Hey guys I'm back, last week I made a 'Essential John Cena Collection' and this week I made a list of Undertaker's best matches that are essential to watch if you're an Undertaker fan. These collection of matches comes from Dave Meltzer (his matches feature his ratings for matches rated 3 1/2+), and matches that I believe are good too (these matches will be included in honourable mentions). I have also added a link to each match as well. Also if you're into posts about Match lists and whatnot check out my other lists on this post, this post, and also this post. Lastly, I used Meltzlers ratings as a guide but make sure to make your own opinion (or rating in this case) about the matches. Just cause he gives something a 3, doesn't mean it it isn't a 5 to you!
| Match | Event | Meltzler Rating | Significant Because.. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Undertaker & Greg Valentine & Honky Tonk Man & Ted DiBiase Vs. Bret Hart & Dusty Rhodes & Jim Neidhart & Koko B Ware | Surivior Series 1990 | 3 ½* | This was Undertaker’s debut in the WWE. He would be amongst many Hall of Famers, and the audience was introduced to the Deadman character one of the (if not the) best characters of all time. |
| The Undertaker Vs Mankind | In Your House: Buried Alive | 3 ¾* | - |
| Bret Hart Vs Steve Austin Vs The Undertaker Vs Vader | In Your House: Final Four | 4 ¼* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Mankind | In Your House: Revenge of the ‘Taker | 3 ¾* | - |
| Shawn Michaels Vs The Undertaker | In Your House: Ground Zero | 3 ¾* | This would be the first time either men faced each other in singles competition on WWE programming at a PPV. It was just a tease of what both these men could do with each other. |
| Shawn Michaels Vs The Undertaker | In Your House Badd Blood | 5* | Simply put this was the first ever Hell in a Cell Match, and you had two high calibre superstars putting all their effort in to make sure this wasn’t a flop. This still holds up today, no wonder it has a perfect 5 star rating from Meltzer. Also the debut of Kane, makes this match even better. |
| Shawn Michaels Vs The Undertaker | Royal Rumble 1998 | 3 ½* | - |
| Mankind Vs The Undertaker | King of the Ring 1998 | 4 ½* | Now if you’re a wrestling fan (and actually even if you’re not) everyone knows this match – for one main reason. Undertaker threw Mankind (Mick Foley) off the top of the Cell. Sent him crashing through an announce table all the way to the floor. Then less then 5 minutes later, Undertaker would chokeslam Foley right through the top of the Cell into the ring. That isn’t even the end of the match, there’s still 10 more minutes of mayhem. |
| The Undertaker Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin | Summerslam 1998 | 3 ½* | This is the epitome of the Attitude Era for me in regards to 1998, this was the match that felt like it had the most built to it. The Rock wasn’t a made star yet, so it made sense Austin would phenom of the WWE, the Undertaker on the Highway to Hell. |
| The Undertaker Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin | Fully Loaded 1999 | 3 ¾* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs The Rock Vs Chris Benoit Vs Kane | Unforgiven 2000 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Kurt Angle Vs Rikishi Vs Steve Austin Vs The Rock Vs Triple H | Armageddon 2000 | 4 ½* | If you think of the attitude era, and don’t think of this match you’re crazy. It’s a straight up brawl with the top wrestlers at the time (and Rikishi). |
| The Undertaker Vs Triple H | Wrestlemania 17 | 3 ½* | This would be the first of three encounters between these two men at a Wrestlemania. But it just gave us a tease of what these two could pull off with each other on the grandest stage of them all. |
| The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kane, Kurt Angle & Steve Austin Vs Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Diamond Dallas Page & Rhyno | Invasion 2001 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kane, The Big Show & The Rock Vs Booker T, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon & Steve Austin | Survivor Series 2001 | 4 ½* | This was the climax of the (arguably bad) Invasion storyline, and it was capped off perfect at the 2001 Survivor Series, with both teams representing their brands. Fun match, great watch. |
| The Undertaker Vs The Rock Vs Kurt Angle | Vengeance 2002 | 4 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Brock Lesnar | No Mercy 2002 | 4* | Out of all the Hell in a Cell matches in the Ruthless Aggression era, this takes the cake. It’s brutal and fast paced. The legendary Undertaker, would put Brock over in a big way and further help him become one of WWE’s biggest stars. |
| The Undertaker Vs Kurt Angle | - Smackdown September 2nd 2003 | 4 ¼* | - |
