The Undertaker is arguably the greatest superstar to have stepped foot inside a WWE ring. With a career spanning over 30 years, The Deadman has made an everlasting impact in the pro-wrestling industry. His legendary WrestleMania undefeated streak and his awe-inspiring presence have made him an icon to fans of all generations and a role model for the aspiring pro-wrestlers.
The Undertaker has competed in over 2000 matches throughout his pro-wrestling career and has a wide variety of move sets. His combination of power & athletic moves has inspired the current generation wrestlers to adapt to his style. With that said, let’s take a look The Undertaker’s most devastating moves.
UPDATE: 2023/09/11 07:30 EST BY MICHAEL CHIN
The Undertaker is one of wrestling’s most universally respected legends. A part of his longevity in the business was his ability to adapt and add to his skill set, including introducing new and different moves to his repertoire over time. Of course, one result of him adding new moves is that some of his older offense has grown forgotten over the time, particularly as he used them during matches on a less regular basis. It is nonetheless worth recalling spots from all different points in his career for their impact on establishing him as one of the top stars in the business.
18 Urn Shot
Looking back on The Undertaker’s career, it can be strange to think of a time when he was the kind of heel who needed outside interference or a foreign object to steal a win. However, before the urn became more of a symbol or a beacon of hope to help The Phenom recover, it was a destructive tool he used to his advantage.
Analogous to a steel chair or the ring bell, the urn was a personalized weapon for The Dead Man to use against babyface foes early in his WWE run. That included him wielding the urn himself or Paul Bearer doing so on his behalf. Of course, as time went on–and particularly in The Undertaker’s babyface years–the urn more often became a liability as foes used it against him–a rare object that was able to inflict real damage on him.
17 Gloved-Hand Smother
Holds like the chin lock and bear hug have long histories as rest holds that give the performers in the ring a chance to catch their breath, while also credibly wearing down the victim in kayfabe.
The Undertaker had his own spin on the rest hold concept. He applied his gloved hand over a babyface’s mouth in sinister fashion to literally take the victim’s breath away. While this wasn’t a particularly athletic or technical spot, it was effective and uniquely his own at the time.
16 Throat Strike
A finger strike may not offer a huge spectacle as a wrestling spot, but the Phenom can make it look devastating. The Undertaker delivering his open-handed version became a signature part of his offense–typically delivered to an opponent’s throat so that it looked especially vicious.
The Phenom applied this strike against opponents ranging from his clashes with Hulk Hogan to Yokozuna, often dispatching it at critical junctures to fundamentally change the trajectory of a match.
15 Triangle Choke
The Deadman was rather rigid and focused more on displays of power earlier in his career, but as all legendary wrestlers do, ‘Taker changed his style and started to include some mixed martial arts in his move set.
The Triangle Choke was an easy maneuver for The Undertaker to add to his repertoire, as he used it to take down some larger wrestlers such as Brock Lesnar, Big Show and The Great Khali. As a mat-based submission, it didn’t get much more dangerous than ‘Taker wrapping his legs around his opponent’s head and tugging on that arm. While there were a number of dubious losses The Undertaker suffered at points in his career, this hold was an effective counter to regain the advantage when he seemed outmatched.
14 Sidewalk Slam
Here’s a move (among many) that The Undertaker shared with his Brother Of Destruction, Kane. There’s nothing quite like picking up an opponent and slamming him on his back, especially when it’s done by someone with ‘Taker’s size. Simple yet effective, he would add an extra bit of “oomph” as he would leap before dropping them to the mat.
13 Big Boot
There’s not much to be said here: The Undertaker was a big man, so it was only natural for him to use his Big Boot to take down his victims. Not only did he use it from a stationary standpoint, which was deadly in itself, but The Deadman would also run the ropes and deliver a running boot that would knock out any normal human.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, he often used it in combination with other moves, landing a Big Boot after hitting some Snake Eyes in the corner.
12 Jumping Clothesline
It’s one thing to take a devastating clothesline from someone like The Undertaker, but to do so while he’s running the ropes and with an added jump for good measure? Oh, but it gets worse.
Not only is it iconic when ‘Taker turns on the jets and does things a man his size shouldn’t do, he’s also used the Jumping Clothesline off the turnbuckle, knocking out fellow big men like Vader, Giant Gonzalez and Sycho Sid in the process.
11 Old School
There are just some moves that you associate with one wrestler. The Undertaker’s iconic finishers have been used by other superstars, but this move is essentially The Deadman’s (although Lance Archer has recently put his own spin on the move): Old School.
It’s his surprising athleticism and skill that allows ‘Taker to perform his signature move, twisting his opponent’s arm and walking the top rope so majestically… before bringing down the thunder.
