In a long chat with Sony Sports India covering all aspects of his career, The Undertaker was appreciative of many that helped him formulate his legendary Deadman persona. From his early days in WCW, promoters could see his talent, but the higher-ups in that company couldn’t see his potential.
“When I was in WCW, they basically told me that I am a great athlete but no one would ever pay money to see me wrestle. And I took that as the writing on the wall. And then Vince McMahon gave me that opportunity to become something and he is the one who gave me an opportunity to prove the world wrong.”
He had strong words about his relationship with the WWE Chairman, calling him a member of the family. “He is such an instrumental part of my life, in my career, has been my boss, has been my father, my brother, has been amazing and our relationship is really strong.”
McMahon was the one that pitched the Undertaker character to Mean Mark Calloway when he was entering the then-WWF, and Taker was immediately impressed.
“…I was mesmerized this is so different from what anybody has been doing just from visuals not even getting into the characteristics of it. And then, he kind of gave me about what the Undertaker is about, he thought the Undertaker was I liked it. I liked it a lot and as it started to develop the character, more and more, I became that guy.”
The Undertaker will be celebrating three decades in WWE at Survivor Series this year, and WWE Network is full of more reflections on his legendary career. For more from the Deadman directly, including talk about the Boneyard match, his “sidekick” Paul Bearer, and keeping his legacy alive, check out the full interview at ITNWWE.com.
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