Talking Taker

106 - Royal Rumble 1991 Watch-Along

Our time-traveling hearse is spinning out of control as we take a detour from our encyclopedic exploration all the way back to 1991! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they give you sort of a bonus show and hit one of the matches they skipped over in the early days of the podcast as The Dead Man enters his very first Royal Rumble in just his second ever PPV appearance. We're doing this one watch-along style so we'll give you the timestamp on the WWE Network so you can cue it up and listen as we provide an alternate running commentary for this true throwback. But don't worry - as usual it's just as entertaining even if you can't watch the match along with us. The Undertaker, still flanked by Brother Love at this point, makes quite the impact as he comes in about midway through the match. We'll discuss this earliest incarnation of his character, what defining traits were already shining through, and a rivalry that begins in this match that would last over 25 years! Plus we'll riff on the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Nasty Boys, The Bushwhackers, Saba Simba, Shane McMahon, Bret Hart, Greg Valentine, Texas Tornado, Haku, Tugboat, and more! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Pick up the BRAND NEW King Of *GONG* Style shirt & merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Check out our Spotify Playlist highlighting all the music featured across our episodes throughout the years and see if you can remember which songs went with each match! 
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105 - Survivor Series 2004

Roses are red, violets are blue, we suffered through Heidenreich, and we did it for you! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover The Dead Man's battle with the poet laureate of the WWE at Survivor Series 2004. We turned over a new leaf with JBL last week - could we possibly find something to like about Heidenreich this week? (Spoiler: nope.) We'll cover Taker's match with this very green giant and all the silly build including poetry smackdowns, fan beatdowns, mental breakdowns, Paul Heyman trying his best, Heidenreich's lack of street clothes and preference for straightjackets, the new season of Tough Enough, the WWE Fantasy game, Carlito's debut, diva arm wrestling, a mysterious contract signing, Snitsky and Heidenreich's meet-cute, and so much more. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Pick up the BRAND NEW King Of *GONG* Style shirt & merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Check out our Spotify Playlist highlighting all the music featured across our episodes throughout the years and see if you can remember which songs went with each match! 
Join our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

104 - No Mercy 2004

Did we...did we just become JBL fans?! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they let The Dead Man and JBL borrow their time-traveling hearse for their Last Ride Match at No Mercy 2004. As we review the buildup the match, we wrestle with the fact that the man that drove us away from Smackdown back in the day might be our new favorite wrestler. What is happening?! One guy we're definitely not becoming fans of though is Heidenreich, and we'll also discuss his disturbing introduction to the WWE and his disappointing tie-in to a shockingly great match. Plus we're also talking JBL's hilarious halo, Orlando Jordan as WWE Champion for a night, Teddy Long's tears, more bizarre analogies from Tazz, more forgettable Smackdown theme songs, a shocking Symbolization, a Bronco joyride, and most importantly the epic returns of Gangrel and Viscera - a.k.a. JBL's Middle Aged Ministry! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! 
 
Check out our Spotify Playlist highlighting all the music featured across our episodes throughout the years and see if you can remember which songs went with each match! 
Pick up the BRAND NEW King Of *GONG* Style shirt & merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Join our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

103 - SummerSlam 2004

JBL tries to give The Undertaker - and us - the Summertime Blues on this week's Talking Taker! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV as they cover this clash between the King Of Gong Style and the Wolf Of Wall Street at SummerSlam 2004 for the WWE Championship. We both hated JBL back in the day - so much so that we quit watching Smackdown. Could 15 years of perspective finally help us turn the corner and actually start appreciating his heel work? Or will we end up like the Toronto crowd and just start doing the wave to entertain ourselves during this one? Before we get to the match we'll also talk Taker's reasoning for murdering his mentor, Paul Heyman's award-worthy apology, the looming debut of Heidenreich, The UnderToddler, Shannon Moore, Orlando Jordan, and the debut of one of Undertaker's biggest fans - General Manager Theodore Long! 
Plus, make sure you stick around to the very end of the show for a very special musical performance you don't want to miss. Trust us - it's gonna be the song of the summer! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
 
Check out our brand new Spotify Playlist highlighting all the music featured across our episodes throughout the years and see if you can remember which songs went with each match! 
Pick up the BRAND NEW King Of *GONG* Style shirt & merch at TeePublic to help support the show!
Join our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

102 - Great American Bash 2004

It's the Concrete Crypt Match! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they take the podcast into "True Crime" territory to cover the Live Free Or Die debacle between The Dudley Boyz and The Dead Man at the Great American Bash 2004. It's one of the most ridiculous, infamous moments and matches in Taker's career and we hold nothing back as we try to unravel all of the absurdity of Paul Heyman trying to force The Phenom to "Do The Right Thing." What exactly is "The Right Thing"? No one seems to know! Why is no one calling the authorities when Heyman is trying to murder Paul Bearer on live television? No idea! Our heads are spinning as we find more questions than answers here. Plus we'll also discuss more shenanigans with Booker T, our new nickname for Taker, JBL's eerily relevant promos, Kurt Angle's ineptitude as general manager, trying to explain Rico's gimmick, the potential for a heel Dead Man run during this time, a forgotten classic with John Cena, Funaki's new catchphrase, The Dudleyz flop as main eventers, and if this PPV deserves to be known as the worst of all time. Do the right thing - download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! 
Check out our brand new Spotify Playlist highlighting all the music featured across our episodes throughout the years and see if you can remember which songs went with each match! 
Pick up a Taker Easy shirt over at TeePublic to help support the show!
Join our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