| The Undertaker & Kurt Angle Vs Brock Lesnar & John Cena | Smackdown September 30th 2003 | 3 ¾* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs John Cena | Smackdown June 22 2004 | 3 ¾* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Randy Orton | Wrestlemania 21 | 3 ½* | Randy Orton who portrayed the gimmick of being the ‘Legend Killer’ was set out on one thing, that was killing The Undertakers Undefeated Streak at Wrestlemania. This was the first time really it played into the storyline, thankfully it stayed in undefeated form. |
| The Undertaker Vs Randy Orton | Armageddon 2005] | 3 ¾* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Kurt Angle | No Way Out 2006 | 4* | These two are fantastic together and put on a clinic every time they’re in the ring with each other. Undertaker originally wanted this match to take place at Wrestlemania 22 and have Angle beat the Streak, but plans fell through and it happened at the month before it. |
| The Undertaker & Batista Vs John Cena & Shawn Michaels | No Way Out 2007 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker & Batista Vs John Cena & Shawn Michaels | Raw March 26 2007 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Batista | Wrestlemania 23 | 4* | This was Takers year, he had won the 2007 Royal Rumble, he put on two great tag matches with Shawn, Cena and Batista and then he started his great feud with Batista. This was only the first chapter in their feud and if you keep reading this list you’ll see how good these matches were. This was also Undertaker’s first World Championship win in almost 5 years, making it extra special. |
| The Undertaker Vs Batista | Backlash 2007 | 4* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Batista | Smackdown May 7 2007 | 3 ¾* | This was Taker’s last match before going away for a few months to recover from an injury, but this takes nothing away from it, its still one of the best matches from Smackdown that year. |
| The Undertaker Vs Batista | Cyber Sunday 2007 | 4* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Batista | Survivor Series 2007 | 4* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Edge | Wrestlemania 24 | 4 ¼* | This was the main event of Wrestlemania 24, an almost year long feud between Undertaker and Edge, and now finally they’d have a one on one match at the biggest stage of them all. This would be their first match in their feud, but it’s nothing short of amazing. It’s really good to see over the years Edge grow from a tag-team wrestler into this great single performer going one on one with one of the best of all time – The Undertaker. Following Takers match at Wrestlemania 22 with Henry, you can seen an improvement in his Wrestlemania streak matches. |
| The Undertaker Vs Edge | Backlash 2008 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Edge | Judgment Day 2008 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Edge | One Night Stand 2008 | 3 ½* | These two put on one of the best Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches of all time. It’s a shame that it only gets a 3 and a half stars, to me it’s closer to 4 and a half, I guess that’s why Meltzers ratings are just a base of what his opinion is, and you should make your own up. I love this match. |
| The Undertaker Vs Edge | Summerslam 2008 | 4 ½* | The end of the Undertaker and Edge feud, is in the devils favourite playground – Hell in a Cell, great ending to a great feud. |
| The Undertaker Vs Big Show | No Mercy 2008 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Triple H(Can’t find English version) | Smackdown October 26th 2008 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Triple H Vs Edge Vs Jeff Hardy Vs The Big Show Vs Vladimir Kozlov | No Way Out 2009 | 4 ¼* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Shawn Michaels | Wrestlemania 25 | 4 ¾* | Not only one of the best WWE Matches of all time, but one of the best matches in professional wrestling of all time. Whenever there’s post on Reddit (or in general) regarding what matches should be 5 star matches this match is always commented. If you’re going to watch any match on this list, choose this match. I could fill up this whole post discussing the history between these two men from the 90’s all the way to this match, but I want to keep it pretty short. This is a lot of peoples favourite match of all time and for good reason. The comparisons of darkness and the light, heaven and hell, good vs evil and so much more surround this match. Simply it’s two of the greatest of all time competing at the biggest show of the year. It’s interesting to note that this match was also going to be placed 3rd on the card with only 10-15 minutes, which pissed them both off enough to get the match pushed down the card and gave them the objective of trying to steal the show, which they did. |
