Undertaker's Portrayal as Underdog Is Smart Booking for WWE SummerSlam 2015

Undertaker is one of the most influential figures in wrestling history, but at the 2015 edition of SummerSlam, he'll be coming into a match as an underdog for the first time in well over a decade.

Paul Heyman is arguably the greatest talker in the history of the wrestling industry, and he deserves immense credit for putting Undertaker behind the eight ball. Using his innate ability to captivate a crowd, Heyman has cut several promos that make the Deadman sound like a petty old man.

Instead of fearing Undertaker, many members of the WWE Universe are left wondering why he felt the need to return many months after taking his loss to Lesnar. Attacking Lesnar and costing him the WWE World Heavyweight Championship made the Deadman look like a weak and jaded old man, and that’s something fans have never seen.

As crazy as it sounds, Undertaker should be the underdog for the rest of his career. Lesnar is a bona fide fighter who is still in the prime of his career. Not only would Undertaker be unlikely to beat him in a real fight, but there are few people in the world who could take down the Beast.

At 50 years old, Undertaker’s best years are behind him. Calling out Lesnar takes serious guts for the legend, especially considering the Beast has every physical advantage imaginable. For many fans, this is the first time they can remember the Deadman being positioned as an underdog in any of his matchups.

The best part of the entire program thus far—sans the pull-apart brawl a while ago—was Heyman’s promo Monday night on Raw. He called the legend a bitter old man and noted that his behavior indicates he is afraid of what Lesnar is capable of accomplishing in the ring.

Heyman even called Undertaker a "bitch," which is completely unheard of in wrestling.

While many fans are not excited about a WrestleMania rematch between Lesnar and Undertaker at SummerSlam, the promo work from Heyman has been incredible, and it has given wrestling fans a legitimate reason to care about the upcoming bout.

Finally, Undertaker and Lesnar will have the chance to put on the quality match they wanted to put together at WrestleMania. Fans should wholeheartedly care about what they're going to see at SummerSlam.

Booking Undertaker as the underdog in this feud was a calculated risk, but thus far, it is the reason the most skeptical wrestling fans are beginning to acknowledge their excitement for the main event of the August pay-per-view.

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