The Undertaker was one of the most talked-about performers during the Attitude Era, and indeed his entire career. It was in this specific era, however, that ‘The Deadman’ carried out some of his career-best work. Part of this period included his Ministry of Darkness faction, which saw ‘Taker and Paul Bearer join up with Bradshaw, Faarooq, Edge, Christian, Gangrel, Mideon, Viscera, and The Big Show.
As it turns out, the inclusion of Viscera in the faction was done for a specific reason; so that The Undertaker and other members of the group didn’t have to go opposite him. This is according to Mideon, who explained to Monte & The Pharoah that the 2022-inducted WWE Hall of Famer personally recruited the former Mabel to the group:
“He [Viscera] got a lot of chances. I loved Nelson [Nelson Frazier Jr., Viscera’s real name]. He was my [tag team] partner for, I don’t know, eight months or something. He was a giant human being, but he was a little reckless sometimes. When ‘Taker was doing The Ministry, ‘Taker was like, ‘We’re gonna bring Viscera in.’ I’m like, ‘Why?’ He goes, ‘Then we don’t have to work with him.’ I was like, ‘F***ing genius!'”
The Ministry of Darkness ultimately dissolved in September 1999, by which point it was known as The Corporate Ministry after an amalgamation with Vince McMahon’s Corporation group. Upon The Undertaker’s return from injury the following summer, he debuted his ‘American Bada**’ persona, completely separating him from his days in The Ministry of Darkness.
The Undertaker Set The Stage For The Judgement Day
Although The Ministry of Darkness never officially reformed in WWE, outside of an appearance from Mideon and Viscera during ‘Taker’s 2004 feud vs. JBL, there have been similarly dark and mysterious groups in WWE history. Most notably today is, of course, The Judgement Day.
Initially formed by ex-Ministry member Edge, ‘The Rated R Superstar’ incorporated elements of his Ministry of Darkness and Brood days into both his and the group’s presentation. He recruited Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley to the group before being ousted as the leader by Finn Balor, who has since added Dominik Mysterio to the group’s ranks.