With WWE celebrating The Undertaker’s 30th Anniversary throughout November, many are reminiscing on the matches and memories The Undertaker has provided during his historic career. During an interview with Ryan Satin for WWE on FOX, ‘Taker’s on-screen brother, Kane, revealed his top three Undertaker matches of all time.
Kane’s Favorite Undertaker Matches
One of the bouts Kane mentioned was The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania 25. He explained how this match is “[…] one of the greatest wrestling matches in history.”
Kane added how, if he had to show someone what he did for a living as a pro wrestler, he would want to show them this match as he believes it embodies everything about pro wrestling.
Kane’s Inferno Match against The Undertaker from Unforgiven 1998 also made the list. He shared how it holds a special place for him because of how unique it was. As far as he’s concerned, it helped to take their feud to “another level.”
“The WrestleMania match [we had] a month before was pretty important since it was the first time Taker and Kane locked horns inside the ring. However, the Inferno Match took our rivalry to another level. It gave fans a spectacular visual experience with a ring surrounded by flames leaping up.”
Lastly, Kane pointed to The Undertaker’s Hell in a Cell match against Shawn Michaels at 1997’s Badd Blood. He stressed its importance as the first-ever Hell in a Cell match but also noted how it’s also a “[…] fantastic match and will go down in WWE history.”
“Also, because the match ended with what I believe is the greatest debut in WWE history. Not because it was my debut but because the table was set up so well for me, for Kane, to finally arrive in WWE.”
The Undertaker originally debuted for WWE at Survivor Series 1990. The promotion has recently been promoting a ’30 Year Anniversary’ for The Undertaker alongside its ’30 Days of the Deadman’ specials on the WWE Network.
WWE Survivor Series takes place Sunday, November 22nd from the Thunderdome in Orlando, FL.
Despite receiving positive feedback to his cinematic Boneyard Match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, The Undertaker has revealed he has some problems with cinematic matches.
“It really doesn’t appeal to me because basically what it is, is working around my limitations,” The Undertaker informed NYPost. “It’s capitalizing on some of my ability and some of my creative ability to tell a story but basically it’s trying to mask some of the lack of my physical abilities at this point.”
He explained how he came to the realization that he had “takenevery physical gift, tool that I have and have used it up.”
Undertaker then used water and a sponge as an analogy for how he currently feels. He shared how he had “rung everything I could get out of that sponge.”
When asked if he’s still training, The Undertaker shared that he continues to do so. However, he stressed that he’s not training in preparation for a matchup. Instead, he’s training and working out in an effort to stay healthy.
Originally making his WWE debut at Survivor Series 1990, WWE has recently been promoting a ’30 Year Anniversary’ for The Undertaker alongside its ’30 Days of the Deadman’ specials on the WWE Network.
WWE Survivor Series takes place Sunday, November 22nd from the Thunderdome in Orlando, FL.
Big E recently shared a personal story regarding a conversation between himself and WWE Legend The Undertaker.
Whereas the WWE Universe remembers what they see on-screen, Big E explained that Superstars tend to remember what takes place backstage—like the special Undertaker conversation that saw “The Dead Man” praise Big E, making his day.
“Most people will remember the on-screen stuff but for us, as performers, getting those backstage conversations [with The Undertaker] was like gold,” Big E told SportsKeeda.
“I remember one such conversation when he told me, ‘Man, I watched you when you first came up [to the main roster], and I had no idea you had as much personality as you showed. When I heard that, it really made my day.”
Big E stressed how that kind of acknowledgment from the Legend more than made his day. It remains a conversation he remains appreciative of to this day.
Although there is an aura surrounding The Undertaker, Big E shared that he isn’t too difficult to approach backstage. He noted how he’s “fortunate” to have been able to call him a co-worker.
“I think back to all those times when I could just talk to him, meet his kids, who are big fans of The New Day, and those are the moments I’ll never forget,” Big E said. “It’s remarkable that he’s been around for 30 years and still going strong. He’s on that Mt. Rushmore of Wrestling.”
WWE will be celebrating 30 years of The Undertaker at this year’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. In the run-up to the event, the WWE Network is hosting “30 Days of the Deadman,” a weekly docuseries focusing on different aspects of The Undertaker’s historic career.
WWE Survivor Series takes place Sunday, November 22. from the ThunderDome in Orlando, FL.
Beginning October 25th, 2020, the WWE Network will air a new documentary on the Undertaker every Sunday for 5 straight weeks.