| The Undertaker Vs Chris Jericho Vs CM Punk Vs John Morrison Vs R-Truth Vs Rey Mysterio | Elimination Chamber 2010 | 3 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Shawn Michaels | Wrestlemania 26 | 4 ¾* | Just when you thought nothing could give Taker/Shawn from Wrestlemania 25 a run for its money, you get the rematch of a lifetime – this time with the stipulation of if Shawn loses his career is over. Back to back matches, and two equally back-to-back critically acclaimed 5 star matches. Many people still to this day argue whether this match is better than their previous match at Wrestlemania 25 (which I’d love to hear if you agree in the comments). The show of respect after the match with each men shaking hands and hugging, followed by Shawn’s emotional send off is quite the scene. |
| The Undertaker Vs Triple H | Wrestlemania 27 | 4 ½ | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Triple H | Wrestlemania 28 | 4 ¾* | This was match was the third in their Wrestlemania series. It was billed as ‘The End of an Era – Hell in a Cell match’ with the special guest referee: Shawn Michaels. Three men that once defined the Attitude Era, would get to put on a great performance on the grandest show of them all Wrestlemania. The match is fun, and really showcases both mens best elements. The final sequence of the match, and the post-match celebrations/farewells is satisfying closing one of the best eras. Many people, believe this is where Undertaker should have retired, on top 20-0. |
| The Undertaker Vs CM Punk | Wrestlemania 29 | 4 ½* | In one of Punk’s last big matches he would go on to face another part-timer in one of the Big-4 PPV’s, and he and Taker stole the show on a very boring Mania card. In hindsight, for Punk who had just finished a historic 434 WWE Championship reign and feud with The Rock, where else could he go? Simply put they put him against the biggest Wrestlemania draw in the modern era – The Undertaker. 2 months before this match happened, ‘Takers former manager and long time friend Paul Bearer passed away and they used that real life story aspect to sell this match. |
| The Undertaker, Kane & Daniel Bryan Vs The Shield | Raw April 23 2013 | 3 ¾* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Brock Lesnar | Summerslam 2015 | 4* | This was Undertaker’s redemption match, yeah he had returned at Wrestlemania and defeated Bray Wyatt, but that wasn’t enough for him. He had to return again and harm the person that killed his Undefeated streak. 18 months after the loss of the Streak, Taker finally got to face Brock Lesnar, and after some heel tactics he would actually beat the Conquerer.. in controversial fashion. |
| The Undertaker Vs Brock Lesnar | Hell in a Cell 2015 | 4 ¼* | - |
Honourable Mentions:
| Match | Event | Meltzler Rating | Significant Because.. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Undertaker Vs Jimmy Snuka | Wrestlemania 7 | 1* | This was the first match at Wrestlemania and also the start of his Undefeated Wrestlemania Streak. |
| The Undertaker Vs Hulk Hogan | Survivor Series 1991 | ½* | This was Undertaker's first ever WWF/E Championship, and he had done it in record time of just under a year. Unfortunately for him, it only lasted a couple of days. |
| The Undertaker Vs Undertaker | Summerslam 1994 | - 1* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Bret Hart | Royal Rumble 1996 | 2 ¾* | People seem to not be a fan of this match; that may have to do with some slow pacing between the two and the finish of the match. However, I enjoy this match and think it's one of the earlier matches taker would change to his style and made him into the wrestler he'd become in his later years. However, the end of this match would lead into a great big man match between Undertaker & Diesel at Wrestlemania that year. |
| The Undertaker Vs Diesel | Wrestlemania 12 | 2 ¼* | This was the first time the fans believed that The Undertaker could lose at a Wrestlemania (not that the streak was a big deal at the time). Two big men, showing off their talents, fun watch featuring two of the best around that time. |
| The Undertaker Vs Mankind | Summerslam 1996 | - | Undertaker's long time personal manager, Paul Bearer would turn on him and cause him to lose this match. Thus aligning himself with Mankind. |
| The Undertaker Vs Mankind | Raw December 9, 1996 | - | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Pyscho Sid | Wrestlemania 13 | 1 ¼* | This was 'Takers first WWF/E Championship win since 1991, nearly 7 nears it took before he would regain the championship. Plus if you wanna believe the rumors Sid, shit his pants after the last Tombstone Piledriver - that's a fun piece of trivia for everyone. |
| The Undertaker Vs Stone Cold | In Your House: Cold Day in Hell | 3* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Bret Hart | Summerslam 1997 | 3* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Bret Hart | One Night Only 1997 | 3 ¼* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Kane | Wrestlemania 14 | 1 ½* | This would be the first meeting of Undertaker and Kane in a one on one match. Two "brothers" would go ahead and battle each other to see who would prevail as the number one brother. Long term booking really comes into effect here, because the pay off was fantastic. |
