Pro wrestling is essentially a weekly soap opera, with storylines being woven by writers and wrestlers playing their part inside and outside the squared circle. What makes it incredibly entertaining is the fact that there are almost no restrictions when it comes to opening up one's mind and coming up with some of the craziest ideas that could be played out in front of a large audience.
Over the course of the past several years, fans have witnessed a string of memorable angles, some of which have gained cult status among the fans, for either being extremely entertaining, or downright goofy.
The backstory
In terms of memorable angles, we now shift our attention to The Undertaker, arguably WWE's greatest superstar of all time. His ring exploits are the stuff of legend. He has been one of the few wrestlers to maintain a standard gimmick for over three decades and it is a testament to his ability not only in the ring but also his promo skills that have undoubtedly shaken the who's who of the business out of their senses.
In terms of tradition, a feud with the Undertaker is no standard feud. There are always supernatural occurrences and warnings given beforehand to stay away from challenging the Deadman. He is often known to play plenty of mind games with his opponents before finally proceeding to decimate them in the ring.
Wrestlers like Booker T, Triple H, Big Show, Kane & even JBL had to face the wrath of the Undertaker's mind games before they could proceed to meet him in competition.
Then, in the summer of 2005, came Randy Orton. He was given the nickname 'The Legend Killer' for his ability to hunt and take down WWE legends.He had a long list of former superstars he had gotten the edge over and now targeted The Undertaker and his Wrestlemania streak.
Orton was slowly becoming the next big thing in the WWE and he had his sights set.
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The possession
Their fabled rivalry began with both Superstars trading wins at WrestleMania 21 and SummerSlam. As the year was nearing its end, Taker began playing mind games on Randy and his father, WWE Hall of Famer Bob Orton.
One episode of SmackDown saw The Deadman getting to Orton's head and the Legend Killer looked as if he was about to go crazy (Orton did go crazy years later, in kayfabe). He proceeded towards the parking lot with his father, and prepared to take off in a car, but the vehicle mysteriously sped away without no one driving it.
Backstage interviewer Josh Matthews came in and was about to ask Orton his thoughts on entering Hell in a Cell with The Undertaker in a few days. Matthews couldn't finish his question, as he suddenly began acting in a weird manner. If seemed as if some paranormal entity had taken possession of his mind and body. Here's what a possessed Matthews said to Orton:
Enjoying the ride Randy? Well, the highway to hell doesn't stop until you come to a dead end. Armageddon, Hell in a Cell.
(Head over to the 2:25 mark to watch the segment)
As a horrified Orton looked at him, Matthews came back to his senses and asked him his thoughts on the upcoming match. The father-son duo left in a hurry, leaving a confused Josh Matthews behind.
The aftermath
The Undertaker's mind games did the job well, as Orton fell prey to The Phenom inside Hell in a Cell.