Reimagined: Mordecai's Run With WWE

When one thinks of The Undertaker, many things come to mind. Arguably the greatest big man in the history of the business and undoubtedly the greatest gimmick with the perfect performer. Unfortunately, one of the things not often thought about is the almost ridiculous number of opponents brought up for him to battle. Outside of his kayfabe brother Kane, none of these gimmicks would be seen for longer than a few months. From Giant Gonzalez to The Executioner, many characters were created to battle The Deadman and almost always failed. One specific character that was created to be a contrast to The Undertaker was Mordecai. However, for one reason or another, the character would not survive long enough to even go toe-to-toe with The Undertaker. But what could have been had the light and darkness clashed?

Original Introduction

In the spring of 2004, vignettes began airing, heralding the arrival of Mordecai. Portrayed by OVW standout Kevin Fertig, it was clear from the beginning that Mordecai was being positioned as somewhat of a palette-swapped Undertaker, clad in all-white from head to toe. During his OVW days, Fertig used the gimmick of Seven, based around the Seven Deadly Sins. He had been a member of the Disciples of Sin (the same group that had featured Batista as Leviathan and the future Tyson Tomko under the name of Travis Bane). Fertig modified his presentation, dying his hair and beard a severe shade of blonde that appeared white and pitched the gimmick himself to Vince McMahon. Originally planned to be named Malachi, he would be christened Mordecai and made his debut at Judgment Day 2004 in a squash match against Scotty 2 Hotty. While he would make only one more PPV appearance defeating Hardcore Holly at The Great American Bash before being defeated on SmackDown by Rey Mysterio and quickly written off television.

Today, we will pick up following his Judgment Day debut and see what could have been.

Mordecai making his entrance at the Great American Bash in 2004 [Pic: Freakin’ Awesome Network Forum]

Mordecai Reimagined

In the following SmackDown, Mordecai enters the arena and prepares for a match against Johnny Stamboli. Before the match, he briefly speaks on the microphone and claims that he knows there is someone in the WWE who will soon commit the greatest sin of all, but he is here to keep the WWE pure and will ensure that all sinners are adequately dealt with. He completely wipes the mat with Stamboli, defeating him with the Razor’s Edge and pins him by placing his arms in a cross-like formation.

Over the following weeks, he makes his way through much of the lower mid-card on SmackDown, including Luther Reigns, Chavo Guerrero and even Rob Van Dam. At The Great American Bash, he is set to face his greatest challenge yet, with Booker T stepping up to attempt to stop the Purifier of Sin. Following a back-and-forth match that spills to the outside, Mordecai is able to drive Booker’s head into his Cross fixture that is placed in the aisleway, allowing him the advantage to get back in the ring and deliver the finishing blow.

Later in the evening, as in reality, The Undertaker defeats The Dudley Boyz in the Concrete Crypt match, where if he lost, Paul Heyman would fill a crypt containing Paul Bearer with cement, effectively burying him alive. As we all know, The Undertaker would win the match and then choose to pull the lever himself, covering Bearer in wet cement. As this happens and the show goes off the air, the camera shows a far-off shot on the opposite side of the arena of Mordecai holding his Cross and smiling.

The following week on SmackDown begins with Mordecai appearing inside his chapel of Purity. He tells the audience that he predicted the greatest sin of all would be committed, and at The Great American Bash, it was The Undertaker who committed murder. He claims this betrayal of friendship by The Deadman is a sign of weakness, and he simply must atone not only for this sin but all of the sins he has committed over the years. The Undertaker has always represented the darkness, but now the light has come to WWE to restore the balance.

As in reality, following the “murder” of Paul Bearer, The Undertaker is MIA for several weeks, during which Mordecai continues to push the idea that Undertaker’s sins have driven him into hiding. Each week Mordecai raises events from The Undertaker's past, including his defeating opponents in Casket Matches who were afraid of the caskets and the infamous Funeral Home fire that killed his parents. Finally, during one of his vignettes, the lights cut out, and The Undertaker enters the arena. Taker gets on the microphone and confirms that he has long been a sinner, but anything he has done, he has done for a reason, whether it was part of a plan or driven to it. He tells Mordecai that he has never claimed to be an angel and reminds him that he is, in fact The Lord of Darkness. He explains the reasoning behind burying Paul Bearer in the cement as he did, in reality, bring that he could no longer afford a weakness that could be exploited. He then challenges Mordecai to a match at SummerSlam, allowing him to see if he is strong enough to purify the sins of a man who uses them to embolden himself. From the screen, Mordecai laughs and accepts the challenge, placing the two on a collision course for “The Biggest Party Of The Summer.”