In an effort to build upon the success of “The Last Ride” docs-series, WWE has announced “30 Days of the Deadman.” You can see a trailer for ’30 Days of the Deadman’ in the video player embedded below:
The first documentary on the Undertaker will be an episode of “WWE Untold” titled “The Phenom and the Legend Killer”. The episode will focus on classic matches between the Undertaker and Randy Orton.
The second documentary in the series is titled “Meeting Mark Calaway” and will air on Sunday, November 1st. This documentary will focus on interviews with WWE Superstars as they tell stories about the first time they were introduced to the Undertaker.
The 3rd documentary will air on November 8th. It is titled “The Mortician: The Story of Paul Bearer”. This documentary will focus on the life and career of Taker’s long-time manager William Moody, aka Paul Bearer.
The 4th documentary is titled “Brothers of Destruction” and will air on Sunday, November 15th. This episode will focus on the longtime rivalry and alliance between Kane and the Undertaker.
Finally, the 5th instalment of the “30 Days of the Deadman” will air on Sunday, November 22nd. The Undertaker will return to 3:16 Gimmick street for another session on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Broken Scull Sessions for this episode.
The Undertaker has divulged that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon did not approve the original ending to his recent WWE Network docuseries, The Last Ride.
According to Undertaker, Vince McMahon was behind the “never say never” line. The intentional addition of this line teased that the door was always open to a potential return for “The Dead Man.”
“I had to send the last 15 minutes of the final episode [The Revelation] to the Chairman [for approval],” The Undertaker informed Barstool Sports. “Needless to say, he did not like the ending. That’s why we had to put the “Never Say Never” line back in there, just to leave the door open.”
When filming first began for the documentary, The Undertaker confessed how he remained conflicted over his career. He admitted how outside influences mixed with his internal thoughts, creating a lot of pressure for his decision.
“I had a group of people telling me stuff like, ‘You can still go out to the ring and people will go crazy.’ On the inside, I’m thinking, ‘I don’t move the way I used to, and this is a watered down version of The Undertaker.’ I needed to get a point where this documentary will solidify [my retirement] and I wouldn’t have a choice. It was almost like I needed somebody to put the bullet in there and stop it.”
He admitted that when WWE begins heading towards WrestleMania season, he will start to have an “internal feeling” that he should be preparing for a match. However, he believes once he gets past that time period, he’ll be able to breathe a little easier once more.
The Undertaker has addressed why he brought back the ‘American Badass’ for his Boneyard Match against AJ Styles. The two clashed in a cinematic matchup at this year’s WrestleMania 36.
Speaking with Barstool Sports, “The Dead Man” explained how AJ Styles’ promos leading to their ‘Mania bout made their feud far too personal. According to Undertaker, these personal attacks made the ‘American Badass’ a perfect gimmick to bring back.
As far as he was concerned, one he transitioned away from the ‘American Badass’ character, “everyone was really content with the hybrid version of The Undertaker.” He pointed to his in-ring work and how he fused that version of his gimmick with the origins of The Undertaker.
The Undertaker explained how, prior to the Boneyard Match, there was no backstage discussion about bringing the character back. He noted how it “dawned” on him that with Styles’ personal attacks, “there’s really no way that I can bring the original Undertaker to this.”
This lead to ‘Taker to introduce the WWE Universe to the “American Badass 2.0” at WrestleMania 36. He described this evolved version as “all grown up” but with an undeniably “evil side” still present.
The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles in their Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36. Their match took place during Night One of WrestleMania 36’s two-day event.
This Friday night’s episode of SmackDown Live will now be a special Tribute to The Undertaker episode. This news comes in the wake of multiple confirmed COVID-19 cases within the WWE Performance Center. These cases prompted WWE to re-write this week’s SmackDown, turning it into an impromptu tribute show.
The decision to dedicate the show to The Undertaker follows the success of the WWE Network documentary series, Undertaker: The Last Ride.
This tribute show was not the original plan for this week’s episode of WWE’s blue brand. Instead, it was a late decision based on the positive tests impacting on Superstar availability. The tribute show will see WWE air the popular Boneyard Match from this year’s WrestleMania 36 event.
The pre-recorded match saw The Undertaker take on “The Phenomenal One” AJ Styles. It is the first time the match will be aired on regular television.
WWE’s initial plans were to tape tonight’s show last week. However, its COVID-19 tests reportedly arrived late, and so the company was forced to change its plans. An unnamed NXT developmental talent also tested positive for COVID-19 last week prior to the new confirmed cases.
Undertaker: The Last Ride is currently available to stream in its entirety on the WWE Network.
The Undertaker signed a 15-year contract extension with WWE last year.
