During WWE’s darkest days in the Monday Night Wars, when WCW was dominating for 83 straight weeks, many top stars jumped ship for bigger paydays and lighter schedules. By late 1997, the “Hart” of the World Wrestling Federation had been ripped out and discarded, but the “Soul” never left.
Speaking on Busted Open, The Deadman revealed that despite tempting offers, he refused to abandon WWE—even when things looked bleak.
“I knew that man [Vince McMahon] gave me an opportunity… there was no way in hell I was going there [WCW], no matter the money,” he said.
Taker recalled a particularly sobering moment when he walked out to a WWE event and saw a near-empty arena.
“I couldn’t see a soul. We had to pack everyone on the hard camera side to make it look full. I remember thinking, ‘What the hell is going on?’”
Despite WCW stars like Kevin Nash personally calling him with massive financial offers, Undertaker remained loyal to WWE. His frustration with WCW stemmed from the fact that the company once told him he’d never draw money. Even in WWE’s worst years, his pride wouldn’t let him return.
In a surprising twist, Taker admitted that if he had an amateur wrestling background, he might have considered trying his luck in MMA instead.
“UFC was coming up big at the time. If I had a wrestling base, I probably would have tested those waters.”
But in the end, The Undertaker chose to stick with WWE—and as history shows, things worked out just fine for the Dead Man his his legacy.
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