#2. Hade Vansen was once touted as the next Undertaker
Forget The Undertaker's eerie promos, who remembers THAT epic promo from Hade Vansen back in 2008? We did, and it was one that got us talking and wondering.
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WWE aired an ominous promo from Englishman Hade Vansen, who claimed he had watched the darkness his entire life and studied it. Hansen claimed "your immortal power is all that I require" whilst indicating he had others who were following his ways.
It was speculated at the time that Vansen would be leading the stable going against The Undertaker looking to take his immortal power. It would have been fascinating to see what plans WWE had for Vansen, considering everything he talked about in his promo seemingly was aimed at The Deadman. Sadly, one week after the main promo aired, Vansen's gimmick was dropped. He was also released from his contract just a few months later.
Vansen told Memorabilia Guy about his release in 2017 and his planned feud with The Undertaker:
"To this day I don’t really know the full story behind my release. I’ve heard a few different accounts, but the one that keeps doing the rounds is that Vince [McMahon] never sanctioned my feud with the Undertaker, which was going to run for some time and culminate at Mania. Apparently when Vince got wind that creative had plans to push some schlemiel from developmental in an angle with one of his top guys which was to climax in a top spot at the biggest show of the year, he stepped on it quick smart. I can’t be mad at him for putting the interests of a billion dollar company over mine." (h/t Memorabilia Guy)
Hansen never wrestled again after his release from WWE, but he did remain in the United States and continued with some acting roles. We'll never know what could have been, and if Hansen could have replaced The Deadman.