The Undertaker recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about the deal. While it’s a long deal, he made it known that it won’t keep him in the ring for 15 more years.
“That extended contract is obviously not a contract that keeps me in the ring for 15 years,” Taker said. “It keeps the brand at home, and there are a lot of ways that Vince thinks I can contribute to the company after my days in the ring are done.”
Sunday’s Chapter 5 of The Last Ride on the WWE Network ended with Taker stating that he had no desire to wrestle again, which many took as a hint at the possibility of retirement.
The Undertaker will be 70-years-old the next time that his contract with WWE expires.
Going back to 2018, it was reported that Taker was charging $25,000 per hour for non-WWE signing appearances. This new deal came after the non-WWE dates Taker was booking, which upset WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
It’s been reported McMahon made an offer to Taker that couldn’t refuse financially in August that led to him signing the deal.
AJ Styles is open to having a rematch with The Undertaker at WrestleMania despite the recent comments made by the legendary pro wrestler.
The former WWE Champion revealed during the fifth and final episode of his WWE Network docuseries that he has no desire to return to the ring again. This has caused many fans to think that he is retired.
Styles, who lost to Taker in a Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36, did an interview with Sports Illustrated where he was asked whether a singles match against Taker is still in his mind.
He stated once they were told they were doing a Boneyard match, all the ideas that they had were thrown out the window because they weren’t going to work the same as the Boneyard Match was a fight.
“There is still hope The Undertaker is going to have one more match. You can’t blame him if he decides that this is it. I don’t know how he feels about it. I still have ideas of what we’d do in the ring. I’m going to keep them, I’m going to save them if he ever wants us to have that opportunity together in the ring. It’s all up to Taker, but I’m holding onto those spots.”
Styles was then asked whether the end goal of the story would be to have a rematch at WrestleMania 37. He responded with, “it would be ideal.”
Styles noted that they need to figure out if Taker wants to do one more because he doesn’t know. However, if Taker does then Styles would be willing to take that ride with him.
Legendary WWE Superstar The Undertaker recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast w/Corey Graves. ‘Taker tackled a number of topics during the episode, including the evolution of his character in WWE and the biggest regret that he has in terms of a tweak he made for the ‘Deadman’ character.
It’s arguable that The Undertaker is the greatest character in the history of WWE, and the man behind the Phenom, Mark Calloway; would change the style and presentation of the character when he felt it was getting too ‘stale.’
Undertaker on ‘Evolving’
“If I started to feel like it was becoming monotonous or stale? Then I would really kind of go into the think tank and figure out ‘okay what can I present?’” Undertaker began on the podcast. “What…what’s a different angle on this thing? Our business, as you will know, it’s a flavor of the week business.”
Undertaker would elaborate further, saying “especially now, because there’s so much exposure, guys get so much [screen time] you know? Even back then it was like that. I was really cognizant of that, I want to keep this…I want to keep this character fresh.”
‘Taker would then state that he would consider a change of pace for the Undertaker character whenever he felt it was necessary. “If I started feeling stale? Then in my head I would start thinking like, ‘okay, my audience must be feeling this too.’”
Whats your favourite iteration of The Undertaker? The original, Phenom, Booger Red or American Badass? Let us know in the comments
Michelle McCool sides with WWE fans over the belief that The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania shouldn’t have ended.
Of course, Taker suffered his first loss at the event in 2014 at WrestleMania 30 to Brock Lesnar, which at the time had shocked the world.
While doing an interview with Digital Spy, McCool noted that she didn’t want the streak to end, but understands that it was a business decision. Despite this, she was shocked that it was decided upon by WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
“The streak is just so big to me and as a fan being selfish, I didn’t want the streak to end like a lot of other people. Obviously, it’s business. There were no questions asked when they asked Mark to do it and obviously he’s a consummate professional. But it was shocking. I think I was just as shocked as a lot of people, it was so crazy.”
The Undertaker’s most recent contest and possible last bout came at this year’s WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event in a Boneyard Match against AJ Styles. The legendary pro wrestler went over the former WWE Champion.
Since that time, there’s been speculation as to whether this was the retirement match for “The Deadman.” Time will tell, but we could get that answer when the fifth and final episode of Taker’s docuseries on the WWE Network airs this Sunday.
Rusev told a great story in a recent video that was posted on his Youtube channel involving Vince McMahon and The Undertaker.
The former WWE star took on the legendary pro wrestler in a Casket Match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in 2018.
Originally, WWE had wanted Rusev to face Taker at this show. However, plans changed with Chris Jericho being Taker’s opponent and then a third change was made with Rusev finally being booked against “The Deadman.”
