Taker Thoughts*Dee Tribute

I guess I am not sure how to start this, so we will take it from the beginning.

What prompted me to write this was reading about a fellow Creature of the Night (Undertaker fan) who had recently died (November 18, 2001). It was the night of the Survivor Series and this Undertaker fan was sick in a hospital. She passed away in the early evening.

Now, I believe there is a significance to this that pertains to the Undertaker. In a way, I believe the Undertaker has an almost metaphysical property about him that is derived from the beliefs of his "followers". Undertaker's fans are incredibly diverse, but there is a common thread amongst them (outside of being an Undertaker fan). We are all linked by a shadow of sorts. A personal shadow that develops in all of us a different way; be it through sadness, despair, tragedy, anger, hatred, violence, abuse, depression, insanity, or pain. All of us bear the mark.

What we find in this man, the Undertaker, is almost messiah-like. His strength, his emotions, his tie with the dark side of human nature, and his reslience give us all something to believe in. Conventional religions are not sufficient for those who bear the mark of the dark side. We need to see the srtength in the long hard journey through life that we see in the Undertaker.

That being said, I will draw this together in the case of the fallen Creature of the Night. The night Dee passed away was no normal night, for first it marked a very significant anniversary. Survivor Series 1990 was when the Undertaker first came to the WWF and to the COTN. As it seems appropriate, as we gain something on this date, we also lose something.

Also on this night I had a stifling dream that I would almost consider a vision. It wasn't until I read about Dee's passing and viewed her Undertaker encounter until I realized what was going on. Dee accounts that she met Taker backstage and received a warm welcome. She had been there because months earlier she had given him a birthday present, and wanted to meet him. The picture she had of them together showed Taker smiling. In my dream, I had a first person experience with Undertaker, but I was not myself. I appeared to be much shorter (for I am rather tall), I remember being nervous and shy when Undertaker walked in. He came in wearing his Ministry out fit and was holding birthday presents, and then looked right at me with a warm smile. I recognized this smile from the picture Dee had in her account. It was exactly the same. (Mind you, I had not seen that account or the picture before.)

So, what does this mean? Maybe not much depending on your belief system. I however believe it was a peek into a very important encounter that Dee had with Taker, shared by a link to the dark side. In a way, I may have seen through Dee's eyes, if even for a moment.

I reiterate that I had never the pleasure or fortune of meeting this fine young lady. But, after reading the outpouring of emotion that her passing caused I can tell that she was a very dear COTN and a very dear woman. I know that the greater power in this universe has a safe place for her in the great beyond.

-Matthias