Talking Taker

082 - Royal Rumble 2002 Watch-Along

It's the dropkick heard round the world! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they provide a Watch-Along commentary for the 2002 Royal Rumble match and Maven's iconic elimination of Booger Red. It's a perfectly played scene and maybe the most memorable Rumble moment of all time. We'll give you the time stamp on the WWE Network so you can cue up the match and watch it along with us. And it's not the only exciting part of the match as we also talk about the Rumble Returns of the likes of Mr. Perfect and Goldust, The Hurricane trying to use his Hurri-powers, Stone Cold running roughshod, and much more. But before we get there we also get to talk about Taker's reign of terror over the Hardcore division. The Conscience Of The WWF has become a big bully and we have a blast dissecting his decimation of the cruiserweights like Spike Dudley, Tajiri, and The Hardy Boyz. Plus we'll discuss The Big Show's New Year's Resolution, the importance of taking down the straps, Taker's continued demands for a little respect, Stone Cold at the top of his game, the Top Ten matches of 2001, a vicious new way to use a chair, and The Undertaker's new finisher with a name that blew our minds. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy. 
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081 - Vengeance 2001

R-E-S-P-E-C-T - find out what it means to The Dead Man! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover The Undertaker's quest for the Hardcore Championship against Rob Van Dam at Vengeance 2001. It's a bit of a departure for Taker and it leads to one his most fun matches ever. But before we talk about the high times with Mr. Monday Night, we also cover Booger Red's transformation into Big Evil. The Phenom is feeling disrespected, and he takes out his frustrations on an innocent JR in the most anus - whoops, we mean heinous - way possible. Plus we'll talk about Taker's new haircut, battles with Bradshaw and Tazz, more classic comedy from Christian, RVD's ugliest attire ever, two of the most bizarre sentences you'll ever hear The Undertaker utter, the return of The King, the debut of Ric Flair, William Regal and Big Show in the bathroom, and so much more. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! 
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080 - Survivor Series 2001 Watch-Along

We've had it with this Alliance crap! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they reach the conclusion of the Invasion storyline with a Winner Take All 5 on 5 Survivor Series match between Team WWF and Team Alliance. We've got so much to talk about during this Civil War that we decided to do a Watch-Along for the match itself. We'll give you the time cue on the WWE Network and encourage you to watch the match with us as we provide a running commentary over the match with our sometimes silly, sometimes serious observations. It's just as entertaining if you don't watch along with us either, so don't let that scare you off. But before we get to the match itself, we cover a month full of incredible moments including the best Smackdown ending ever, sing-along with The Rock and Stone Cold, Undertaker and Vince's sitcom chemistry, Paul Heyman's pipe bomb, a killer Taker and Austin match, and so much more. Plus we discuss all the wild rumors surrounding the Undertaker's future with WWE in 2019 and lay down a challenge to all our Creatures Of The Night. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! WWF FOREVER!
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079 - No Mercy 2001

It's Booker T vs. Booger Red! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover a battle between two cornerstones of their companies as Taker battles the Booker man at No Mercy 2001. It's a nice change of pace from the past few months and we spend some time reminding ourselves just how great the 5 Time WCW Champion really was - sucka! But before we get to the match we've gotta discuss J.R.'s ridiculous new nickname for The Undertaker. Where did it come from? What does it mean? We've actually got some answers for you! Plus we're talking the new tag team of T 'N T, the inexplicable power of Test's big boot, The Hurricane and his Hurricycle, Paul Heyman's fax machine, tape-trading in the early 2000s, the rise of the spinnaroonie, DDP's first yoga infomercial, Kurt Angle's ABA cosplay, and much more. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! 
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078 - Unforgiven 2001

Worst. Match. EVER! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover the infamous trainwreck that was The Brothers Of Destruction vs. Kronik from Unforgiven 2001. It's a disjointed mess of a match that truly lives up to its hype as one of the worst moments of The Undertaker's career. We try to figure out where it all went wrong and how one match completely derailed the careers of Brian Adams and Bryan Clarke. But before we even get there we also talk about another disastrous moment: the end of the Stalker angle and an actual match between Sara and DDP! Yike-a-roni! We're also talking another battle with Edge and Christian, a shortlived feud with X-Factor, the return of Steven Richards, vengeance for the Right To Censor, the most protected move in the tag team division, Taker being MIA for the post 9/11 Smackdown, what Kronik should have been named, and The Undertaker's legit hip-hop cred. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! 
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077 - SummerSlam 2001

