The Undertaker has revealed where he got the inspiration for his famous signature move “Old School”, explaining how he came up with his iconic wrestling move.
The Deadman was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022, putting an end to one of the most legendary careers in wrestling. The Undertaker wrestled in the WWE from his debut in 1990, competing for thirty years until he wrestled his last match against AJ Styles in 2020.
Over the years, The Undertaker has added a number of brand-new moves to his arsenal. While he started off with just a (very aptly-named) Tombstone Piledriver as his main finisher, he quickly added a number of innovative offense that made every match of his unique.
The Undertaker has had a number of finishers over the years. While he used fantastic moves like the choke slam, the Hell’s Gate and the Last Ride, his most impressive move is one that he never really won any matches with – the Old School.
The Old School involves him twisting the arm of his opponent, before climbing to the top rope and waking across the ring ropes, showing incredible balance and poise for a man of 6 foot 10. It is an incredibly impressive achievement for a man of his size and height, and was a regular spot that always got the crowd on their feet for The Deadman.
However, the move was not a complete The Undertaker creation. The Undertaker appeared on the True Geordie podcast, speaking with Brian about a number of moments in his career, like his start with Paul Bearer, his run as the head of the Ministry of Darkness and his reinvention as the American Badass.
The Undertake revealed that he “borrowed” the move from an old wrestler called Don Jardine, who portrayed “The Spoiler” in the 1960s and 70s. He was one of the original members of The Legion of Doom, alongside Jake Roberts, Bundy, and The Road Warriors, and used the Old School as one of his key moves – although back then, it was simply called “Walk on the Rope”.
After Don Jardine retired, The Undertaker stole the move for his own arsenal, as he wanted to present somebody of his size walking on the ropes as something that “just hadn’t been done yet”.
“I borrowed that [The Old School move] from Don Jardine. He wrestled under the name ‘The Spoiler’. I wrestled him very early on in my career. When he retired, I said ‘That’s mine! I’m taking that’. But you’re right. I was just trying to be different and trying to present something that just hadn’t been done yet in the wrestling world.”
The Undertaker’s Old School is one of the most famous signature moves and wrestling, and whilst many have tried to recreate it, there is a certain magic seeing a man who stands nearly 7-foot tall walking the top rope like a Cruiserweight wrestler.
The Undertaker’s Best Finishing Moves
Taker Care Of Business (Standing Dragon Sleeper)
The “Taker Care of Business” is definitely the worst finishing move of The Undertaker, with the worse name by far.
The Undertaker managed to lock in a Dragon Sleeper hold, but kept standing on his feet. His opponent lay on his back, whilst still standing, remaining in a hold similar to a Sister Abigail move.
This is by far The Undertaker’s finisher that is least remembered. He only used it briefly during his American Badass run, and did not keep it in his arsenal when he went back to being The Deadman.
Chokeslam
Potentially the most iconic move of the Deadman’s, but its lack of exclusivity brings it right down this list.
The Chokeslam, which was said to have been invented by Abraham Lincoln, does exactly what it says on the tin. The Undertaker performs the finisher by lifting his opponent into the air by his throat, choking him as he slams him into the ground.
The move was occasionally used by The Undertaker as a finisher, but he preferred other moves as his match winner. The moves were used as finishers by Big Show and Kane in the WWE, dampening their status as a top finisher in the company.
Click here to keep reading about The Undertaker’s best finishing moves
Hamish is a writer and podcaster and wrestling fan who is a key part of the Atletifo team.
After playing countless hours of WrestleMania X8 on the Gamecube, he discovered Rey Mysterio getting his head crushed by The Great Khali, and thus a love for professional wrestling was born.
He is also a Media Graduate, as well as writing for multiple sites about Premier League football and the culture of Wales – his home country.
