WWE’s ex-chairman Vince McMahon wasn’t impressed by The Undertaker before signing him up with the company.
The Undertaker is that mainstay name in wrestling who dominated the business for three decades. The Phenom is one of the most revered wrestling personalities to lace a pair of boots. His body of work over the years substantiates that The Deadman put in a lot of work to get to the level he was on during his time with WWE. While legends came and went, The Undertaker remained loyal to WWE since his debut in 1990.
Taker made his first appearance in the company as the face of fear with the ‘Deadman’ gimmick. Famously known for “digging holes and taking souls”, The Deadman went on to become a fan favorite. The most noteworthy highlight of his career was his WrestleMania winning streak which remained unbroken until 21-1 when Brock Lesnar finally put a stop to it.
In addition, the 6 feet 10 wrestler became a four-time WWE Champion, three-time World Heavyweight Champion, one-time Royal Rumble Winner, six-time WWE tag team Champion, and one-time Hardcore Champion. Before Mark Calaway was known as “The Undertaker” in WWE, he wrestled in WCW under his real name. Even on the other side of the wrestling world, Taker won the elite WCW Championship one time.
After years of hard work in the business, The Phenom finally hung his boots and announced his retirement in June 2020. At 55 years of age, The Undertaker had no desire left to wrestle again. A huge part of his decision to retire was the injuries he sustained over the years.
For many years, The Undertaker was instrumental in leading the company to success. A lot of wrestlers on the roster looked up to Calaway as a role model. However, before he made it to WWE, he didn’t make a very impactful first impression before he met Vince Mcmahon.
Vince McMahon refused to meet The Undertaker because he thought he was just a “tall basketball player”
When The Undertaker was first pitched to Vince McMahon in 1990 by Bruce Pritchard, Vince was not a big fan and seemed uninterested in signing the future WWE legend. Speaking on his podcast “Something To Wrestle”, WWE Executive Director revealed that Vince didn’t put much stock into The Undertaker before signing him because he looked more like a “tall basketball player”.
At the time, Taker was working a match with a dislocated hip with Lex Luger. Prichard had arranged Taker’s meeting with Vince the next day which was eventually canceled as Vince was not impressed watching him in action.
‘Taker had a dislocated hip, but he worked the match anyway because the next day he was supposed to meet with Vince.
“That didn’t happen and it didn’t happen because Vince looked at The Undertaker and thought, ‘Ah, he’s just another tall basketball player with red hair, I don’t see anything special in him’.”
After a lot of persuasion, Prichard was able to convince Vince McMahon to finally meet Mark Calaway. When Vince finally met Taker, “The Deadman” gimmick was born and ruled the company for many years to come. Throughout the history of WWE, Taker’s impact on the business was second to none. The Undertaker’s luminous career was commemorated when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2022.
