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A Moment In Time: The Berzerker Attempts to Murder the Undertaker

A Moment In Time: The Berzerker Attempts to Murder the Undertaker

Posted: Apr 14th 2026 By: Brian Damage - RingTheDamnBell.com

Not every wrestler is remembered equally with others. Some wrestlers were more popular or more charismatic than others. Some had more memorable gimmicks or better matches. For John Nord, his time in the WWF as the Viking/Berzerker didn’t exactly stand out that much. While his time in the company was brief, Nord did have a moment that stood out and still gets talked about to this day. It was the day he tried to murder the Undertaker.

Yes, you read that correctly…The Berzerker attempted a homicide on the Dead Man on WWF television in 1992. Now for those not completely familiar with the incident, first must realize that during this time in the WWF, it was a much more cartoonish and gimmicky era in the company’s history. For the most part, the violence was watered down and sugarcoated for TV. The incident we are about to discuss was a darker moment for the cartoon world of the WWF at that time.

The Undertaker was becoming a very popular character in the WWF despite being perceived as dark and evil. Fans enjoyed the Undertaker’s shtick and gravitated to the gimmick. So much so, Vince and company decided to turn the Undertaker into a babyface or “good guy.” One of the main problems that the Undertaker was facing as a fan favorite was his match quality. While Mark Calaway could wrestle, his gimmick was slow and methodical. It hampered the overall matches he was involved in.

Vince McMahon approached Calaway and asked who on the roster could wrestle a good match with him and Calaway suggested he work matches with John Nord aka The Berzerker. Calaway and Nord were friends who worked well against each other in New Japan before both men joined the WWF. Nord said he was forever grateful for Calaway to give him the vote of confidence. He said his pay nearly tripled once he was placed in a feud with the Undertaker.

While the matches were hard hitting and entertaining, Nord had an idea to spice the feud up. His gimmick carried around a sword and shield which he hated to lug around while traveling the country. While looking at his sword, Nord approached Calaway and Vince McMahon and suggested actually using the weapons he had on the Undertaker. Both agreed to the idea that The Berzerker character would try to impale the Undertaker with his sword. The sword was not sharp at all, but was still made of metal. Vince asked Nord if he would be able to get the sword to stick into the mat and Nord assured Vince he could.

The actual match took place on an episode of WWF Superstars on April 8, 1992 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The first thing, the Berzerker did was strike the Undertaker with his shield three times knocking the Undertaker down on the mat. He then took his sword and lunged it at the seemingly helpless Undertaker, who got up just in time before the sword impaled his chest. The image of the sword sticking out of the mat was a lasting moment in WWF history.

Years later, John Nord said he was fearful of legitimately stabbing Calaway so he purposefully missed wide of his target. Being live in attendance, it looked obvious he would completely miss. The production team edited the footage to make it look a lot better than it did. Nord regretted not trying to get the sword closer to the Undertaker.

There was also the issue with the Berzerker striking the Undertaker with his shield three times. According to Nord, Calaway was angry at Nord for hitting him way too hard with the shield. Nord apologized and explained he just got caught up in the moment. Overall, while the feud isn’t as memorable as other battles the Undertaker had during his WWF/WWE career, that moment with the sword still stands out.

 

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Spotlight in History

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  • 2003 Tyler Bateman def. Jef Tiger for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 2003 John O'Malley def. Tyler Bateman for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 2008 El Culo Intruso def. Dane Griffin for the 3DW Violent Division Title
  • 2018 Sam Stackhouse def. Abyss for the BCW Buzzsaw Title
  • 2019 Double D became the WFC Heavyweight Champion
  • 2019 Prince Mahalli def. Damon Windsor for the WCR Revolutionary Title
  • 2024 Cade Fite became the TIW No Pressure Champion
  • 2024 Ozzy Hendrix & Adrian Vega def. The Voiceless Society (Tyler Watts & E-Bone) for the CAPW Tag Team Titles
  • 2024 The Gatekeeper def. Rick Russo for the EPW All-American Title
  • 2024 Trench Blythe became the EPW International Champion
  • 2024 Malachi def. Kevin James Sanchez for the EPW Heavyweight Title

