How WrestleMania XXX Changed Everything for 'Shocked Undertaker Guy'

Ellis Mbeh was all of us.

When Brock Lesnar felled the immortal Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX, ending an undefeated streak that stretched back to 1991, Mbeh stood frozen at ringside. His eyes widened. His jaw hung slack. Surprise left him mute.

That face summed up the WWE fanbase's reaction to WrestleMania's most stunning loss.

Undertaker had amassed 21 consecutive victories at WWE's biggest annual event. He was untouchable, inhuman, a black-clad phantom who ruled the squared circle. At least he was until April 6, 2014, when Lesnar drove him into the canvas in front of a speechless New Orleans crowd.

"I never have to go to WrestleMania again. I just witnessed history," Mbeh told Bleacher Report of what went through his mind in that moment.

But the Washington, D.C., native didn't know he would be a part of that history. His response to The Deadman's defeat became a key component of that story. It was the exclamation point on a sentence no one saw coming.

Mbeh's face spread across the internet as he became known as Shocked Undertaker Guy.

He became the subject of a flood of memes. He went from unknown fan to minor celebrity. Witnessing WrestleMania live from a front-row seat led to a shift in how he experienced wrestling shows, to a change in his current job and a newfound appreciation of all things viral.

Mbeh, of course, didn't expect any of that. He was just being a fan.

Witnessing the End

The trip to the Superdome was over a year in the making.

Mbeh stored away enough money for the trek that would take him 1,000 miles from his home in Maryland. Poised to graduate from University of Maryland University College and hit a milestone birthday, the marketing student decided to treat himself.

"I wanted to go to WrestleMania XXX when I was 30," he explained.

While many of the roaring fans in attendance that night rooted for the underdog and everyman Daniel Bryan to finally overcome The Authority's tyranny and become WWE world champion, Mbeh pulled for the villain Triple H. 

He told that to Bryan during the meet-and-greet portion of WWE Axxess.

Mbeh teased the bearded wrestler after standing in line to meet him. Showing Bryan a replica championship title, Mbeh said, "This is the closest you'll get to seeing a belt. Triple H is the man."

Photo courtesy of Ellis Mbeh.

When Bryan later opened WrestleMania with a stellar performance against Triple H, the babyface spotted Mbeh in the crowd and playfully threw his towel at him.

The event unfolded from there, the bespectacled fan soaking it all in. The Shield dominated The New Age Outlaws and Kane. Cesaro won the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. John Cena outlasted the eerie Bray Wyatt.

"I remember every match that happened," Mbeh recalled.  

And then well into the massive event, Undertaker welcomed Lesnar's challenge. It was a hard-hitting affair that felt out of rhythm from the get-go. The Beast Incarnate beat on Undertaker with a relentless attack before finally putting him away with a third F-5.

When Undertaker's spinning body crashed to the mat and Lesnar pinned him, the Superdome fell silent.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

That's one of the things that ran through Mbeh's mind as he tried to process the end of the streak. "75,000 people are quiet," he told himself in disbelief.

From his vantage point, it looked as if something was amiss at the end of the bout. "The look on his face made it seem like it was a mistake," Mbeh said of the referee.

There was no reversed decision, no "Dusty Finish," no re-do to come. Undertaker's unblemished run was truly over. 

Blowing Up

As Mbeh watched the rest of WrestleMania, his reaction to the final moments of Undertaker vs. Lesnar traveled to the various corners of the internet.

Fans pasted various captions across the now-famous image of Mbeh. Twitter was flush with his face. 

A fan behind him got his attention to inform him of what was happening. "He tapped my shoulder, showed me his phone and said, 'Dude, you're a meme!'" Mbeh explained.

He didn't know what to make of it. He hadn't even realized the camera was on him. 

When WrestleMania ended, and fans began to walk out of the building, a crowd began to converge on him. "People were grabbing me as I was walking out of the arena, saying 'It's him!'" he recalled.

