The Undertaker and Mankind had one of the best WWE feuds of the 90s. Mick Foley got over huge in WWE over his first few months by working an interesting program with The Undertaker. Many new stars worked with The Undertaker to start their WWE careers, but this was different. Foley hit a home run against The Undertaker to make the Mankind character a success.

One of the biggest reasons for this feud working so well was the addition of Paul Bearer’s presence. Fans got used to Bearer being associated with The Undertaker, so his betrayal ended up being a huge shock. The feud between the two legendary performers would not have worked without the manager’s role. Bearer turning on The Undertaker in favor of Mankind deserves another look back at what made it work so well.

Mick Foley And The Undertaker Prepare For SummerSlam

Mick Foley gave his all to the Mankind character when getting his first real chance to thrive in WWE. The Undertaker had a bad track record of many new wrestlers struggling against him. It took a lot of effort to make an unknown entity come off as an immediate threat to one of the most beloved main eventers in the promotion.

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Paul Bearer played his usual role at the start of the feud as The Undertaker’s manager. WWE was experimenting with The Undertaker talking more to showcase his personality after years of being mute and managers to do the speaking. Fans cared about the program enough to help Foley become one of the top heels in his first year.

Undertaker Vs Mankind

WWE making Foley look good against The Undertaker and The Undertaker starting to do more of his own talking set up the moment that put the feud on another level. Bearer playing a lesser role than usual in the build paid off for his presence in their epic Boiler Room Brawl match at SummerSlam 1996.

Paul Bearer Turns On The Undertaker

WWE gave Mankind vs The Undertaker the semi-main event spot at the second-biggest show of the year. SummerSlam 1996 featured Shawn Michaels defending the WWE Championship against Vader with Undertaker vs Foley using the Boiler Room Brawl stipulation to add another attraction.

Fans expected a major night of action, with extra anticipation for a new stipulation match between The Undertaker and Mankind. Any match debuting its stipulation for the first time led to interest generating to see something for the first time. WWE used to treat SummerSlam like a huge event for major moments more than recent years.

Paul Bearer Turns On Undertaker

Paul Bearer played the biggest role in the finish between The Undertaker and Mick Foley. The goal of the match was to fight in the boiler room and make your way through the venue to the ring. The Undertaker seemingly had the match won when entering the ring to accept Bearer’s urn until he was betrayed by Paul hitting him with it and giving Mankind the win.

The Undertaker Seeks Revenge Against Paul Bearer

The main reason WWE chose to turn Paul Bearer heel was to benefit the entire story. The Undertaker and Mankind had a lot more left to do together, but they needed a reason to keep the feud going. Bearer betraying The Undertaker added a completely new chapter of him looking to get revenge as the main storyline.

Other heel wrestlers joined the fray with Bearer managing Vader and The Executioner when they worked against TheUndertaker. The money feud was still Mankind having big matches against The Undertaker with Bearer getting involved and trying to tip the scales.

Mankind Paul Bearer

WWE gave fans one of the best moments of the New Generation Era by having Bearer turn on The Undertaker in a huge moment. The story advanced with Undertaker’s character going a new direction by cutting all his promos. Bearer feuding with The Undertaker even set up Kane’s debut to show the impact it had short and long term.