10 Rapid Corner Punches
The Undertaker weighs around 300 pounds but is one of the most agile superstars in WWE history. He can counter his opponent’s moves in a blink of an eye with his quick reflexes. One of the best examples is his rapid corner punches.
The Deadman catches his opponents while they try to attack and slam them over to the corner turnbuckles. What follows are some lightning-fast punches taking his opponents by surprise and not letting them catch a breath. It would take some time for his opponents to regain their posture after enduring these rapid corner punches.
9 Running DDT
One of the best ways to take an opponent down will be to destroy his base and stall his mobility. The Undertaker has multiple moves on his arsenal to take his opponents off a vertical base, and his running DDT is one of them.
The Phenom showed progress when he added this move to his repertoire. He would stop his opponent in the center of the ring with a stiff punch or a kick to the gut. He ricochets off the ropes and catches his opponents by the neck and slams them head-first down to the ring mat knocking them out cold.
8 Takin’ Care Of Business
One of the forgotten elements of The Undertaker’s career was that he used the Dragon Sleeper submission hold more during his days as The American Badass. The normal execution of this move will be in a sitting position, but The Deadman improvised with a standing position.
The Undertaker would catch his opponents in an inverted position and pulled them backward, wrenching their spine. The Undertaker executed this move with a huge impact bending his opponent’s spine, causing an immediate submission. The Deadman replaced this move with his Hell’s Gate submission.
7 Suicide Dive
Can you imagine a near 7-foot 300-pound man launching himself over the top rope and crashing on to a bunch of other persons? As mentioned, The Undertaker blended power & agility into his style of wrestling and surprised his opponents when they least expect it.
The Deadman used to do the suicide dive more often during his younger years. He would leap over the top rope and crash on to other superstars standing outside the ring. The most memorable use of this move was came in his feud with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25. Age had taken a toll on The Undertaker’s body, as he later stopped using this move.
6 Snake Eyes
The Snake Eyes is one of the regular moves in The Undertaker’s quiver. He used this move in almost all the matches he competes, and it is a combination of power & speed. The Undertaker prepares for this move after taking down his opponents with a stiff punch.
He lifts them on his shoulders and drops them face-first onto the top turnbuckle and rebounds off the ropes on the opposite end and lands a big boot. He uses this move to take his opponents down and starts measuring them for the chokeslam.
5 Apron Leg Drop
The worst position The Undertaker’s opponents would like to find themselves during a match is lying flat on the ring apron. Properly executed, the move could knock the wind right out of the receiver and stall any further movement.
The Deadman positioned his opponents flat on the ring apron and crashed onto them, driving his thighs right onto their chest. It also took a toll on his body as he seldom missed his target and drove his thighs on the apron. The Undertaker used the move despite the age factor and found some more superstars to victimize.
4 The Last Ride
As the name suggests, The Undertaker takes his opponents for a ride with this move. It’s a classic powerbomb, but The Undertaker made some improvisation with a higher elevation and a harder impact.
The Undertaker used this move to weaken his opponents before finishing them off with the final blow. He takes the help of weapons like tables & steel chairs to aggravate the pain on his opponents.
3 Hell’s Gate
The Undertaker used this move for the first time during a match against Big Daddy V in 2008. The Hell’s Gate is the first major submission maneuver by The Undertaker after the Dragon Sleeper and Triangle Choke. The victims will have no choice but to submit unless they want some internal hemorrhage.
The Deadman traps his opponents’ arm in the crook of his leg while blocking the other with the free leg. He then pulls their neck towards the shin of the crooked leg and forces them to tap out. The best example of The Undertaker using this move was in one of his show-stealing WrestleMania performances, beating World Heavyweight Championship from Edge in 2008.
2 Chokeslam
Superstars like the Big Show & Kane have also used this move, but The Undertaker adds some extra emotions while performing it on his opponents. His signature throat slice gesture before executing the move makes it look even intriguing and intimidating.
The Deadman follows up with the chokeslam once he has performed the Snake Eyes & the Last Ride on his opponents. He catches his opponents on their throats and slams them down the mat with a great impact. Hitting the chokeslam signals the end of his opponents as The Undertaker follows it up with the final blow in the Tombstone Piledriver.
1 Tombstone Piledriver
Throughout the years, The Undertaker has put many of his opponents to sleep with his signature finishing move, the Tombstone Piledriver. The finisher fits ‘Taker’s character to perfection, and since he has been using it since the start of his career, WWE allows him to use the move despite banning it for other superstars.
It’s the perfect knockout blow as The Undertaker drains his opponents’ soul by spiking their heads on the mat. Only a handful of superstars have been able to kick out of this deadly move, and for the others, they had no choice but to rest in peace.