At WWE Extreme Rules, The Undertaker will team up with an unlikely ally in Roman Reigns to take on the dangerous duo of Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre. Although the announcement of The Deadman joining forces with his former rival startled the WWE Universe, it also sent WWE.com editors down memory lane as we looked back at the many bizarre alliances formed in his nearly 30 years of destruction. But who is The Undertaker’s best tag team partner? Here are the six Superstars who made the strongest case.
The Undertaker and The Rock weren’t exactly close friends when they formed a winning team in 2000, but The Phenom and The Great One proved you don’t need to be besties to be effective. They downed Edge & Christian for the World Tag Team Titles on Raw that December, resulting in each Superstar’s fourth tag championship, but their first together. The Undertaker and The Rock didn’t rely on traditional tandem strategies, like double-team moves or blind tags, but they gave each other room to operate, and when you’re icons on the order of The People’s Champion and The Deadman, that’s all you need. Their reign came undone days later on SmackDown when guest referee Kurt Angle hit The Rock with an Olympic Slam to return the titles to Edge & Christian, preventing The Undertaker and The Rock from reaching their full potential as a team, which, let’s be honest, seemed limitless. – JOHN CLAPP
The Undertaker engulfed WWE in darkness during The Attitude Era, and there are few who cast a shadow quite like Big Show. So when these titans joined forces in the summer of 1999, the dark side ruled the Tag Team division. The Deadman brought out the most malicious tendencies of The World’s Largest Athlete – at one point intentionally stranding the giant in the middle of Death Valley to test his fortitude – and their imposing combination of strength, size and savagery paid off. The so-called “Unholy Alliance” defeated Kane & X-Pac at SummerSlam 1999 to claim the World Tag Team Championships – titles they would earn a second time when they defeated The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection in a Tag Team Buried Alive Match on SmackDown. Although The Deadman’s alliance with Big Show was short-lived, it made an indelible, chilling impact during one of WWE’s most formative eras. “Big Evil” indeed. – JAMES WORTMAN
The Undertaker and Kurt Angle have waged war in some of the most intense and memorable matches in WWE history (for example, their World Heavyweight Title clash at No Way Out 2006 still gives me all the feels).
The Phenom and The Olympic Hero created a tangible and distinct energy anytime they joined forces. With each Superstar being among the most intimidating in WWE history, the combination of the two immediately struck a chord with their opposition. It didn’t matter if it was Steve Austin & Booker T or Brock Lesnar & John Cena: You could knock-knock on The Reaper & Angle’s door, but you weren’t getting any jokes once they answered. — RYAN PAPPOLLA
In The Undertaker, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin found one of his greatest rivals. In Austin, well, The Deadman found the biggest thorn in his side. For all the wars between these two Superstars over the years, including that one sacrificial ceremony, The Phenom and The Texas Rattlesnake sure knew how to redirect their smoldering angst as a united front against anyone who stepped in their way. Where Austin was always willing to open a can of whoop – well you know the rest – Undertaker had no issues with dishing out levels of pain. This perfect storm came into an epic culmination at Fully Loaded 1998, where the behemoths put their differences aside to win the World Tag Team Championship (although it helped that this match pitted the pair against their arch-nemeses, Mankind and Kane). That said, no one was safe when The Deadman & Austin were aligned, and that’s bottom line. – RALPH BRISTOUT
Brotherhood comes first in this twisted family tree; for all the success Undertaker has had with his various partners and allies, none seem to have defined his tag team exploits, nor increased The Deadman’s mystique, quite like when he teamed with Kane. He and his brother cut two of the most imposing figures in WWE history by themselves, but they’re a force of nature together, all thunder and fire with a king’s ransom in championship gold stowed in their war chest. It might not be a novel take to say The Brothers of Destruction rank first among The Phenom’s teams, but that doesn’t make it any less correct. And, at the end of the day, there’s nobody you’d rather have at your side than the guy who has tried to dismember, burn, bury and otherwise disintegrate you on numerous occasions. — ANTHONY BENIGNO
When The Undertaker & Batista teamed up, it was like taking on two inevitable forces. On one hand, Superstars had to worry about The Deadman quite literally coming to take their souls. On the other, they had to deal with a vicious Animal looking to tear them to shreds. The Undertaker’s devastating strikes, along with Batista’s pure, unchained fury, made for a dangerous duo in tag team competition. Though they were often rivals when joining forces, there was no stopping them when they were on the same page. In fact, in some battles, it was their own bad blood that cost them victory. There’s no telling what carnage they could have caused if The Deadman and The Animal were true allies. – BOBBY MELOK