After making his way across the confetti-covered floor, Mbeh went back to his hotel, plugged in his phone and realized he had hundreds of notifications. Something strange was going on.

"I didn't really grasp it," he said.

There would soon be more to grasp. He went from 300 Twitter followers to 15,000 in a matter of days. Buzzfeed featured his face. So did Fox Sports.

WWE.com interviewed him soon after.

"It was more scary than anything. It was weird," Mbeh said. "I'm not a person who likes a lot of attention. My goals in life have been to help others get attention. My job is to help get messages delivered, to help brands get recognized."

He had been studying how to promote brands in college, but suddenly he was the brand.

Years passed, and he remained a recognizable figure in the wrestling world. His fame stretched well past the 15-minute mark.

Announcer Cathy Kelley sought him out in the crowd at WrestleMania 32 to ask him his thoughts on Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon.

Mbeh crossed paths with Undertaker that weekend, resulting in another memorable image. The famous fan stood in line to meet The Deadman. WWE security approached him and issued an ultimatum of sorts.

As Mbeh explained it, "Security came up and says, 'If you don't tell him you're you, then I'll tell him you're you. He's had a long day. He's stressed out. If you tell him, you will make his day.'"

He didn't need to tell the WWE icon. Someone had already tipped him off by the time Mbeh made it to the front of the line. Undertaker pulled him and told him he would give him something to talk about.

The Deadman did just that, mimicking Mbeh's famous expression from WrestleMania XXX.

Mbeh treasures that moment. He had met wrestlers before, but there was an added depth to this experience as the wrestler recognized him. 

"I met Undertaker the guy, not the character," Mbeh remembered.

Lingering Aftereffects

Seeing himself blow up as an internet phenomenon roused Mbeh's curiosity. He wanted to know more about how something like this catches on.

So, he changed the subject of the paper he was working on for school to focus on what makes something go viral.

"I followed some bread crumbs. I looked at people out there as examples, and tried to figure out how they got there," he said.

That led him back to WWE. He discovered that the WWE.com social media director at the time was also from D.C. Mbeh found out where he started and applied for an internship at the same place.

His minor fame helped him get in the door. "One of the managers in the room happened to know who I was from WrestleMania," he laughed.

And studying successful social media habits helped him improve his own game. He went from being "total garbage in social media," as he put it, to live-tweeting WWE shows, firing off GIFs and developing a following. His Twitter account pulled in nearly another 10,000 followers as a result. 

He attributes that learning process to landing the gig he has today as a social media marketer for Geico.

"Without this experience happening, I wouldn't have this job I have now," Mbeh explained. "I wouldn't be where I am."

The buzz has certainly diminished since its heyday in the aftermath of WrestleMania XXX, but Mbeh is still a recognizable face to WWE fans. He is still a subject of memes. His dumbfounded expression airs on TV whenever WWE recalls Lesnar's win over Undertaker.

"When they do show it, I just smile. That's a memory of the best trip I could ever have," he said.

The effects of that trip linger today. Mbeh still gets recognized. Fans ask to take pictures with him.

That allows him to have a built-in community at WWE events. "I can go to wrestling shows and not ever feel alone," Mbeh said.

That's been the sweetest part of all of this. He has bonded with far more people than he would have before becoming Shocked Undertaker Guy. 

"Life is about sharing moments with people," he explained. "Meeting someone online I had no clue about; they might be slightly weird. I pay attention because they're a fan of wrestling, and they want to talk about [it]. I'm the same way. And we have a connection."

Mbeh isn't big-headed about his minor celebrity status. He recognizes the situation for what it is.

"I'm not famous; I'm just a guy you recognize," Mbeh said. 

At WrestleMania XXX, the cameras caught him at the perfect moment, as he summed up the audience's response to the night's most unexpected outcome with an expression that has since been immortalized. That split second, where shock shaped his face, proved to be a life-changer for him.