Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
That all changed shortly after Wrestlemania 12, when he was laid out by a debuting Mankind on an episode of Monday Night Raw, setting off a famous feud that ended up lasting for years and made the WWF career of Mick Foley in the process.
Foley, known as Cactus Jack for most of his career, had debuted an entirly new character in the WWF as Mankind, a former chid prodigy who had run afoul of his parents and was locked in the sewers for the remainder of his adolescence as punishment. For weeks prior to his official debut, Mankind cut promos from the sewers, surrounded by the rats that were his only friends, and ended each one by telling us to have a nice day. The premise behind the character was abaolutely ridiculous, but the fact that Mick Foley not only got over in spite of the gimmick, but actually got the gimmick itself over is a testament to Foley's talent.
Still, he was facing the Undertaker and, given the way he had started the feud, it seemed pretty cut and dry that Undertaker would make short work of Mankind like so many others before him. However, when they had their first match at King of the Ring, Mankind took advantage of miscommunication between Undertaker and Paul Bearer to score a shocking upset. Bearer tried to hit Manknd with the urn, but missed and nailed the Undertaker instead. Manknd quickly capitalized by locking in the Mandible Claw and, with Undertaker passed out in the hold, the referee called for the bell and awarded Mankind the win.
The fans were absolutely stunned that the Undertaker had been defeated because he had been laid out before, but he always got his revenge once he got the guy in the ring. For the first time ever, Undertaker had failed to redeem himself and seemed to have finally found an opponent he couldn't handle. Mankind wasn't satisfied with that one win and continud to attack Undertaker, even interfering in his July PPV match against Goldust and costing him a win there as well.
This had gotten downright personal, and Undertaker now had something to prove. He decided the best way to gain his vengeance would be to defeat Mankind in his own element, and challenged him to a Boiler Room Brawl at Summerslam. The match would start with the two of them literally fighting in the boiler room at the arena, with the winner being the first one to make it out to the ring and claim the urn from Paul Bearer. What ensued was a far more brutal match than most of the WWF fanbase was used to, as the hardcore revolution had yet to sweep the industry at large. They destroyed one another in the back for about 20 minutes and included several brutal spots including Mankind climbing a ladder to try a dive onto Undertaker, only for Undertaker tp tip the ladder over and send Manknd sailing into a pile of debris on the floor.
They fought out to the ring and, with Paul Bearer watching intently, Undertaker got the advantage and knelt before Bearer with his hand extended. Instead of handing him the urn, Bearer turned his back and a stunned Undertaker easily fell victim to yet another mandible claw and then Bearer cracked him over the head with the urn for good measure. With Undertaker again unconscious, a smiling Paul Bearer handed Manknd the urn and another win over the Undertaker. Bearer had betrayed the Undertaker, believing him to have lost his power after being defeated by Mankind at King of the Ring, and left with Mankind while Undertaker was carried out by a group of druids, and we were left to wonder if Mankind had done what so many others had failed to do and destroyed Undertaker once and for all.
To Manknd's dismay, Undertaker did indeed return, and wasn't about to let Mankind get away with repeatedly laying him out and defeating him, nor the betrayal by his manager and only friend. He returned and faced Mankind yet again in the first ever Buried Alive match, which featured a big mound of dirt near the entryway with a grave dug into it, and the winner would be the first man to dump his opponent in the grave and cover them with dirt. Yet another brutal fight ensued, but this time the Undertaker would finally defeat his nemesis, chokeslamming him into the grave and shoveling dirt onto him to claim victory. Before he could finish the job, the Executioner (actually Terry Gordy under a mask) ran out and attacked Undertaker with a shovel, allowing Mankind to recover, and the two of them dumped Undertaker in the grave and then, with the help of a parade of heels, completely buried Undertaker in the grave. Undertaker had finally beaten Mankind, but once again wound up getting destroyed and left for dead. However, Mankind still wasn't able to get the job done, as a strike of lightning hit the grave after the Undertaker's burial and the Undertaker's hand burst up through the dirt in true zombie fashion.
Manknd had dominated the Undertaker like no man before, but it was now clear there was a big difference between beating Undertaker and destroying him. Undertaker rose from his grave and fought Manknd yet again at Survivor Series, only this time, Paul Bearer was locked in a cage that was suspended above the ring and Undertaker would get five minutes alone with him if he beat Mankind. Mankind and the Undertaker had fought in some real wars, but this time around it would be a regulation match and, with Bearer unable to interfere in the bout, Undertaker wad able to hit the Tombstone and pin Mankind clean in the middle of the ring. He waited patiently as a frantic Paul Bearer was lowered to the floor, but the Executioner again attacked Undertaker before he could get his hands on Bearer and allowed him to escape.
***
Executioner would not pose the same challenge to Undertaker that Mankind had, and Undertaker easily beat him at the next PPV and closed the book on the Mankind feud, but only for the time being. Not six months would go by before they crossed paths again, and this time the violence would escalate beyond the extremes it already had. I'll be back later this week as the Undertaker-Mankind feud reaches its thrilling conclusion in the famous Hell In A Cell match at King of the Ring 1998!
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
