An Emotional End to the Dead Man Era

Vanessa Obioha

It should have been a joyous victory for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. He had just defeated the great wrestling legend of all time. But instead of cheers, there were tears from the WWE denizens who found it hard to believe that the Big Dog defeated the Undertaker, the most feared dead man in WWE history. But there he was crushed by superman punches, spears and crashes on the table.

It is the second time the Undertaker lost a match at the main event. The first time his winning streak was broken was in 2014 when he lost to Brock Lesnar.

The Undertaker’s career spanned nearly three decades . During this period, his spooky character gave chills to audience and viewers. In his early career days, he made a name for himself by using a smoky effect, chilly music to make a haunting entrance. This effect was enhanced by his late manager Paul Bearer who accompanied the Dead Man with an urn. The Phenom also brought a casket to the ring side. He threw his defeated opponents into the casket after a match, giving credence to his catch phrase ‘Rest in Peace.’

Undertaker is known for his catchphrases but the popular ones still remained ‘Rest in Peace’ and ‘This is my Yard’.
Now, it is Roman Reigns’ yard. Standing up to the jeers and boos from the crowd on Monday Night Raw, Reigns boldly claimed that it is his yard now.

To say that the WWE fans are unhappy with the outcome of the match would be an understatement. They watched in shock as the deadman rose from the defeat, wandered a bit in the ring, then stood tall. A man of few words, the Undertaker slowly removed his ring regalia- his gloves, jacket, and hat-placing them in the middle of the ring. He then walked through the ramp and raised his hand in appreciation to his fans. It took a moment or two before the message of that act finally dawned on the denizens. There will no longer be a haunting deadman wrestling in the ring. Eyes glistened, jaws dropped, as the deadman went backstage.

A tribute followed on Twitter with the hashtag #ThankyouTaker. His fellow colleagues paid tribute to him including Reigns.
The Undertaker however, turned out not to be the only retiree from WWE after WrestleMania 33. Goldberg, in an off-air segment of Monday Night Raw also bade his fans goodbye. The wrestler lost to Brock Lesnar at the main event without giving a good fight. He is leaving the ring to be with his family.

LONDON FIELDS FACES ANOTHER LAWSUIT
The upcoming thriller recently suffered another lawsuit. This time around, from one of its lead actors, Amber Heard. The ex-wife of actor Johnny Depp is accusing the producers of the film, Christopher Hanley and his wife Roberta for recording an explicit pornographic sex scene involving the actor’s body double.

Heard claims that the scene violates a nudity rider, included in her contract.
The film which is an adaptation of Martin Amis 1989 novel of the same name was earlier scheduled to debut at the Toronto Film Festival in 2015. However, director Matthew Cullen filed a suit against the producers for fraud, thus leading to a cancellation of its debut.
Hanley and his wife also accused Heard of breaching performance and promotional obligations as well as kicking off a misguided and unlawful conspiratorial campaign.

MOROCCO OMARI OF EMPIRE CHARGED WITH DOMESTIC BATTERY
The ‘Empire’ actor who played FBI agent ‘Tariq Cousins’ in the TV series was recently arrested by the police in Chicago for physically abusing his girlfriend. According to Associated Press, police officers were called to the Hyde Park neighbourhood on Chicago’s South Side by a 24-year-old woman who identified herself as Omari’s girlfriend. She told the officers that Omari had battered her physically during an argument. The accused made an appearance in court the following day and would have his next court hearing on April 20.

MTV MOVIE & TV AWARDS RELEASES A PARTIAL NOMINEES LIST
The Viacom company has extended its awards to TV. It is the first time TV is added to the MTV Movie Awards which debut in 1992.
The revamped award added two new categories which are ‘Best American Story’ and ‘Best Fight Against the System’.
Leading its first nominees list is the horror film ‘Get Out’ which scored six nominations. It is quickly followed by Disney live-action drama ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Stranger Things’. Both movies earned four nominations each.
The award will be hosted by actor and comedian Adam Devine on May 7 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

BON JOVI POSTPONES TOUR
Rock Sensation Bon Jovi will be rescheduling his Madison Square Garden Tour due to Bronchitis. The singer has been battling with the disease for a while. Based on doctor’s recommendations, Jovi will take a rest from the stage until next weekend.