OK- Did I Miss a Step Here?

On RAW of 5-14-01, Undertaker fans saw something very different, angle-wise. Things started when a plain-clothes police officer arrived at Taker's "dressing room" and notified him that his wife was in an accident. The last we saw of Taker was him rushing down the stairs and out of the door. And it was made very clear on RAW and Smackdown that he was married and his wife's name was Sara.

Watching this unfold was odd. First of all, to suddenly insert the wife into an angle is strange. There wasn't even any lead-up to it. Hell, when Big Bossman pulled Big Show's dead daddy around in a casket made more sense than this. The angle, at least so far, is prime "whatthefuck?" material.

My reactions to this has been varied. I initially cringed (that man with those hips flying down a flight stairs like that). I laughed, due to the sheer ridiculousness of this throw-together angle. I tried to crawl under the couch to avoid this stupid stuff. And I also said "I told you so," because I was figuring this might come up, especially after that "not about the wives" talk with ol' Austin and Debra.

Mainly, I find this whole thing odd because this angle is involving Mr. My-Private-Life-is-My-Business. Yes, I understand that he's not into the big shroud of kayfabe deal anymore. But it's quite weird to think that the guy who still tries to protect his privacy has put the wife into the angle, even if it's not an on-camera thing. Hell, even that whole "Mark" deal from 1999 was rumored to be ended quickly due to his unhappiness with having an aspect of his personal life (like most fans don't know his first name, anyhow) in the public realm.

And I'm on the side that this whole thing isn't the greatest thing to be doing. This is just: well, stupid. This "about the wives" angle is just mishmash and clusterfuck booking. And I don't like seeing this whole "bring the real family into the show" stuff. Look at the Harts, for example. Years of that shit and all the fighting that's spilled over to a public arena. Even Macho Man and Elizabeth called it quits after their off-screen marriage was projected into the show. Now I'm not saying everyone ends up like that, but it does seem to cause friction.

Character - wise, I don't like seeing it with guys like Taker and Austin. Now, I'm not one of those "he's not married- he can't be, yada, yada, yada" types in denial; I know he's hitched in real life. However, it just doesn't have a place in the UT deal.

Taker (the character) has prided himself in being a loner. One of those types who just set out and don't have the need for a huge posse behind him (well, other than the MOD angle from hell). And now everyone finds out the Undertaker has a Mrs. Undertaker: it just doesn't fit. I know he's practically been doing a "Crying Game" shower of at least the MoD bullshit and going this new direction. However, don't shed so much of the old stuff, man. Same thing goes for Steve and Debra. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was, well, stone cold. A loner who did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, law be damned. And one hell of an awesome heel. Now in his heel-dom, the nastiest thing he's done is make crank phone calls and be a lackey to HHH. In HHH's case, having an on-screen wife (even just for storyline) was positive. It pushed him into the main event and since she's a bitch (at least the character), they work together well.

And now back to the reasons I don't like this whole deal, of which one more wraps this up. Taker may have taken a new direction from his old gloom and doom, wannabe gothic character and opened up to a new group of fans. But most of those older fans still remain who were loyal to that. And with those, there are a good smattering of crazies. Sorry but I can't beat around the bush with this.

You know the type: totally obsessed with his personal life and were practically devastated when he became re-married. Anyhow, I've been on the 'net enough (and have stumbled onto places they frequent) to know that they're not dealing with a full deck. And with that to take into consideration, it might have been best to allow Sara to remain on the other end of his life (the private side), instead of put into the show. Because many of them hate her now, just for the due fact she's married to him, imagine their reactions now that she, even in name and voice only, has been thrust into the show. Maybe it would have been best for her to be represented as a tattoo on his neck than an entity in the show.

 

 

Date Written: (5-18-01)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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