Friday 5 October 2018 22:41, UK
The Undertaker returns to the ring on Saturday morning at the end of a week which has seen him once again front and centre in WWE.
In the early hours of Monday he gave an ultra-rare out-of-character interview in which he stressed the importance of making an emotional connection with the audience rather than doing flashy moves.
It is a view commonly held by the "old guard" of veteran wrestlers but, coming from Taker, it had an extra weight to it.
And then on Monday night he appeared on Raw. Again, nothing hugely unusual in that, except for the fact he levelled his Super Show-Down opponent with a chokeslam which reverberated around the wrestling world.
For proof, look no further than the response. The video was the most-watched on the Sky Sports website on Tuesday morning and WWE's YouTube clip of it has done 4m views - and counting. The presence of a seemingly reunited D-Generation X was also a factor, of course.
But given the resonance with which Undertaker's name continues to ring out, is now the time to discuss whether he should be included in the list of the company's all-time greats?
When that particular group of names is whittled down, the last three standing are almost always Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock. Shawn Michaels, Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant and Ric Flair will also have their supporters. So how does The Undertaker compare to those stellar names?
Undertaker's staying power is incredible. He debuted at Survivor Series in November 1990, introduced by Ted DiBiase and flanked by Paul Bearer. It was an indicator of how highly rated he was by the company that he was immediately thrust into a feud with Dusty Rhodes, himself wrestling royalty, although largely because of his achievements prior to his arrival in WWF.
The Phenom would remain an active member of the roster until 2010, a run of a full two decades, and even after that he was appearing sporadically until what seemed to be a retirement loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33.
Hogan's golden period is generally accepted to be around six years at the most - a Mania main event-packed run from 1984 to 1990, when he passed the torch to the Ultimate Warrior.
Austin and The Rock's best periods, while unquestionably hotter than Taker's finest years, were far shorter, with injury ending Stone Cold's time in the sun and Rock heading off to Hollywood.
No man has been on top for so long, and with such effectiveness, as the Phenom.
When the Undertaker walked out at the Hartford Civic Center for that Survivor Series, it felt like he was the latest competitor saddled with an outlandish and disposable gimmick as the company's fondness for colourful characters picked up real speed.
Austin and The Rock were blessed by good timing; their characters allowed them to both push the Attitude Era boundaries and be exaggerated versions of themselves. The Austin you hear on his podcast today is not that far removed from the one which battled Mr McMahon throughout the late-1990s. Dwayne Johnson typically plays variations of The Rock in his films.
The case for Hogan is an interesting one but his on-screen persona went through a complete change when he aligned himself with the nWo. In his own words, he did it all "for the money". Undertaker has never had to make such an alteration to remain relevant.
He has only very rarely wavered from his character brief - a curious reprogramming as a biker in the mid-2000s apart - and has made what started out as a silly gimmick as one which has not only endured for many years but continues to captivate crowds. Just listen to the Raw crowd's response to the famous "bell toll" for the latest piece of evidence of that.
It's easy to see why Vince McMahon was so keen to snap up Mean Mark Callous back in 1990. He was 6ft 10in and could really move. While never likely to be mistaken for a 205 Live competitor, he had a smoothness and, of course, a power-based arsenal of moves which looked absolutely devastating.
Today, those moves remain entrenched in wrestling folklore and are well known to even the newest of fans. The Tombstone. The chokeslam. The Last Ride. Old School. Everyone knows these moves.
The only blot in his copybook is that he probably should have hung up the hat and boots after the Brock Lesnar loss. His match with Reigns last year highlighted a few physical shortcomings which are completely understandable at his age and considering his length of in-ring service.
Taker's matches since have been short and sweet, and that will potentially be the case at Super Show-Down too but seeing him in the ring remains a very big deal even today and it is no surprise that it is his image - alongside that of Triple H - which dominates the marketing materials for the event.
This is an easy one to assess. What comes into your mind when you think of the most famous defeat in wrestling? Chances are it's the still-stunning-to-this-day win for Lesnar over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30.
Beating the Dead Man at Mania meant more than a win over any other competitor in any other event and provided Lesnar with a rocket-fuelled momentum which he still enjoys today.
What is Hogan's most famous loss? Potentially the one to Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI, which absolutely elevated his opponent to a new level, albeit - and through no fault of the company - only briefly.
What were the biggest losses of The Rock and Steve Austin's careers? And what did they do for the people that beat them? Undertaker's legacy, in that context, is without equal.
And he remains a huge deal now. Look at the response to what he did on Monday night for evidence of that. Need any more? Check out the buzz around him appearing in Australia this weekend. And then to double down, listen to the reaction when he walks out in Melbourne on Saturday morning.
Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Steve Austin will always be in the conversation for WWE's all-time greats. And there's a strong argument that they changed the business in ways The Undertaker never did.
But he's been one of the best for 27 years, and has to be considered one of the best of all time.
