WWF Coliseum Video Collection: The Undertaker... He Buries Them Alive (1995)

WWF Coliseum Video Collection: The Undertaker... He Buries Them Alive! (1995)

Coliseum Video compilation. The front cover of the tape features Undertaker glaring at the camera, while the back cover promises that he’ll be sending some of his challengers into the depths of darkness. Why only some?

Ted DiBiase hosts from the studio, which is kind of an odd choice

Undertaker v Undertaker: From SummerSlam 1994 on August 29 in Chicago. Wait, so DiBiase claimed that he personally selected these matches in the opening, and he's leading with a match where his man loses, and he gets badly embarrassed? Entrances take forever here, as both Undertaker's and both respective managers get separate intros. Let the freak show begin! They slug it out to start, and Undertaker knocks Underfaker out of the ring with a big boot. That allows Underfaker to go after Paul Bearer on the floor, but Undertaker saves, and vertical suplexes Underfaker back inside. Underfaker sits up, so Undertaker tosses him over the top rope, then follows out for some abuse on the outside. He tries pulling Underfaker back in, but ends up getting his throat snapped across the top rope in the process. Underfaker goes for the ropewalk forearm, but gets slammed off the top rope before he can execute it, and Undertaker delivers the real thing, baby. Underfaker tries a hotshot, but they botch it, and settle for clotheslines instead. Elbowdrop misses, allowing Undertaker to hammer away, but a charge ends in him taking a spill over the top. Underfaker follows out to ram him into the post, then the steps. Back in, Underfaker hits a chokeslam, followed by the Tombstone, but Undertaker sits up before a cover. Underfaker tries the Tombstone again, but Undertaker reverses. He adds another two Tombstones to make sure, and we're done at 9:10. This was cartoony junk, but it could have been much worse as a match. Thankfully, it was kept short enough. -½*

The Undertaker v Kwang: From Monday Night RAW on September 12 1994 (taped August 15) in Lowell Massachusetts. Okay, now this is weird territory, as this is the first RAW after SummerSlam, but it was taped a month prior - i.e. when Brian Lee was still playing the character. But since this is airing post SummerSlam, we have purple-Undertaker, and Mark is back to playing the role. Must have been quite confusing to the live crowd, since Undertaker is wearing different colors, and back with Paul Bearer, despite SummerSlam still being weeks off. This is also a shitty excuse for a feature match, but you take what you can get, I suppose. Bearer also still has the original small urn here, as I guess they hadn't come up with that detail yet. Mark gets back into the swing of things as he runs through his usual stuff, and finishes Kwang with a chokeslam at 8:21. For the record, I prefer the original grey. DUD

DiBiase continues his odd job of hosting by making fun of Kwang, which is again way out of character. Like, if Bobby Heenan were hosting this, he'd have a laundry list of excuses ready for why heel Kwang lost, and why babyface Undertaker sucks

Casket Match: Undertaker v Yokozuna: From Survivor Series 1994 on November 23 in San Antonio Texas. Chuck Norris acts as the special guest enforcer for this one, to prevent another gang up like at the Royal Rumble. Something tells me Yoko's entourage has lost a lot of their clout since then, anyway. Like, who would be lining up to get on his good side now, months after he'd lost the WWF Title, and been demoted deep into the midcard? Yoko is so terrified of the casket that he literally falls on his ass at the bell. Undertaker hammers him, and they spill to the outside, where Yokozuna eats steps. Well, he's likely finished off all the other food in the building before the match, so onto the lesser known food groups, I guess. Back in, 'Taker hits the ropewalk forearm, but runs into a Samoan drop as they criss cross. Yoko adds a legdrop, and he tries for the casket, but Undertaker fights him off. Yoko responds with a uranage and another legdrop, but 'Taker avoids getting closed in the casket, and pulls Yoko into it with him. Mr. Fuji lends an assist, and both guys end up fighting on the floor. Inside, Yoko works him over in super slow, super dull fashion. Undertaker manages a mat-slam, and he goes up with a flying clothesline, which cues the reinforcements. King Kong Bundy and Bam Bam Bigelow are first, but while they distract Norris on the outside, Irwin R. Schyster runs in through the crowd! He latches onto Undertaker with a sleeper, and dumps him into the casket, but fails to, you know, close the lid - instead leaving it for Yoko to do, while he hightails it back into the crowd. Yokozuna slowly recovers and tries to close the lid, but Undertaker grabs a chokehold to put a stop to it, so Jeff Jarrett comes out. Norris disposes of him with a kick, however, and Undertaker finishes up at 15:36. I'll say it, the Rumble match was better. These two had some very real chemistry together in late '93/early '94, but whatever they had then was pretty much gone here. This was like watching paint dry. And not even regular paint. Some kind of extra slow drying paint. -*

Undertaker v Jim Neidhart: From Superstars on November 19 1994 (taped October 18) in Burlington Vermont. Hey, first match of the tape I'm not copying and pasting from an earlier review! Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing considering the matches selected thus far. Neidhart stalls on the outside to start, until Undertaker decides to chase after him. Considering how slowly he moves, that's hardly much of a threat. Jim attacks from the high ground as they head in, but Undertaker quickly fights him off with a big boot, and he chokes him in the corner. Ropewalk forearm hits, followed by a short-clothesline, but Jim ducks the jumping clothesline, and 'Taker wipes out. That allows Anvil a clothesline of his own, but Undertaker sits up, and goes after him against the ropes. Neidhart fights back with a powerslam, and he grabs a chokehold of his own. Hey, what's good for the goose, and all that. Jim works him over in lazy fashion, and manages a vertical suplex for two before Undertaker just decides to finish this loser off. He dumps Jim into the casket to trigger a freak-out from the Anvil, and Neidhart gets counted out at 6:09. DUD

Casket Match: Undertaker v Jerry Lawler: Dark match from a TV taping in White Plains New York on September 28 1994. Lawler stalls to start, of course. I'd be disappointed if he didn't. King pulls an object out of his tights and hides it in his fist to allow him to get control as he just unloads with it in the corner, but gets into trouble after putting it away. Why put it away? It's already been well established that these are no DQ matches. I mean, one earlier in this same year ended in, like, a dozen guys openly attacking Undertaker in full view of the referee. And that was a title match, on top of things. So, what the hell are you worried about your little roll of coins, or whatever. Lawler realizes that, apparently, and goes back to work with the object, but can't get the lid closed on the casket as he goes for the kill. Undertaker stalks after him, so Lawler pulls the weapon out again, but Undertaker blocks it this time, and hits a bodyslam. Jerry responds by popping him in the nuts, and that gets some traction for the King. You gotta love this guy! He goes for the casket again, but Undertaker fights him off, and the Tombstone knocks Lawler out for 'Taker to finish off at 7:46. Shitty match in general, but Lawler is such a master of working a crowd that it wasn't completely useless. Best match of the tape too, at a whopping ¼*

DiBiase notes that he wouldn't want to lose a casket match because he would wrinkle his suit, and he signs off by saying "see you at the bank!" But that's not even his catchphrase!

BUExperience: Possibly the worst Coliseum release of all time. Undertaker was never known for being a worker during this period, so you’d think they’d pack this with fun vignettes or something, but nope. It’s just five horrible Undertaker matches in a row, with a wildly out of character Ted DiBiase popping up in-between. Definitely not a good addition to your Coliseum collection.