The bell comes from the entrance of WWE wrestler The Undertaker, a character introduced in 1990 who was presented as a dark, supernatural figure from the world of professional wrestling. A slow tolling gong opened his walk to the ring and quickly became one of the most recognisable sounds in wrestling, signalling that a match was about to turn serious. Clips of the toll spread through wrestling highlights and later through memes, where creators reused it to mark dread, death jokes, and dramatic reveals.