Who betta than Talking Taker?! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover the SummerSlam 2001 steel cage clash between The Brothers Of Destruction and the team of DDP and Kanyon for both the WWF and WCW Tag Titles. The bad news? It's the type of burial we don't normally talk about on this podcast and we'll try to get to the bottom of how the Stalker storyline went off the rails so quickly and spectacularly. The good news? We get to talk about the Alliance MVP Kanyon! Besides reminiscing about his short-lived but fun WWF tenure we'll also discuss DDP's cartoonish shrine, the debut of the Smackdown fist, a showdown with Palumbo & O'Haire, evil ref Nick Patrick, the abundance of gimmick matches and title belts during the Invasion, and why "Stone Cold Sara" was such an epic disaster. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! What? I said Taker Easy! 
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076 - Invasion

Forget Talking Taker - this week we're Stalking Taker! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover the origins of the infamous stalker angle which paved the way for Taker's feud with DDP and their roles in the Inaugural Brawl at Invasion in this supersized episode of the show. If you think that's a lot to jam into one episode - you're right, and we nearly lose our minds along the way trying to make sense of it all. We're talking the creepy stalker videos, the real voice behind them all, DDP's confusing character, the one-sided beatdown at King Of The Ring, the rise of the WCW and ECW coalition, and the ultimate #BlameSara moment. Was the Invasion doomed from day one? Were there any bright spots in the madness? What caused plans to change? Was there any way to save it? We try to get to the bottom of these questions and so much more as we talk about The Dead Man's role in one of the biggest storyline flops of all time. Plus we cover the most historic moment of all - Travis's WWF TV debut on the Raw where The Alliance was formed! Really! Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! 
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075 - Great American Bash 1990

Before he was The Undertaker, he was Mean Mark! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match on this very special edition of the podcast as they take a pause before covering the 2001 WCW Invasion and explore the origins of the man who would become The Phenom in World Championship Wrestling. Our main event features our signature in-depth analysis of Mean Mark's highest profile match in the company - a United States Championship opportunity against "The Total Package" Lex Luger at Great American Bash 1990. But before we get there we'll also talk about the very beginnings of Mark Calaway's pro wrestling career including his early encounters with Bruiser Brody, his numerous failed nicknames, his days as a young tag team specialist, and an early run in New Japan. We'll also take a look at his entire tenure in WCW including his time in the Skyscrapers tag team, the two managers who would continue to play roles in his career in the WWE, and the one and only time he went one-on-one with Sting! It's a fun detour on our encyclopedic exploration as we look for early signs of The Dead Man aura, see the evolution of some of his signature moves, and ponder what might have been had Mean Mark never became The Undertaker. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy! 
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074 - Judgment Day 2001

Well big whoopity doo! Join wrestling superfans Alex Doriot and Travis White on their journey through every Undertaker PPV match as they cover a no holds barred battle between The Deadman and Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship at Judgment Day 2001. It's a match we've already seen numerous times - but his time it's personal! We'll break down "Bring Your Wife To Work" month in the WWF as Debra, Stephanie, and for the first time Sara get involved in the bitter rivalry between The Brothers Of Destruction and The Two Man Power Trip. Along the way talk about reevaluating our perspective on Austin's heel turn, the reemergence of Taker's nasty habit, a dip spit moment that brought about flashbacks for Travis, Kane's new chain, Austin and Triple H deceiving the police, the greatest promo Jerry Lynn ever cut, Vince McMahon's triumphant return to commentary, and more before we cover a surprisingly entertaining match. Plus hear the moment that that made Travis laugh more than he has in all 74 episodes! Grab a plate of barbecue, download, and Taker Easy! 
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073 - Insurrextion 2001

We're taking the time traveling motorcycle across the pond yet again 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 a rare main event Handicap Match at the U.K. exclusive show Insurrextion 2001 as "Big Daddy Dead Man" takes on Stone Cold and Triple H with the WWF Championship on the line (sort of). Can this one live up to the fun of some of the other U.K. matches we've covered? Or will it fall victim to some shoddy psychology and some hardway color? And while there may be only one week of build-up to this show it's chockfull of great Taker moments including another classic carjacking, the Dead Man's new equalizer, a mystery opponent that made us laugh out loud, a one-eyed rattlesnake, and more new catchphrases. Finally, in addition to our coverage of the match, Travis gives an in-depth review of the "Undertaker: Rise Of The Deadman" graphic novel and we pay our respects to the late, great Mean Gene Okerlund. Download, enjoy, and Taker Easy. 
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