Ministry of Darkness - Formation

Formation

In October 1998 at the Judgment Day: In Your House pay-per-view event, Paul Bearer turned his back on his son Kane and rejoined the side of Kane's brother, the Undertaker. They began prophesying that the Ministry of Darkness and a "plague of evil" would be unleashed on the WWF towards the end of the year, thus making Undertaker a villain. The Undertaker continued to feud with Kane and Stone Cold Steve Austin, which involved several controversial segments in which the Undertaker hit Austin in the head with a shovel giving him a concussion (storyline). On the following Raw is War one week later, interviews with Austin in his hospital room in a medical center somewhere in the San Jose, California area, where the night before at a WWF live event Austin blacked out (all this was a storyline to hype up the Buried Alive match). Later, a black Lincoln hearse was seen pulling up in front of the medical center, in what was assumed to be Undertaker and Paul Bearer, in which it was. Not too long after the hearse was seen, The Undertaker and Paul Bearer invaded Austin's hospital room and attacked Austin and then they held Austin under with ether and dragged Austin out of his hospital room. They were seen outside the medical center putting Austin into the back of a hearse and driving away, thus abducting Austin. Later in the show, the hearse was seen backing up into a cemetery of some sort, pulling up to some type of grave site. Undertaker went to the back of the hearse and dragged Austin out, then attempted to bury Austin alive. Shortly after, Austin came to and grabbed Paul Bearer, Undertaker grabbed Austin and Paul Bearer held a cloth over Austin's face putting Austin under again. Undertaker changed his mind and he and Paul Bearer took Austin to a funeral home and basically tried to embalm Austin alive. However, Kane came in through the embalming room door and moved Paul Bearer out of the way as Undertaker was starting the embalming process. Kane attacked Undertaker, but while that was happening Paul Bearer grabbed scissors and was about to drive them into Austin, but fortunately Austin seemed to be out of sedation and he got his arms up in time before the scissors were driven into him. Austin was fortunately able to escape. Later in the week on Sunday Night Heat, Undertaker said that Austin would be sacrificed the next night on Raw is War. The next night on Raw is War, Undertaker called out Kane and they had fought, and orderlies came out to the ring and Kane ran away. Backstage, Undertaker knocked Kane out with a chair shot, and told Paul Bearer to go get the orderlies, and Undertaker tried to wrap Kane in a body bag, but failed because Austin hit Undertaker in the head with a shovel, knocking Undertaker out, returning the favor from weeks earlier. So, it was assumed that Undertaker attempted to have Kane committed to a mental asylum as punishment for saving Austin. However, Austin put a Kane mask on Undertaker, fooling everybody to make it look like it was indeed Kane going to the mental asylum. Also, Undertaker tied Austin down on his symbol and crucified Austin, among other deeds. Undertaker's evil and satanic plans were delayed when Kane cost him a Buried Alive match to Austin at Rock Bottom: In Your House, and he wasn't seen until the following month.

Meanwhile Justin Hawk Bradshaw and Faarooq formed Hell's Henchmen, a dark and brooding tag team briefly managed by The Jackyl. Shortly after their debut, the Jackyl would mention on color commentary that his acolytes would usher in "an age of tribulation" in the WWF and that the Jackyl would be the "puppet master" controlling everything from the shadows, effectively setting the stage for the Ministry of Darkness with the Jackyl acting as the power behind the throne; however, the Jackyl left WWF and the team changed their name to The Acolytes. The characters Bradshaw and Faarooq ended up as the henchmen of a then-unknown new leader. As one of their first orders of business, they abducted Dennis Knight on the January 11 episode of Raw Is War and took him to "He". Weeks later, "He" turned out to be a renewed, druid-like Undertaker, who proceeded to initiate Knight as his servant via a ritual, rechristening him as Mideon.

At the Royal Rumble 1999 show, the group of Undertaker, Mideon, and The Acolytes abducted the 485-pound Mabel, who was renamed Viscera the following night on Raw Is War, and turned him to the Undertaker's side. Another faction, the Brood (Edge, Christian and Gangrel), was recruited to the Undertaker's service as well. Then, the Undertaker made it clear that he wanted to own the World Wrestling Federation and oust Vince McMahon.