The Undertaker's Deadliest Matches DVD (Disc 3) Review

The Undertaker has been in just about every type of match you could imagine. This Deadliest Matches DVD set displays the array of matches he has been in from the many years he has been taking souls.

Match 1: Survivor Series 2006 - First Blood - Mr. Kennedy vs. The Undertaker
After Mr. Kennedy bloodied up The Undertaker on an edition of SmackDown, a First Blood match was made here between the two. Of course, it was mainly a match that saw an angry Undertaker beat down the pesky Kennedy left and right. JBL pointed out on commentary that The Undertaker was working on the core of Kennedy to punish him badly as Kennedy would eventually begin bleeding from his mouth. However, his trusty friend in MVP came out with a towel before later tossing him back in the ring. MVP later returned and accidentally nailed Undertaker with a steel chair where blood began to leak from The Deadman's head. The referee then declared Kennedy the winner... But rest assured, Kennedy would get the receipt for that one. Undertaker hit Kennedy with one of the nastiest chair shots I have ever seen as he then left the victorious Kennedy in a bloody mess. Fine match that sets up for another bigger one between the two.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy
Rating: **

Match 2: Armageddon 2006 - Last Ride - Mr. Kennedy vs. The Undertaker
This is the blow off to their late feud in 2006 with the second Last Ride match in WWE history. For those who have never seen this match before, one must put their opponent in the back of a hearse and drive off in order to secure the win. This was much better than their First Blood match at Survivor Series, Mr. Kennedy got in more offense and they told the great story of a desperate Kennedy taking advantage of any mistake The Undertaker made. One of the coolest spots in the match came when Kennedy had Undertaker in the back of the hearse and looked to score the biggest win of his career until the dash camera showed Undertaker sit up as Kennedy looked on in horror before being dragged out. Another cool spot that many may remember saw Kennedy throw Undertaker off the top of the stage structure. Undertaker clearly landed on some padding but the sight itself was pretty sweet. Of course, The Phenom hit Kennedy with a nasty chair shot and followed it up with both a Chokeslam and a Tombstone above the hearse before finally tossing Kennedy inside to win the match. Definitely one of the sillier match types in the company. A type of match that would certainly be hard to pull off and get away with in 2018. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it for what it was worth and a very fitting end to great feud. Kennedy only goes up from here... right?
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/2

Match 3: Backlash 2007 - World Heavyweight Championship - Last Man Standing - The Undertaker (c) vs. Batista
This is their big rematch from their epic WrestleMania encounter with it now being a Last Man Standing match. I loved their WrestleMania 23 match and this was probably my favorite feud of 2007 so when this match was announced at the time, I was one stoked 8th grader. Also want to point out that this was probably JBL at his finest on commentary, he was not obnoxious and did a fantastic job of hyping both the match and the wrestlers in the ring. What I loved about this match was how they pulled no punches from the start. It started off a bit systematically with Batista aiming towards some limbs of The Undertaker before the turned the switch and turned it on to a different level. They turned the match into a series of big moves and I loved it, it made every sense considering these guys wanted to beat the hell out of each other. Through a table spot, a Batista Bomb and a Tombstone, neither guy was going to give. Finally, they took it to the top of the stage where Batista Speared The Undertaker off the stage which triggered a mini explosion as part of the set fell down on top of them. Awesome sight to see as the referee counted both of them out to end the match in a draw. Love the draw result considering it will set up a bigger match down the line for them to have. Also loved the spectacle of the Spear off the stage, they needed something big to differentiate themselves from their WrestleMania match and this did the trick.
Winner: n/a
Rating: ****1/2

Match 4: SmackDown (January 25, 2008) - Big Daddy V vs. The Undertaker
This is the last pit stop before the Royal Rumble event as The Undertaker squares off against Big Daddy V. The Big Daddy V gimmick was surely one of the strangest within the long career of Viscera, the company seemed big on using him as a guy for bigger stars to conquer. With Big Daddy V (feels so strange typing that) and his very limited skills, it was certainly up for The Deadman to carry the match and tell a good story. Basically, the match was just a barely mobile Viscera smack Undertaker around before quickly tapping out once Undertaker locked in his Hell's Gate finisher. I think the only reason this was featured on the DVD was to display the emphasis they placed on Undertaker's new finisher as he locked it in on Viscera as blood quickly poured out. Regardless, they certainly could have chosen a better match than this.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *

Match 5: Hell in a Cell - Edge vs. The Undertaker (Taken from WWE Summerslam 2008 Review)
I have seen this match so many times that I actually can't even remember if I have ever even reviewed this before so I'm just going to pretend like this is the first time for both. 2008's feud of the year was Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels but one that often gets overlooked that year is between these two, Edge and The  Undertaker. They feuded throughout the year and it culminated here in a Hell in a Cell match at Summerslam in the main event. One of my favorite promos of all time came on an edition of SmackDown leading to this event that saw Edge feature Mick Foley on an edition of The Cutting Edge. If you haven't seen it, do yourself the favor. A huge gripe that many often have with this match is that it felt like a big spot after big spot type of match. Personally, I loved the spots and I love how they spaced them out perfectly. They couldn't do any blood so they made up for it with some incredible table spots and storytelling. Loved the spot where Edge drove a steel chair through the heart of The Undertaker through a table before saying to himself, "I understand." Referencing his promo with Mick Foley. Undertaker scores the big win after hitting a Spear and a Tombstone. Afterwards, Undertaker Chokeslams Edge off a ladder through the ring before fire erupts out of nowhere. Memorable finish and ending to the show as Edge would go on to take a much-needed break before like Cena, returning at Survivor Series.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****3/4

Match 6: SmackDown (December 5, 2008) - Steel Cage - The Big Show vs. The Undertaker
This seems like another strange addition to the DVD set. However, it is the strange and lost matches like this one that make these DVD releases worthwhile. 2008 was a solid year for WWE and for SmackDown in particular as both The Big Show and The Undertaker had standout years. The two had their match on Raw back in 1999 and they close it out here with another encounter in late 2008. Really, what is there to say about this one other than it is two veterans working a solid main event for television that really was a testament to how good they were to adapting to the game. Good action throughout the match that took a turn at the end when The Undertaker climbed the cage and looked to escape before deciding to go back in and lay into The Big Show a little more. Show wouldn't go down easily but eventually fell victim to The Undertaker's Hell's Gate after he sat up from a knockout punch. Great main event for an edition of SmackDown and as I said, a true testament to how good these veterans are to be able to work main events of 1999 and 2008 without skipping a beat.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/2

Overall DVD Thoughts and Rating:
Fine way to close out the DVD set with some matches that I totally forgot about. Were they the best options ever? Probably not, but I did enjoy going back and reminiscing about some of The Undertaker's matches that often go overlooked by his higher-tier ones. As his career reaches the end soon in 2018, it doesn't hurt to go back and enjoy some of his finest moments of what truly makes him The Phenom of the WWE.
Rating: 7/10