YMMV / Ministry of Darkness

• Awesome Music: Undertaker's Ministry theme, The Brood's theme, even the Corporate Ministry theme (a Dark Reprise of McMahon's theme).
• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • The theory has been put forth that Undertaker himself was Brainwashed and Crazy during this period, being made to believe he started the fire that killed his parents and that he was an all-powerful messiah, and perhaps Paul Bearer and Vince McMahon were behind the brainwashing. This is especially taken into consideration to justify his later face runs, which would be awkward to do if his claims to have kiled his own parents were taken in face value. The WWE novel Journey into Darkness, which aimed to give the kayfabe background story of Kane (and by association the Undertaker), also goes along with Taker being brainwashed as a result of Paul Bearer drugging him like he was with Kane when they formed their alliance. However, the novel also makes clear Taker did start the fire, but it was an accident and he ran away to try to find help but was stopped by Paul.
  • Knowing that this storyline marked Vince's Sanity Slippage from Obstructive Bureaucrat to Card-Carrying Villain, was Vince honestly telling the truth about being behind the Corporate Ministry the entire time? Or did he and Shane simply go Jumping Off the Slippery Slope following WrestleMania XV, resulting in the merger deal ending with Undertaker becoming WWF Champion in order to both pacify the threat of the Ministry as well as screw Austin over?
• Evil Is Cool: The Undertaker personified this trope during his Ministry era.
• Fandom-Specific Plot: There are many fanfics that speculate what could have happened if the "black wedding" between the Undertaker and Stephanie McMahon had been successful.
• Funny Moments: During a backstage segment, the Undertaker accidentally referred to his master as the "Hower Power". Made more hilarious by the fact that it's the Undertaker in his darkest persona and that he just continued the promo as if nothing happened. This might be because, as one could see in his early years with Paul Bearer, Undertaker simply does not corpse, no pun intended.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Trying to take over the WWF by marrying Stephanie McMahon? Not a bad idea...
• Ho Yay: Paul Bearer would often give Mideon shoulder massages during the long opening segments.
• It Was His Sled: Does anybody reading this NOT know who the Higher Power was?!
• Memetic Mutation: "IT'S ME, AUSTIN!!!!" ("Aw, son of a bitch!"/"WHAT?!") "IT'S ME, AUSTIN!!! IT WAS ME ALL ALONG, AUSTIN!!!"
• Moral Event Horizon: If the Undertaker didn't cross it when he admitted that he killed his own parents and burned his brother, or even when he tried to embalm Austin alive, he certainly did when he abducted people such as Ryan Shamrock and Stephanie. Vince McMahon being the mastermind of the whole thing was HIS crossing of the Moral Event Horizon.
  Jim Ross: (after the Undertaker reveals to Ken Shamrock that the Ministry found his sister at a run-down hotel) The Undertaker's gone too far! Stephanie McMahon, Ryan Shamrock; this is too much!
• Realism-Induced Horror: Leaving aside the reveal of who the higher power is and the supernatural stuff, Stephanie's abduction by the Undertaker is horrifying as she thought she could be kept safe from him by her father and brother only for their efforts to fail. It's a good thing that Steve Austin was able to save her as kidnapping is a real danger and not every victim of it gets lucky enough to be saved and returned to their family.
• Tear Jerker:
  • While it was later revealed to be an act, Vince McMahon going near catatonic at seeing Stephanie's old teddy bear being burned by the Undertaker is hard to watch.
  • Stephanie screaming for her dad when she is kidnapped by the Undertaker is both sad and frightening, especially for anyone who has had a loved one go missing via being abducted. It's even worse after the reveal of who the Higher Power is.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: One wonders why they even went ahead with the entire Ministry angle at all after firing Don Callis and not having anyone else to take on the role of the Higher Power. The "IT'S ME, AUSTIN!" reveal is considered iconic, but only for Vince's over-the-top delivery and for the twist just being amazingly dumb under the circumstances.

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