After putting over Taker and stating that not only was it great to wrestle Taker, but it was a dream come true, he recalled Vince McMahon telling him about the match.
“I thought it was a rib. I got called in the office by Vince. He said ‘Miro, I got you working with The Undertaker in Saudi Arabia’. I’m like (laughs) and ‘I’m winning right?’ That’s exactly what I said, that’s what exactly my reaction was. Because I thought he was joking.”
Rusev noted that he knew at that time he was nowhere near the level of being able to work with such a legendary star. While he had his Rusev Day gimmick going on at the time, he never thought he would wrestle Taker in Saudi Arabia in such a large crowd.
“So I said and ‘I’m going over, right?’ He was like ‘hahaha.’ He looked at me kind of weird. I’m like ‘Alright sir, I’ll see you next time’”
“Then I went out and Road Dogg goes, ‘why did you act like this?’ I’m like ‘what do you mean?’ He’s like ‘why would you say that?’ I’m like ‘well, he’s joking with me, I would joke back with him, I’m not gonna just sit there.’ He’s like ‘no that’s not a joke, you are actually working Taker.’ I was like, ‘no freaking way! I’m such an a**hole’ Yeah, it was a funny story.”
Rusev then brought up why he was pulled from the match. WWE wanted to turn him babyface and not have him drop a loss to Taker.
Thus, he was pulled, but when the Crown Prince asked why Rusev wasn’t wrestling Taker, McMahon changed the plans for the third time.
The recently released episode of The Undertaker’s docuseries, The Last Ride, featured footage of ‘Taker interrupting Elias in the ring. He would proceed to deliver a chokeslam and Tombstone Piledriver to Elias. Turns out that this exchange was intended to build into a matchup between the two Superstars at WWE’s 2019 Saudi Arabia event, Super ShowDown.
Taking to his Instagram account, Elias revealed how a clash was “set to happen” in Saudi Arabia after their segment. He reflected on how everything about that night was “electric.”
As can happen, however, plans changed. Instead of Elias, The Undertaker would ultimately face off against Goldberg.
“Myself and The Deadman have crossed paths multiple times since I’ve been here, and I hope it’s not the last,” Elias wrote. “There is a great story to be told both on screen & behind the curtain. He’s one of the greatest to ever do it.”
The fourth episode of Undertaker: The Last Ride was made available this past weekend. The docuseries has provided an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at The Undertaker as he reflects on his legacy and what he still wants to accomplish in pro wrestling. The final episode is scheduled to air on the WWE Network on Sunday, June 21.
The Undertaker has opened up about his interest in potentially signing with WCW. His interest stemmed from his past frustrations with WWE’s creative direction. Speaking with Sam Roberts on the Not Sam Wrestling podcast, The Undertaker highlighted how there were too many “really goofy characters” in contrast to WCW. According to ‘Taker, WCW was doing “real angles.”
‘Taker noted how it was common knowledge that WCW had an open checkbook. The money being offered was something he was well aware of, especially as “You would be able to get a good check and stay at home most of the time.”
He admitted that thoughts of jumping to WCW for the money “were there.” However, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to do it. The Undertaker joked how he isn’t the best businessman, but revealed that “something inside me said you couldn’t leave here [WWE].”
The Undertaker then recalled an opportunity to renegotiate his contract at that time. He reflected on how he had only been with the company for approximately 8 or 9 months. With his contract close to expiring, he was hoping to “get a little bump on the money.”
His meeting would see him opposite Jim Herd, Ole Anderson, and Jim Barnett. According to ‘Taker, “They looked at me straight in the eyes, and said you are a great athlete, but nobody will ever pay to see you wrestle. My loyalty to Vince was stronger than the short term cash I could have made if I left.”
The first four episodes of The Undertaker’s docuseries, Undertaker: The Last Ride, are available to stream now on the WWE Network.
Shane McMahon has challenged The Undertaker to a Hell in a Cell rematch. The challenge came during this week’s episode of Last Ride Post-Mortem. The Post-Mortem show followed the airing of The Undertaker’s docuseries, Undertaker: The Last Ride. The most recent episode aired this past Sunday on the WWE Network.
The episode featured footage from Extreme Rules 2019. The Undertaker teamed with Roman Reigns on the show. They defeated the team of Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a No Holds Barred tag team match. Whilst appearing on the Post-Mortem, Shane McMahon reflected on how ‘Taker believed the Extreme Rules match was going to be his last ever, stating:
“I know I got one more with him. So, I’m ready. I’ll challenge him now. I just did. I got one more, I know I got one big one. I want a rematch. Hell in a Cell 2. I was that close,” Shane McMahon said, in reference to nearly hitting his elbow drop onto ‘Taker from the top of the Cell. “Let’s continue with this story.”
