The Urn From Netflix's Escape The Undertaker Explained

It was only a matter of time until WWE legend The Undertaker became the star of his own horror movie, but better late than never, right? Netflix's "Escape the Undertaker" has arrived just in time for the Halloween season, offering viewers a haunted ride that's reminiscent of YA choose-your-own-adventure books, in the vein of "Goosebumps."

Similar to the "Black Mirror" experiment "Bandersnatch," which is also available to stream on Netflix, The Undertaker's horror opus is an interactive feature that allows the viewers to dictate the story, which revolves around current WWE stars New Day — Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E — trying to steal the spooky superstar's mystical urn and escape from a house of horrors. The premise of "Escape the Undertaker" has attracted some controversy, but viewers looking for some family-friendly fun will probably get a kick out of it.

Of course, some Netflix subscribers might not be familiar with The Undertaker's legacy prior to "Escape the Undertaker," meaning that they might not understand the significance of the magical urn. The object was a big part of The Undertaker's storied 30-year career in WWE, and its history is arguably wackier than anything that happens in "Escape the Undertaker."

The Undertaker's supernatural abilities evolved as his WWE in-ring career progressed, but for the most part, his powers came from the urn. During the early years of his career, it essentially made him indestructible. If he was lying on the mat, his manager, Paul Bearer, would simply raise the urn in the air and The Undertaker would sit up and no-sell the pain. Additionally, if no one controlled the urn, The Undertaker became an uncontrollable beast who couldn't be stopped. 

Just as the urn has been 'Taker's biggest strength throughout the years, it's also been his main weakness. If the mystical object fell into the wrong hands, it made him lose his powers and suffer defeat. The first time the urn was opened was in a match against Hulk Hogan at WWE's "This Tuesday in Texas" pay-per-view back in 1991. Hogan opened the urn and emptied the ashes out, in turn giving The Undertaker his first loss in a WWE ring.

The urn was used to defeat The Undertaker several times thereafter, most notably at "Royal Rumble 1993" during his Casket Match with Yokozuna. This time, however, the urn produced green smoke as opposed to ashes because why not? WWE has never been known for its storyline consistency, and the urn was no different in that regard.

While he did go through a brief "American Badass" motorcyclist phase in the early 2000s, The Undertaker's character has primarily been that of an immortal Gothic warrior who always comes back from the grave. This aspect of his character underwent different iterations throughout his career, but the early years saw 'Taker presented as an undead mortician.

At this time, The Undertaker's backstory was unknown, but fans were led to believe that he'd been around for eons, claiming victims and collecting their souls, which he kept trapped inside the mystical object. If you watched wrestling as a kid, you believed it all to be true as well — that's how good The Undertaker was at selling his gimmick.

However, as WWE entered its infamous Attitude Era in the mid-1990s, The Undertaker was given a more personal backstory and the contents of the urn changed as a result. It was revealed that he killed his parents when he accidentally set their funeral home ablaze, and the urn contained the souls of his deceased mother and father.

At the end of the day, the urn has served a variety of purposes and its mythology was routinely modified to fit storylines and develop The Undertaker's character. During the 2000s, however, he brought a more serious edge to his "Deadman" persona by infusing it with more realism and putting the urn on the backburner. Sure, the supernatural theatrics remained intact if they made sense to the story, but the urn became obsolete in the grand scheme of things.

However, the object did feature significantly in The Undertaker's feud with CM Punk in 2013. Following the tragic death of Paul Bearer in 2013, Punk used the urn to taunt his opponent, stating that it contained the ashes of 'Taker's former manager. In one segment, which can be viewed on WWE's YouTube channel, Punk opened the poured the ashes all over The Undertaker's body. It was a controversial storyline, to say the least, but it certainly helped solidify Punk as a top bad guy in WWE.