Week of Sun 06-14 to Sat: 06-20

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  • 06-14 1982 Fritz Von Erich def. King Kong Bundy for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-14 2004 Team Shenanigans (Tyler Bateman & Kenny Campbell) def. Li'l Joe & Al Farat (substituting for Se7en) for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-14 2008 Kenny Campbell became the IZW Impact Division Champion
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  • 06-14 2008 Anarchy [2nd] def. The Enforcer for the SECW Tri-State Title
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  • 06-14 2009 El Super Colibri became the TAP Adrenaline Champion
  • 06-14 2009 Reckless def. The Canadian Red Devil for the TAP Heavyweight Title
  • 06-14 2009 Shane Morbid def. Jon Cross for the TAP Oklahoma Heritage Title
  • 06-14 2013 Clint Cox became the BPPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-14 2014 The Rising (Justin Riker & Abel) def. Psycho Sawyer & Diamond for the SRPW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-14 2014 Omega X (Brett Stopp & X-Static) def. The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 06-14 2025 Pastor Brent def. Dr. Corvus for the WAH Living Hope Title
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  • 06-14 2025 Scotty Rose def. Floyd Maystorm for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-14 2025 Floyd Maystorm def. Scotty Rose for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-15 1982 King Kong Bundy became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-15 2003 Tyler Bateman def. Jef Tiger for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-15 2003 John O'Malley def. Tyler Bateman for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-15 2008 El Culo Intruso def. Dane Griffin for the 3DW Violent Division Title
  • 06-15 2018 Sam Stackhouse def. Abyss for the BCW Buzzsaw Title
  • 06-15 2019 Double D became the WFC Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-15 2019 Prince Mahalli def. Damon Windsor for the WCR Revolutionary Title
  • 06-15 2024 Cade Fite became the TIW No Pressure Champion
  • 06-15 2024 Ozzy Hendrix & Adrian Vega def. The Voiceless Society (Tyler Watts & E-Bone) for the CAPW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-15 2024 The Gatekeeper def. Rick Russo for the EPW All-American Title
  • 06-15 2024 Trench Blythe became the EPW International Champion
  • 06-15 2024 Malachi def. Kevin James Sanchez for the EPW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-16 1959 The Zebra Kid def. The Golden Giant for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-16 1970 Johnny Valentine def. Killer Kowalski for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-16 1984 Terry Taylor def. Krusher Khrushchev for the MSW Television Title
  • 06-16 1986 Buzz Sawyer def. Chris Adams for the WCCW Television Title
  • 06-16 2006 Bobby Burns def. Shane Morbid for the SRPW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-16 2006 Beau Dalton became the SRPW X Division Champion
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  • 06-16 2012 Big Business (Kevin Morgan & Damon Windsor) def. The Old School Suckas (Gary Tool & Randy Price) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-16 2017 Saints of Pro Wrestling (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders & Chaz Sharpe) def. Cursed (Kuda & Blade [2nd]) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
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  • 06-17 1957 Billy Raborn became the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-17 1958 Bull Curry def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-17 1983 Jimmy Garvin def. David Von Erich for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 06-17 1983 Kerry Von Erich & Bruiser Brody def. The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy & Michael Hayes) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 06-17 2005 Kenny Campbell def. Shane Morbid for the SRPW X Division Title
  • 06-17 2006 The Party Express (Mitch Carter & Cade Sydal) def. Impact Inc. (John Zorthos & Bernie Donderwitz) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-17 2008 Kunna Keyoh def. El Culo Intruso for the 3DW Violent Division Title
  • 06-17 2017 Prince Mahalli def. Paul Puertorico for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 06-17 2017 Michael Wolf def. Aaron Anders for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-17 2017 Randy Price def. Double D for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-17 2023 Alex Royal def. Justin Lee for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 06-18 1964 Karl Kox def. Louie Tillet for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-18 2004 Shane Morbid def. Dirty Harry Sanchez for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Codie Mullins def. Shane Morbid for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Dexter Hardaway def. Codie Mullins for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Pork Chop def. Dexter Hardaway for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Dexter Hardaway def. Pork Chop for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 S.K. Fulton def. Dexter Hardaway for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2004 Dirty Harry Sanchez def. S.K. Fulton for the SRPW Hardcore Title
  • 06-18 2006 Ryan Davidson def. Angel Williams for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 06-18 2011 Michael Barry def. Kenny Campbell for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-18 2016 Spyder became the SRPW United States Champion
  • 06-18 2016 Skylar Slice became the IZW Womens Champion
  • 06-18 2021 Lady Sensacion became the FIW Women’s Champion
  • 06-18 2021 Rodeo (Chandler Hopkins & Malico) def. Cam Cole & Johnny Bedlam for the TexPro Tag Team Titles
  • 06-18 2022 Duke Cornell def. Blue Bolt for the WFC Prime Title
  • 06-18 2022 Maddox Jones def. Striker for the EPW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-18 2022 Mike Gunns def. Jake Danielsson for the NAW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-19 1977 Fritz Von Erich def. Bruiser Brody for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-19 2010 Aaron Neil def. John O'Malley for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-19 2015 Bree Ann def. Claudia for the NWA-TXO Rose Title
  • 06-20 1972 The Continental Warriors (Bobby Hart & Lorenzo Parente) def. Tom Jones & Ivan Putski for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 06-20 1977 Bill Watts became the TSW North American Champion
  • 06-20 1987 Barry Windham became the UWF Western States Heritage Champion
  • 06-20 2004 X-Cal def. John O'Malley for the ACW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-20 2009 Dustin Heritage def. Dane Griffin for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-20 2009 BLK-OUT (Montego Seeka & Jermaine Johnson) def. Impact, Inc, (Johnny Z & Bernie D) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-20 2014 Bree Ann def. Miss Diss Lexia for the NWA-TXO Rose Title
  • 06-20 2021 DNR (Drake Gallows & Revan) def. Malik Mayfield & Maui Mike for the ASP Tag Team Titles
06-15
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  • Professor Ito Jun 20th
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