Welcome back, one and all, to the Dark Match Dungeon! This is the feature where I dig up forgotten footage of today’s wrestling stars and reanimate it for my own macabre purposes. I’m basically Herbert West, only with significantly less decapitation. As long as we’re in a Halloween mood, let’s focus on The Undertaker, shall we? You’re probably wondering what his fate is after the ending of Hell in a Cell. Does the Wyatt Family have him tied to chair in front of subliminal imagery, Clockwork Orange style? Actually, let’s hold off on theorizing about his demise and instead focus on his beginning. Years before the mystique of The Undertaker was born, he was a surprisingly mortal wrestler just trying to make his way up the ranks. Here he is in what I believe is his first recorded match. There is a lot happening here, so keep those eyes peeled:
What To Look For:
– Bruiser F*cking Brody. The first record we have of The Undertaker as a wrestler is him getting squashed by the legendary Bruiser Brody. Let that sink in for a while. As you probably know, Brody was at the center of one of wrestling’s great tragedies. About four years after this match, he was fatally stabbed in Puerto Rico following a disagreement with a booker.
– He doesn’t get a lot of camera time, but Percy Pringle is here, too! You might know him better by the name of Paul Bearer. Very weird to see him wearing anything other than a black suit and corpse paint.
– A man named “Texas Red” wrestling in a black mask. Go figure.
– A chair shot that precedes Botchamania’s “Nothing Gets You Disqualified In TNA” rule by decades.
– Holy crap, we’d better stay tuned for Cowboy Tony and Eric Embry!
Assuming the title on this video is correct, this is from an World Class Championship Wrestling event held sometime in 1984. Undertaker would spend several years with the promotion before joining the United States Wrestling Association. He would eventually go on to win the USWA’s world heavyweight championship, but not before giving us this gem of a promo.
Somebody call up Jumpin’ Jeff Farmer, because he’s off the hook.