The two previously faced off in a Hell in a Cell matchup back at WrestleMania 32 in 2016. The Undertaker would emerge victorious. Shane McMahon hasn’t been involved in a rivalry since his feud with Kevin Owens ended in 2019.
The Undertaker has shared his initial impressions on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson during a recent interview with 5-time New York Times Best Selling Author, Gary Vaynerchuck. When asked by Vaynerchuck which wrestler surprised him the most in terms of growth and development throughout his storied career, ‘Taker revealed it was none other than “The Great One,” The Rock.
The Undertaker shared how it was an easy question to answer before naming Johnson, labeling him “the biggest star in the world.” ‘Taker recalled how Johnson debuted at Madison Square Garden as Rocky Maivia, sharing how it was “awful.” According to him, they “handcuffed him right out of the get-go.”
He reflected on how fans in Madison Square Garden will always be honest with you, whether they like you or not. ‘Taker noted how they were “merciless” with Johnson that night and that they “lit him up.”
The Undertaker’s Opinion On Rocky Maivia
Judging Johnson solely by his debut, The Undertaker confessed he had no clue how charismatic he was capable of being. Instead, he chalked Johnson’s debut up as “a shame” and figured that he wouldn’t be in WWE for long.
Things changed, however, after Johnson aligned himself—and then broke away from—the Nation of Domination. “It didn’t take long for him, once he got to the Nation of Domination, it flipped,” The Undertaker explained. “By the time he was at the end of his run with them I knew he wasn’t going to be with them for long. You could just tell he was destined for success.”
Ric Flair recently took part in an interview where he discussed his longtime friendship with the Undertaker. The two first met in 1989, when Taker was part of a tag-team along with Dan Spivey called the Skyscrapers. Evidently, Taker, Flair, and Horace Grant’s brother went out one night and the Jack Daniels was flowing. According to Flair, he lost a Rolex that night.
“Me and Taker and Harvey Grant were out one night and I lost a Rolex, which is a whole different part of the story,” Flair said to Metro UK. “Trying to hang with him and that Jack Daniels man, it’s tough. We’ve had so much fun!”
Flair also spoke about coming back to WWE in 2001 and working against Taker at WrestleMania the following year.
“When I agreed to come back to work it was never to wrestle,” Flair said regarding his return to WWE in 2001. Flair would end up facing the Undertaker at WrestleMania 18 in Toronto that year.
“I was so nervous wrestling Taker – when anybody in the world would be so excited to walk down that ramp and I was horrified.”
Flair was 53-years-old when that match took place. He noted that he told Taker he was hurting at the time.
“Once we got going – and he knew, I told him, it’s hard to tell somebody I’m struggling. Well, Ric Flair’s got a problem, guys. I’ve always been so comfortable with him, I had no problem telling him. And he got it.”
WWE Superstar and Mayor of Knox County Glenn Jacobs/Kane recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Big Red Machine was appearing on the WWE Network show to discuss the ongoing The Last Ride documentary that features his on-screen brother The Undertaker.
One of the points raised was the respect between the two performers, with Kane being asked if there was a specific moment or moments that he knew he had earned the Deadman’s respect.
Kane Talks Respect
“I actually do, there’s a couple” Kane vegan. “First of all, let’s keep in mind that from the beginning of my career? even before I was in WWE? He was always a big advocate of mine” Kane revealed.
“Even when I was having a lot of trouble early on? This person was there pushing for me and talking with me and making sure that I was doing what I needed to do eventually to become successful” Kane would continue. “I got a lot of that. The conversations weren’t always the most pleasant (laughs), they could be sometimes a little harsh! Nevertheless, they were much needed.”
Glenn Jacobs would then praise The Undertaker for the way that he treated him as a ‘peer’ when he first appeared in the company. “When I came in as Kane, and just overall the whole like 1997 into 1998 and working with him so much? The whole time he treated me as a peer, and as an equal. Then I remember, wince 2003 when I had taken the mask off? We were actually at a wedding, and he told me how proud he was of the transition, and not only my in-ring work but also my work on the microphone.”
Do you think that Kane’s character developed and changed as well as The Undertaker’s during his run in WWE? Let us know in the comments
The Montreal Screwjob is one of the most notorious incidents in the wrestling history and the Undertaker, who was the locker room leader at the time, was not very happy about it.
The Dead Man recently appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast where he talked about a number of things and also discussed the infamous incident.