In the remaining weeks until SummerSlam, the two never come face to face or physical blows, instead opting to play mind games with one another. The lights briefly go out during a SmackDown match between The Undertaker and Booker T. When they come back on, Mordecai’s Cross sits on its podium at ringside, causing a distraction leading to Booker picking up a shock victory. Following the pinfall Mordecai can be heard laughing through the arena and stating, “Hear Me. Fear Me.” As Taker destroys the fixture, the lights go out again and come back on with it disappearing again. 

On the go-home show to SummerSlam, Mordecai faces off against Rene Dupree. Following a bit of back and forth, Mordecai takes control and picks up another victory with the Razors Edge. Immediately following the three count, the lights in the arena go out, and ominous music begins playing. A series of druids make their way out to ringside carrying a giant version of The Undertaker symbol, which they place in the aisle a few feet behind Mordecai’s cross. The druids retreat to the back, and as Mordecai looks on, a flash of lightning strikes his cross, causing it to go up in flames as we hear The Undertaker's evil laughter, similar to his Ministry of Darkness days. 

Seeing as SummerSlam 2004 took place in Toronto, The Undertaker enters the arena to a raucous ovation. Mordecai is predictably shunned and booed as he enters the aisle, carrying the burnt cross to the ringside. The two men engage in a typical big man match for the time, going back and forth for nearly 15 minutes. The Undertaker can hit The Last Ride, but shockingly Mordecai is able to kick out. As Undertaker begins to signal for the Chokeslam, the ominous music again begins, and a series of druids, now dressed in white, make their way to the ring, once again carrying the giant Undertaker symbol. This distraction allows Mordecai to slip out of the ring and grab the ring bell, which he smashes into Taker’s head while the referee is distracted by the scene outside of the ring. With Taker busted open, Mordecai hits the Razor’s Edge and gains the pinfall victory. Mordecai takes blood from Undertaker’s head and runs it over the middle of the cross fixture. He then orders the druids to crucify Undertaker on the giant symbol and carries him out of the arena. 

The following week on SmackDown, Mordecai comes to the ring with the bloody cross. He claims this is now a symbol of The Undertaker’s demise, and he has now purified the WWE of its greatest sinner. He states that he is the Purifier of Sin and the new Phenom of WWE. He believes he is now in line to be the man who represents all that is Pure and Good in WWE, and so he must pursue his goal of becoming the WWE Champion. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long appears and informs Mordecai that while he may have defeated The Undertaker, he still needs to work his way up the ladder if he wants to challenge for the WWE Championship, and books him in a match later that night against Eddie Guerrero.

At the match's climax, Mordecai capitalizes on attempted interference by Kurt Angle, who is still feuding with Guerrero and can win the match with a top-rope superplex. Following the match, after Angle and Guerrero battle their way up the ramp, a video plays on the Tron similar to the ones before WrestleMania XX, showing a graveyard and the Undertaker symbol. Mordecai brushes it off and leaves the arena again with the bloody cross.

Long sets up a series of four matches over the following weeks, with the winners meeting in a Fatal Four Way to determine the new number one-contender for JBL’s WWE Championship. Mordecai defeats Kurt Angle’s protégé Mark Jindrak to earn his way into the match. Along the way, Kurt Angle defeats Rob Van Dam, Eddie Guerrero defeats Luther Reigns, and Big Show defeats Orlando Jordan, setting the lineup for the Fatal Four-Way match.

During the match, Mordecai is about to deliver the Razor’s Edge to Kurt Angle when the lights in the arena darken, and the Tron lights up with The Undertaker appearing for the first time since SummerSlam. He tells Mordecai that what is evil can never truly die, and he is coming back for his revenge. This allows Big Show to reappear and chokeslam Mordecai before Show is locked into an Ankle Lock by Angle and taps out. This sets Angle up for a Title shot while keeping Mordecai protected from defeat. As the ring clears out and Mordecai returns to his feet, the words “Buried Alive” flash on the screen.

Finally, at No Mercy, The Undertaker makes his return proper, and Mordecai once again enters the arena carrying the bloody cross which he places at ringside. The two battle for nearly 20 minutes, with Mordecai delivering a chokeslam to The Undertaker through the Spanish Announce Table. The two battle up to the giant mound of dirt where the gravesite resides when Undertaker is able to take control back, culminating in a Tombstone beside the grave. He rolls Mordecai into the grave and begins covering him in dirt, being declared the winner. The druids reappear and help push the rest of the dirt into the grave, fully burying Mordecai under the earth. Undertaker returns to ringside and takes the bloody cross and takes it back to the grave, smashing it into the dirt above where Mordecai is buried.

There are many options available, whether WWE chooses to write Mordecai off TV as they did or have him return in any form. He could return as an Acolyte of The Undertaker or return once again as a menace to the Deadman. Regardless of the situation, the Mordecai character certainly had much more to offer than what was initially presented. Kevin Fertig would go on to show a lot of talent and range in different characterizations, most notably as the vampire Kevin Thorn in the revamped WWECW.