HEIDENREICH VS. UNDERTAKER

Heidenreich got involved in Undertaker's WWE Championship match with the JBL, running a car into the hearse and that lead to a match at Survivor Series. Heidenreich also cost Undertaker the title in Armageddeon's fatal 4 way match, which I forgot about before now.Between November and January Heidenreich formed an irrational fear of caskets to build up to this match. Heidenreich was also one of the worst Paul Heyman guys in history.

Before the match Heidenreich is backstage saying how much he hates caskets. He turns around to face Snitsky and they have a strange deep breathing promo about liking each other. Snitsky has an idea which he doesn't voice but Heidenreich likes anyway. Michael Cole and Tazz are on commentary for this match. Heidenreich's poem over the pre-match video does a better job of building the match than my introduction did. The Druids bring the casket out before the match in a nice touch. It gives Tazz and Cole time to not only talk about the psychological affects of casket matches but also make old person jokes at the expense of the Raw announce team at the time, JR and Jerry “The King” Lawler. Heidenreich is fixated on the casket from the moment he sees it, giving it a wide berth as he gets in the ring. After all of this Taker's entrance seems quite spritely.

Heidenreich VS. UNDERTAKER (Casket match)

WWE Royal Rumble 2005 (30^th January 2005)

They lock up and Undertaker brings Heidenreich close to the casket in a side headlock, Heidenreich escapes freaking out. Taker goes back to it and is sent off the ropes but drops Heidenreich with a shoulder block. Undertaker blocks a hip toss, sending Heidenreich over with a hip throw at a lower angle, he takes Heidenreich down with an arm drag and keeps control of the arm, forcing Heidenreich back near the casket in an armbar. Heidenreich brings Undertaker into a side headlock, gets sent off the ropes and takes Undertaker down with a shoulder tackle. They go through it again and Undertaker trips Heidenreich, elbow dropping his knee, he drops Heidenreich's leg whilst setting up a single-leg boston crab. Heidenreich crawls towards the bottom rope but it's next to the casket, he escapes the ring and walks up the ramp just to be away from the casket, getting deserved boos by fans. Also... rope breaks, in a casket match? Anyway, Undertaker follows Heidenreich and knees him in the gut but an irish whip is reversed and Undertaker's kidneys hit the casket.

Heidenreich kicks at Undertaker against the casket, that's it my man, face your fear! He also punches Taker making an amusing “da” sound as he does and brings Undertaker to his feet. Heidenreich sends Undertaker's head into the casket and brings it back into the ring. Heidenreich punches at Undertaker in the corner but trash talks for too long allowing Undertaker to lock in a triangle choke in the corner. Heidenreich is worn down so Taker brings it to the mat. Gene Snitsky appears from nowhere stomping on Undertaker, he sends him off the ropes and clotheslines him with a heavily bandaged arm feeling no effects. The resident freaks hit a double suplex and an elbow drop each on Undertaker before dragging him towards the casket. Snitsky tells the referees to open the casket, but Kane's inside. He helps out his brother and kicks Heidenreich out of the ring, sending himself and Snitsky over the top rope to the floor with a running clothesline. Kane beats on Snitsky all the way through the crowd as Heidenreich is pushing the casket further up the ramp.

Undertaker sends Heidenreich's head into the casket but Heidenreich reverses an irish whip so Undertaker takes the Foley knee bump over the steel steps. Heidenreich pulls up the protective mat and runs the casket into Undertaker, after quickly checking no one else was hidden inside. Heidenreich applies a cobra clutch on the mat and rolls Undertaker into the casket but Undertaker gets his arm out, kicking the casket open and fighting his way out. He hangs Heidenreich over the edge of the casket and hits the apron leg drop on the lid of the casket into Heidenreich's head and neck. Heidenreich headbutts his way out of a chokeslam attempt and sends Undertaker from corner to corner. Undertaker gets his boot up but Heidenreich catches him in the flying clothesline attempt with a swinging slam. Cole calls it vintage Heidenreich even though he's only been on Smackdown since October time. Heidenreich covers and claims he won to avoid going near the casket but it doesn't work that way.

He drags Undertaker over to the casket and rolls him inside but gets goozled. Undertaker fights his way out of the casket again and they exchange right hands in the ring. Undertaker gets a combination going but is sent into the ropes, he hits a shitty DDT on Heidenreich who ducked too early. A terrible attempt at a chokeslam follows but the Tombstone piledriver goes without incident. He rolls Heidenreich to the casket and gives him a few extra shots for good measure before closing the lid to end this match.

WINNER: UNDERTAKER

Yikes, I forgot how bad this was. I knew it wasn't a 5 star classic, but this was something else. They were working towards Brothers of Destruction vs. Heidenreich and Snitsky at Wrestlemania 21 but I'm glad they nixed that plan, this and the Survivor Series match were bad enough. Usually, I'll criticize locking up to start a match with the heat this was supposed to have, but it worked in the sense of the matches story. Kane and Snitsky were in and out quickly, although they couldn't have made the match much worse and the ending was sloppy.– As a match it's *, but personally, I'd rate it 1.5/10