Revealing his reaction to the screwjob, Taker claimed that he was ‘p***ed’ about the whole thing and he felt that he could have been used to get what they needed:
“I was p***ed about the whole thing because I felt like I possibly could have been used to get what we need. Take Shawn out of this, let me do it, and then I’ll do business on the other side and I think Bret probably would’ve gone with that.
“There was such disdain at that time between the two of them, but I was just at the point where if you would’ve just come to me with this too I think I could’ve helped this whole thing out.” said The Undertaker. “I’m right here and you know I’m going to do business. It happened and I was really p***ed.”
The former World Champion continued by saying that he was really disappointed in the whole situation. He also talked to Vince McMahon and told the boss to involve him if something like that happened again because it didn’t have to go down like that.
It’s interesting to note here that Earl Hebner, who was the referee for the match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart recently had an interview and he claimed that the Montreal Screwjob was a work. You can check out his comments at this link.
The Undertaker has been one of the last protectors of kayfabe but he has started to open up a little bit in recent years by joining social media and giving off character interviews.
The next step in this journey is The Last Ride documentary series on WWE network which documents the thought process of the Dead Man from recent years.
During a new interview with Busted Open Radio, Taker talked about the documentary and revealed that they originally started filming things before his WrestleMania 33 match with Roman Reigns, because he thought it was going to be his last bout:
“It’s kind of strange how [The Last Ride] came about and this process. We didn’t start with the process of, ‘Let’s make a documentary.’ This original concept just started, because when I got to Orlando [for WrestleMania 33] and was going to work with Roman, in my mind that was going to be it.
So I just wanted [the footage], because I protected this character for so long,, and I didn’t know what we were going to do with the footage but I knew that I wanted it and I knew I wasn’t going to have another opportunity to get it.”
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) May 22, 2020
The Undertaker faced Roman Reigns in a one on one match in the main event of WrestleMania 33. The Dead Man lost this bout and he left his coat and hat in the ring afterwards, signalling the end of his character.
However, Vince McMahon managed to pursue the Attitude Era star to return to the ring and he has competed in a number of big matches since then.
WWE Superstar and Mayor of Knox County Glenn Jacobs/Kane recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Big Red Machine was appearing on the WWE Network show to discuss the ongoing The Last Ride documentary that features his on-screen brother The Undertaker.
One of the questions posed to Kane was the planning of matches between he and ‘Taker. Kane would discuss how it was sometimes difficult to plan and map out bouts against the ‘Deadman.’ This was because both men were behemoths in stature, and as Kane later mentions, they would prefer to have a smaller performer to work with.
Undertaker vs Kane
“In fact, it was kind of hard because when you have two characters like Undertaker and myself who are very much alike? We do the same things” Kane would begin. “And the characters? Even though they’re mere opposites they’re in many ways…they’re almost exact clones. They’re very, very similar.”
Kane elaborated further, saying “how do you construct a match? When you have the Undertaker who’s indestructible, and Kane who is indestructible? You have to figure all that stuff out. Also you don’t want, for instance, you don’t want The Undertaker to look ‘normal’ by Kane beating them up. So you have to figure out ways to get around all that.”
Kane would finish by saying that planning matches with The Undertaker was always an epic undertaking. The Big Red Machine would also bring up the aforementioned ‘David vs Goliath’ approach. “Frankly, for me it’s always been an epic undertaking, ‘Taker would tell you the same thing. It’s always been easier to work with a smaller guy because you have a built in story; to kind of have the David vs Goliath, you know? The Rocky Balboa story, whereas when you have the Clash of the Titans? It’s harder to do traditional storytelling in that fashion.”
Have you been enjoying The Last Ride? Let us know in the comments
WWE legend The Undertaker was Peter Rosenberg’s guest on this week’s edition of the Cheap Heat Podcast on ESPN Radio.
They discussed a wide variety of topics during the conversation, including the Last Ride docu-series, working with Hulk Hogan, the Montreal Screwjob and much more.
They started off by talking about the creation of The Undertaker character and his first meetings with Vince McMahon in 1990.
The Undertaker says he was impressed by Vince McMahon’s early vision for the gimmick. He also recalls envisioning the Undertaker character being similar to horror movie icons like Freddie Kruger and Jason Voorhees.
The Undertaker’s Early Character Development
“[Vince] brings me up to Connecticut, we meet and he’s got storyboards of what he thinks this character is, and it’s just like, wow, this is really cool. It’s really different. Immediately, my mind is just spinning. I’m thinking, Freddie Kruger, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees – all these super villains that are in these slasher movies. But then I’m also trying to figure out how it applies to professional wrestling. Originally, he gave me the likeness and then a lot of it was put in my hands to develop.”
