Ministry of Darkness

The Ministry of Darkness was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1999 during the Attitude Era. Led by The Undertaker, the Ministry was a controversial group with pseudo-witchcraft-themed storylines that included rituals and sacrifices. History Formation After Paul Bearer turned his back on his son Kane and rejoined the side of Kane's brother The Undertaker at the Judgment Day: In Your House pay-per-view event in October 1998, The Undertaker announced The Ministry of Darkness and a "plague of evil" that would be unleashed on the WWF the next night on Raw Is War, making Undertaker a heel. Since then, The Undertaker continued to feud with Kane and Stone Cold Steve Austin, which involved segments in which Undertaker hit Austin in the head with a shovel giving him a storyline concussion, thus costing Austin the WWF Championship against The Rock. The following week on Raw Is War, interviews were conducted with Austin throughout the night in his hospital room in a medical center in the San Jose, California area, where the night before at a WWF live event Austin blacked out, as part of the storyline in the lead up to their Buried Alive match. Later, The Undertaker and Paul Bearer abducted Austin, at first attempting to bury Austin alive, then attempting to embalm him alive. However, before Undertaker could begin the embalming process, Kane came in through the embalming room door and attacked Undertaker, preventing the embalming from happening. On that week's Sunday Night Heat, Undertaker said that Austin would be sacrificed, but on Raw Is War instead Undertaker called out Kane, they fought and he called out Bearer, who had brought the orderlies out to the ring and Kane escaped. Backstage, Undertaker knocked Kane out with a chair shot and told Bearer to go get the orderlies and Undertaker tried to wrap Kane in a body bag as punishment, but failed when Austin hit Undertaker in the head with a shovel, knocking him out in the process as his measure of payback for hitting him in the head earlier and costing him the WWF Championship. It was assumed that Undertaker attempted to have his brother committed to the mental asylum because Kane saved Austin from the embalming process in the funeral home earlier on Raw Is War.