Undertaker Should Portray the Heel in WWE Hell in a Cell Feud with Brock Lesnar

The last time Undertaker appeared on WWE programming, he was a bad, bad man.

By employing more low blows than Chyna in her prime and securing an underhanded victory over Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam, Undertaker was a heel whether fans chose to cheer him or not.

Meanwhile, Lesnar has been pushed as a conquering hero. In his most recent feud, he has been valiantly battling Big Show, one of a very small handful of WWE Superstars who dwarf The Beast in size.

The doldrums of WWE's Reality Era have led to a lot of ambiguity when it comes to good guys and bad guys. During a conference call leading up to NXT Takeover: Respect, Jason Caldwell of PWTorch noted Triple H praising NXT for the kayfabe-breaking moments that have come to define the Reality Era.

Unfortunately, this is the same era that has produced record-low ratings for Raw, according to ShowBuzzDaily.com (h/t Wrestling Inc).

The lack of consistent characters is a glaring problem contributing to WWE's struggling core product.

Throughout October, Stephanie McMahon has been positioned as a champion of breast cancer awareness. This past week on Raw, however, she was portrayed as a spoiled, condescending executive. These inconsistencies make it difficult for fans to suspend their disbelief and truly buy into the television characters responsible for furthering WWE storylines.

Although many fans feel Undertaker can do no wrong thanks to a legendary career, WWE's risk of making him a heel would pay off. With Undertaker as a heel, WWE would be able to tell a consistent story, and fans would be less confused as to who is the true hero in this narrative.

In an era when real-life characters are celebrated, who would be a better top heel than Undertaker?

These days, Undertaker gets by on star power alone, but he has no business existing in an era when WWE has been more willing to pull the curtain back than ever before.

His supernatural gimmick has been grandfathered into a time period when most champions in WWE are essentially playing themselves. This incarnation of Lesnar is the perfect opponent for Undertaker since he is basically a replica of the brash prizefighter who dominated UFC years ago.

At the beginning of the year, Paul Heyman compared Lesnar to foes John Cena, Seth Rollins and Undertaker. Each time he mentioned Lesnar in comparison to his aforementioned competition, Heyman pointed at his beast, screaming "Reality!" compared to the fantasy of his biggest threats from the pro wrestling world.

There is no reason for Undertaker to suddenly become a babyface in this feud, other than token respect. In order for WWE to better connect with fans, it needs to continue to tell the most basic story in all of entertainment: good vs. evil.

By clearly defining the heel and babyface in this upcoming matchup, fans will be able to better engage with this feud—even those who stubbornly refuse to boo Undertaker.

It's no secret that Lesnar is the most aggressive personification of reality in WWE. As a result, he has been embraced by fans as a top babyface. As a spooky relic of the past, Undertaker has no choice but to remain a heel.