The Undertaker says it took him some time to flesh out the character. At the time, he was known as a big guy who was athletic and could move around the quickly. It took him some time to settle in to the slow, plodding menace he’d eventually develop into.
“It took me a couple times out to realize, well, this isn’t going to work for what I envisioned for this character. I had to slow down some of my pace and some of my athleticism. Then i figured out, ‘I’m going to go really slow and then I’m gonna bang and blow it out of the water and catch people off guard with it, just like they do in the movies.’ So i’m trying to figure out all those elements of how to make it work in a wrestling ring.”
Proving WCW Wrong
Before he joined the WWF in 1990, The Undertaker was working in WCW as “Mean” Mark Callus. At the time, The Undertaker felt like WCW was a better fit for him than the cartoonish WWF. When his WCW contract expired in the summer of 1990, he became very discouraged. WCW refused to offer him a pay increase. The reality of the situation got worse when WCW officials told him nobody would pay to see him wrestle.
The Undertaker used that negative experience as motivation. As The Undertaker character was taking shape, he thought about how he could differentiate himself from the rest of the WWF’s main event stars.
“There were so many over-the-top characters already [in the WWF],” he began. “Everything was over the top. So I was trying to figure out how am I going to separate myself from what everybody else is doing? How do you stand out with all these already established performers?”
“Vince had had that [Undertaker] character for a while,” he said. “He just didn’t have the right guy that he felt could do it. I guess he needed somebody big that didn’t have much personality (laughs). Here I come stumbling in on that. So I got lucky there.”
“When [WCW] told me that nobody would ever pay to see me, you can imagine the size chip that went on my shoulder. It was like, “Ok, screw you guys, you will regret the day that you didn’t sign me.” It’s so crazy how things work out. If they [WCW] would have given me a little extra cheese, that’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t know any better, but I figured I was a more mainstream wrestler, that’s where WCW was at the time. Vince had all these different characters, and that didn’t really seem to suit where I wanted to be. I wanted to be there with Flair and Arn and all those guys. That just seemed to fit my outlook on wrestling.”
Undertaker says he wasn’t asking WCW for a big raise and would have stayed for a small pay bump.
” Beleive me, I wasn’t asking for the Lex Luger deal or the Road Warrior deal. It was a little extra cheese. ‘Nobody’s gonna pay money to see you. We’re gonna give you the same deal.’ I’m like, ‘OK, writing is on the wall. They didn’t even put me up a little.’”
Getting in to the WWF
The Undertaker says Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard are the two men responsible for getting his foot in the door with Vince McMahon.
“So, Paul [Heyman] is managing me at the time that this all came about. Paul Heyman and Bruce Prichard are close. So Paul and Bruce were talking and Bruce was working on Vince. I guess Bruce had finally gotten Vince to agree to watch the Great American Bash [match] that I had with Lex Luger. Maybe a week before that, I really screwed up my hip in match. So I can barely move. But i know i’ve gotta go out and do something. So Vince watches the pay-per-view and says, ‘Yeah he’s ok, nothing special.’ But Bruce said, ‘Does it matter that he can barely walk going into that?’ That grabbed Vince’s attention a little bit. Bruce kept working on Vince until finally I got a meeting.”
“We Don’t Have Anything For You”
Vince McMahon wound up canceling the first meeting he had scheduled with The Undertaker. This was right around the time Brutus Beefcake was badly injured during a parasailing accident. Expecting that his meeting with Vince McMahon would go well, he already gave notice to WCW that he was leaving.
“So now I’m basically working down there, they think I have a contract, I’m working in WCW without a contract. We finally went to the Meadowlands [Arena] I think, the next morning i had a meeting at [Vince’s] house. Even then, I went in thinking, I got this. I had the meeting, maybe two hours i spent with Bruce and Vince and JJ Dillon and Pat Patterson. I have this meeting and think i’m being impressive and charming. At the end of the meeting Vince looks at me and goes, ‘We don’t really have anything right now.’ (laughs). I already gave my notice thinking, I’ve got the meeting, the job’s in the bag, Ive already given my notice down at WCW.”
When asked if Vince McMahon was ribbing him, The Undertaker doesn’t think so. He legitimately thinks Vince just wasn’t ready to integrate him into WWE storylines yet.