101 - Judgment Day 2004

We're putting a spell on you on this week's Talking Taker! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover the creepy and kooky and all together ooky match between The Dead Man and Booker T at Judgment Day 2004. Taker and Paul Bearer are back to their mysterious ways and ruling strong over Smackdown. So to combat The Phenom, Booker seeks some black magic from Mama Sangry! Yes, this really happens and yes, we really pick it all apart - dirt from an unmarked grave, tree-legged dogs, stereotypical cliches and all!. Along the way we'll also talk about another Grampa Simpson moment, the rapid decline in quality of Smackdown during this period, the rise of JBL, the epic failure of Mordecai, more F.B.I. beatdowns, Alex's terrible Paul Bearer impression, Taker's odd look and incredible entrances, Booker T's great matches (or lack thereof), and a long-overdue correction regarding The Undertaker's entrance music. Plus we discuss The Graveyard Dogs match at Extreme Rules 2019 and reveal the fan's vote for the Top 10 matches of the Biker Taker era! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Check out our brand new Spotify Playlist highlighting all the music featured across our episodes throughout the years and see if you can remember which songs went with each match! 
Pick up a Taker Easy shirt over at TeePublic to help support the show!
Join our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

100 - WrestleMania XX

The Dead Man rises! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match for a special "live" episode as they get together in person to mark a milestone with their 100th show and cover the resurrection of The Phenom as he takes on his brother Kane at WrestleMania XX. After 4 years The Undertaker has returned to his glory days and his "old school" roots to kick off the next chapter of his career. And the best part? We were there for it! Alex and Travis reminisce about attending WrestleMania XX at Madison Square Garden and spending a weekend in New York City as unsupervised high school students. We talk about our plan to get out of school, the wrestlers we bumped into across town, our many instances of culture shock, and all the things you didn't see on TV at the show. Plus Alex interviews his parents about just what they were thinking sending 2 kids across the country to WrestleMania! Along the way to the match we'll also discuss the epic buildup including Kane's shirtless eulogy, Vince's exceptional heel work, a Royal Rumble shocker, Taker's paranormal mindgames, more announcer amnesia, misadventures with Bobby Heenan and Mean Gene, and, of course, the incredible return of Paul Bearer! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! 
Check out our brand new Spotify Playlist highlighting all the music featured across our episodes throughout the years and see if you can remember which songs went with each match! 
Don't forget to vote for your Top 10 PPV Matches from the Biker Taker run! Click on the link to vote for your Top 10 and we'll reveal the fan's vote on next week's show. 
Pick up a Taker Easy shirt over at TeePublic to help support the show!
Join our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
 

099 - Survivor Series 2003

Big Evil rests in peace! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover the final match of the Biker Taker run - a Buried Alive Match vs. Mr. McMahon at Survivor Series 2003! Yes, it's as insane as it sounds and we'll cover every minute of it as we lay to rest this iconic 3 and a half year stretch of Taker's career. We'll discuss Taker's final bike ride, defeating the WWE Champ and U.S. Champ 4 times in one night, the crazy parallels to 2019, Vince's incredible (and incredibly blasphemous) heel work, Father Frank, Taker traveling back to the graveyard, the sword of Damocles, a gaggle of maggots, an all-time gusher of a blade job, and our new sponsorship from Oops I Crapped My Pants! Alex and Travis also get to cover the Smackdown taping that was the first wrestling show they ever attended together as it falls smack dab in the middle of this buildup. Plus we close it all out by discussing our favorite moments and memories of time-traveling motorcycle ride and share both of our Top 10 PPV Matches from this run! Click on the link to vote for your Top 10! And as always, Taker Easy! 
Pick up the I'm A Biker Taker Guy (Or Girl) or the T.C.B. shirt over at TeePublic to celebrate the end of this run!
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098 - No Mercy 2003

The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar get overshadowed by The McMahon Show on this week's Talking Taker! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover the penultimate contest of the Biker Taker Era - the Biker Chain Match at No Mercy 2003. But even though BIg Evil is back in the main event scene with Lesnar, this storyline gets completely co-opted by the first ever Father-Daughter Match in WWE History. (Yuck.) We'll tear all this family drama apart before covering a match whose stipulation doesn't really make any sense. In fact, The Dead Man himself can't even explain it! This episode is jampacked with 2 months worth of build-up as we talk talk Brock's new and hilarious personality, a incredible match with Kurt Angle, Paul London's re-debut, Heidenreich, Brock and Sable's love connection, Taker's complete dominance of this feud, Blind Melon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, Tazz's Keys To Victory, The F.B.I.'s continued incompetence, BIg Evil turning blue, and an answer to a theory we've long-held about Taker's backstage whereabouts. Plus we react to The Undertaker's surprise return to Raw in 2019 and his upcoming Extreme Rules match! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Pick up the newly updated Taker Easy t-shirt at TeePublic!
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097 - SummerSlam 2003

People get ready, the A-Train's a-coming! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover Big Evil's battle with the former Prince Albert (and future Lord Tensai) at SummerSlam 2003. It's a match you probably forgot about, but don't skip over this one - we've got plenty of absurd and hilarious buildup to cover. Just why on earth did the WWE see so much in the nipple-pierced, hairy-chested behemoth that was The A-Train instead of someone like a Kanyon or a Chuck Palumbo? And why did The Dead Man get stuck carrying this dead weight on the 2 biggest shows of the year? We'll try to figure it out. Plus we're talking more jaw-dropping raps from John Cena, The World's Hairiest Love Machine, Sable's hotel key, the greatest moment in Matt Bloom's career, Mr. McMahon's type, maybe the weirdest Smackdown main event ever, Taker's strangest tag team partner ever, and the true reason why Travis hated Bradshaw for all these years. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy!
Pick up the newly updated Taker Easy t-shirt at TeePublic!
Join our Creature Community by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!