The Undertaker (s)

Just saw this on some random site about British wrestling.

Quote :

The Undertakers

Two masked men, top hated and black jacketed, emerged on to the mid sixties independent circuit, billed from Chicago.

They were so-called brothers Jonathan and Nathaniel, The Undertakers. It goes without saying they were villains of the first order, and unlike most masked men seem not to have a perfect record.

During the early and mid 1960s they were regulars on the independent circuit but were amongst the few masked wrestlers, Doctor Death being another, to transfer to the Joint Promotions circuit.

The Undertakers became regular figures on the bills of Bill Best and Wryton Promotions. The original Undertakers are believed to have been Vince Apollo and Bob Abbot, though various others took the role during the 1970s.

Interesting eh?

Masks, brothers, top hats...unlikely WWE wouldn't have have gotten some inspiration from this.

Also, someone simply called The Undertaker...

Quote :

The Undertaker

British wrestling fans booed and jeered The Undertaker, a villain of the independent circuit in the 1960s.. A bearded, fearsome looking character, dressed in frock coat and top hat as the stereotypical undertaker of days gone by, would walk unhurriedly to the ring to the accompaniment of the Funeral March. With him was an equally sombre companion and aid. On their shoulders they carried a coffin, albeit one that did look decidedly on the small side. The coffin would be ceremoniously lifted into the ring and propped against the corner post. The aid would produce a tape measure and attempt to “measure up” the opponent, obviously without success. Gestures and words, drowned by the jeers of the crowd, indicated to the opponent where he was going to end up. Of course, he never did, despite the aid pushing the coffin back into the ring at opportune moments for The Undertaker to try once again to get the luckless wrestler inside.

So funeral march and coffin crack too, bit of a shame a lot of the this stuff is forgotten considering that arguably the best gimmick of all time was basically a rip off.

Info is really scarce about all this too, just one pic I could find.

A lot of The Undertaker that we know was taken from a character from Florida called 'Purple Haze', who used to rool his eyes back in his head. He was part of Kevin Sullivan's 'Dungeon of Doom', and played by a guy called Mark Lewin (I think, anyway).

Be great if these sued for gimmick infringement though. Vince taken to the cleaners by some British OAPs!