“[Vince] didn’t have anything. He’s like, ‘Well, maybe after Mania we’ll have some slots opening up. I was like ‘Ok, well, thank you, I appreciate your time’ and out the door I went. They did within a few weeks call me and said ‘Hey, Hogan’s doing this movie out in LA.’ They wanted me to go read for it [Suburban Commando]. I read for the movie and got the part, the worst movie ever. It was awful, it was truly awful. But you know, that kept me busy for a little while. Then finally, I got a call [to debut at Survivor Series 1990.]
The Undertaker has opened up while giving some interesting details on the battle inside of his mind with retirement from pro wrestling.
The former WWE Champion did so during an interview with The Toronto Sun to promote his documentary series on the WWE Network.
Taker started out by stating that you might try to attempt to do this business, but if it’s not in your heart and soul, you’re not going to be a success. Instead, Taker thinks that you might be a flash in the pan. He said that he’s wrestled for the majority of his adult life and done it at a high level.
“I do realize that Father Time is tapping me on the shoulder. And I don’t want to turn around and face him. I feel like I’ve got a match (left) that is befitting what I feel like that the legacy of The Undertaker deserves.
But the hard part is, if I grade myself, I grade myself on where I was physically in the early 2000s. I don’t grade myself on the curve of it being 2020 and being 55 years old.”
Taker continued by noting that the expectations of what he has for himself with the limitations that he has physically is a delicate balance.
“You’ve got to take a really good look (and ask yourself), OK, is this the match that you’re looking for, is it in the realm of possibility and do I risk long-term damage?… I have young kids still. Do you run the risk of jeopardizing your long-term health?”
Taker admitted that all of this is what’s going on in his head while doing the documentary. He said that this is what he’s looking for and trying to achieve.
Taker added that trying to come to grips with leaving that aspect of the business.
WWE Superstar and host of UpUpDownDown Xavier Woods recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast.
During the interview with James Delow, Xavier Woods would discuss a number of topics during his time with WWE. These included his New Day run, the creation of UpUpDownDown and his eventual return from injury.
At the end of the interview Woods was thrown a curve ball, he was asked by Delow to submit his suggestion for The Undertaker’s final match. The new ‘Last Ride’ documentary series by WWE began last week and it detailed how ‘Taker is looking to have one final ‘great match’ before he rides off into the sunset. Woods’ suggestion for the Deadman was…interesting.
Xavier Woods on ‘Taker’s Final Match
“This is for me specifically right?” Xavier Woods began, almost apologising before he gave his answer. “Perfect opponent for The Undertaker? Papa Shango.”
Woods would then explain his scenario where he believes that a cinematic style match with Papa Shango and The Undertaker would work. “Think about this, in that WrestleMania match, that Boneyard Match? We saw greatness. We saw powers being used. Magic was being used, that house blew up!”
Papa….Shango?
Xavier elaborated further, saying “it [Boneyard match] was incredible. The only thing about it? Only ONE person had ‘powers’ and we got such an incredible match! Imagine if there were TWO people with powers!? Shango making him [Undertaker] BLEED the BLOOD.”
After much laughter (although Woods did seem pretty serious about this), Xavier Woods would then reference the feud between Papa Shango and The Ultimate Warrior. Shango would ‘curse’ Warrior during their feud, leaving him the writhe in pain and unable to properly compete. “What did he [Shango] burst? Was it Warrior’s appendix? Something was messed up in his guts? Yeah he did something. Like think about that, this [Shango vs Taker] would be so good, so give that to me!”
If you could pick a final opponent for The Undertaker who would it be? Please also feel free to give reasons as to why it wouldn’t be Papa Shango.
The Undertaker will be 70-years-old the next time that his contract with WWE expires. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Undertaker signed a 15-year contract extension with the company last year.
This comes after it was noted last August that the former WWE Champion is considered to be a WWE lifer after he signed a big-money deal with WWE in early 2019.
Per the report, the deal came together when WWE Chairman Vince McMahon angrily reacted to the non-WWE dates Taker was booking.
McMahon made an offer to Taker that couldn’t refuse financially in August that led to him signing the deal. At the time, there weren’t many details about it aside from the fact that Taker could no longer work the non-WWE signing dates that he had started to book.
Taker was pulled from the Starrcast II convention, which ran on the same weekend as AEW’s Double or Nothing after he had already been announced to appear.
When Taker’s previous deal expired last year, he started to agree to do appearances and then broke character by joining social media platforms. McMahon reportedly got so mad that Taker would actually take non-WWE bookings that he made him a big-money offer.
While McMahon was upset with Taker, the lucrative contract was offered once things calmed down between the two. Going back to 2018, it was reported that Taker was charging $25,000 per hour for non-WWE signing appearances.
