not.

Undertaker wound up defeating Bret Hart at the Royal Rumble, however; the victory was via disqualification. Undertaker was awarded the match when "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel interfered. This incensed the Dead Man and eventually lead to a bitter rivalry between him and Diesel�?a rivalry which eventually led to the demise of Big Daddy Cool.

The two big men met at WrestleMania XII. After a long battle, Undertaker delivered the Tombstone to Diesel and pinned him for the 1-2-3. Diesel, a former Federation Champion, was never seen again.

After his victory over Diesel at WrestleMania XII, Undertaker had a hard time finding people brave enough to step into the ring with him. The thought of ending up like Diesel did not rest well in the minds of other Federation Superstars. In fact, Undertaker was left off the following month’s Pay-Per-View due to a lack of competition.

Finally, just when it looked as though nobody was going to be brave enough to step into the ring the Undertaker, somebody came forward. However, the Undertaker’s next opponent didn’t step up in an act of bravery. Rather, it appeared as though he was more deranged than anything else. Undertaker’s next rival turned out to be the deranged Mankind. The next several months would change the Undertaker forever.

At the King of the Ring Pay-Per-View, Undertaker and Mankind competed in a memorable battle. Much to the surprise of everybody, Undertaker actually lost this match to Mankind after Paul Bearer accidentally knocked him with his urn. Paul Bearer’s actions clearly cost Undertaker the match and afterwards, Undertaker fans everywhere questioned whether or not they were accidental.

Two months later, we learned that Bearer’s actions were not by accident. At SummerSlam, Bearer again cost Undertaker a match against Mankind by hitting him with the urn. Shortly thereafter, Paul Bearer made his allegiance with Mankind known to the public and the Undertaker. The Phenom’s long and storied history with Paul Bearer came crashing down right before his eyes.

After two devastating Pay-Per-View losses to Mankind, Undertaker finished 1996 up strong with two victories over the "Deranged One." He defeated him in a Buried Alive match in October and then again at the Survivor Series in November. He then went on to destroy another one of Paul Bearer’s men, the Executioner, at the December Pay-Per-View.

Clearly, 1996 was a year like no other for the Undertaker. Looking at it from a won-loss perspective, Undertaker’s wins in 1996 were monumental. However, never before had he run into a superstar like Mankind, handing him two losses at Pay-Per-View events. In addition, he was stabbed in the back by the one man he trusted through out his career �?Paul Bearer.

Taker's horrible secret

It was an emotional year for the Undertaker as he would finally regain his Federation title after five and a half long years, and be reunited with his long lost brother, Kane.

In January, at the Royal Rumble, the Undertaker’s feud with his former manager, Paul Bearer, continued. This time, Bearer’s newest superstar, Vader, took on the Undertaker. The outcome of the match was not what Taker would have wished for, as he lost to Vader.

The feud with Vader carried over to February at "Final Four" In Your House. This Pay-Per-View had a match featuring the Undertaker, Bret Hart, Steve Austin and Vader competing for the vacant Federation Championship. Taker once again fell short, as he was eliminated in this match.

March was a historic month for the Dead Man, as he took on Sid, the Federation Champion, at WrestleMania 13. The Undertaker put on a classic show as he pounded the Champion throughout the match. Taker eventually won the match, and earned himself the Federation title for the second time in his career.

This is when Paul Bearer began blackmailing the Undertaker about revealing his "secret." This secret was eventually revealed after Taker could not stand Bearer’s blackmail anymore. The secret, according to Bearer, was that when Taker was young, he murdered his entire family by burning the house they were in to the ground. Bearer also claimed that Taker’s younger brother, Kane, who had been horrifically burned in the fire, was in fact still alive.

Over the next five months, the Undertaker successfully defended his Federation Championship against all comers. During this time, he defeated Mankind, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Faarooq, and Vader on Pay-Per-View matches. Then, at SummerSlam, he got his biggest test, when he defended his title against Bret Hart. Shawn Michaels was the special guest referee in this match, and Michaels accidentally hit Taker with a chair, allowing Hart to cover him for the win. This was the spark that started Taker’s feud with Shawn Michaels.

Taker fought the first of two matches with Michaels at "Ground Zero" In Your House. This match was back and forth, eventually ending in a no-contest. In the second battle with Michaels at Badd Blood, he competed in the first-ever "Hell in the Cell" Match. This match was very intense -- like no other match anyone had ever seen before. The Undertaker and the Heartbreak Kid put their bodies and careers on the line in an unforgettable match. Just as the Undertaker was about to put a bloodied Michaels away, the Undertaker’s younger brother, Kane, made his Federation debut. A shocked Undertaker was then attacked and tombstoned by his younger brother, allowing Michaels to cover him for the win! Although the Undertaker fell short of victory in this match, it was one hell of a show that he and Michaels put on for everyone. This was the first time the Undertaker and Kane had looked each other in the face in decades.