| The Undertaker & Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs Kane & Mankind Vs The New Age Outlaws Vs D’Lo Brown & The Rock | Raw August 10, 1998 | - | - |
| The Undertaker Vs The Rock | King of the Ring 1999 | 1 ½* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin | Raw June 28, 1999 | 2 ½* | Technically this match is the highest viewed match in Raw history. |
| The Undertaker Vs Kane Vs Big Show Vs Mankind Vs The Rock | Raw September 13 1999 | - | - |
| The Undertaker & The Rock Vs Edge & Christian | Raw December 18, 2000 | - | This would be one of Taker's only WWF/E Tag Team Championship wins, the runs didn't alst long but it was added to his resume. Plus he won the Tag Championships with The Rock nonetheless, very impressive. |
| The Undertaker Vs Rob Van Dam | Vengeance 2001 | 3* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs The Rock | No Way Out 2002 | 2 ¼* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Ric Flair | Wrestlemania 18 | 3* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Stone Cold | Backlash 2002 | 2 ¼ | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Jeff Hardy | Raw July 1, 2002 | - | Undertaker really saw a lot in Jeff Hardy, and from this match you can really tell. They put on a fantastic Ladder Match on this Raw and we even get Jim Ross' famous line Climb the ladder kid, make yourself famous." This match would result in Undertaker reverting back to a Face. |
| The Undertaker Vs Kane | Wrestlemania 20 | 1 ¼* | The return of the Deadman persona, great promo, great entrances, meh match. |
| The Undertaker Vs John Bradshaw Layfield Vs Eddie Guerrero Vs Booker T | Armageddon 2004 | 2* | - |
| Undertaker & Kane Vs Montel Vontanious Porter & Mr Kennedy | Smackdown November 3, 2006 | - | This would be the first time in nearly five years that Undertaker & Kane (The Brothers of Destruction) would team up with each other. |
| The Undertaker Vs Mr Kennedy | Survivor Series 2006 | 3* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Mr Kennedy | Armageddon 2006 | 2 ¼* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Kane | Smackdown April 4, 2008 | - | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Festus | Smackdown April 11, 2008 | - | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Batista | Smackdown April 25, 2008 | 3 ¼* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Jeff Hardy | Smackdown November 14, 2008 | 3 ¼* | - |
| The Undertaker Vs Batista Vs CM Punk Vs Rey Mysterio | Bragging Rights 2009 | 3* | - |
| The Undertaker & Kane Vs Big Show and Chris Jericho | Smackdown November 23, 2009 | - | - |
| The Undertaker & John Cena Vs Jeri-Show Vs D-Generation X | Raw November 18, 2009 | 3 ¼* | Fun and fast match with the top WWE stars at the time all competing against each other in tag team competition. This is also one of 'Takers last matches on Raw because after this year he would slowly become semi retired and only make spontaneous experiences (usually at Wrestlemania's). |
| The Undertaker Vs Kane | Night of Champions 2010 | 1 ¾* | This would Undertaker’s last full time feud in WWE, and it was fitting that’d he’d face his brother, Kane, for the World Heavyweight Championship |
| The Undertaker Vs Kane | Hell in a Cell 2010 | ½* | A lot of peoples dream match, and really that’s what it should’ve been. The imagination of a wrestling fan would do better than what is delivered to us. Although the return of Paul Bearer in a Brothers of Destruction feud, before his passing away is very fitting. |
| The Undertaker Vs Dean Ambrose | Smackdown April 26, 2013 | 2 ¾* | Taker's career is slowly coming to an end, that doesn't mean he wont do his job and try put over some of the new WWE Superstars, and that was no lie when Dean Ambrose got to face the deadman one on one on a Smackdown a few years ago. |
| The Undertaker Vs Brock Lesnar | Wrestlemania 30 | 1 ½* | Brock Lesnar would do the most shocking thing in the modern era when he conquered the Undertakers Undefeated Streak at Wrestlemania which had be going on for almost 20+ years, thus becoming the '1 in 21 and 1'. If Lesnar needed anything to establish him as a 'legitimate fighter' in WWE during his return in 2012 this definitely helped skyrocket him to the promise land. Everything after this fight would go on to prove that he would demolish Cena to become champion, then easily defeat nearly all his opponents with multiple suplexes. Now in my opinion Taker should’ve probably retired at Wrestlemania 28 when he went 20-0, or right here when lost to Lesnar and his streak. |
| The Undertaker & Kane Vs The Wyatt | Survivor Series 2015 | 3* | This was Undertaker's 25 anniversary at Survivor Series, not the greatest match, but still good to see him and his brother face the evil team of the Wyatt's. |
| The Undertaker Vs Shane McMahon | Wrestlemania 32 | 2 ½* | - |
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