There’s no denying the fact that The Undertaker is one of the most significant attractions in WWE. He is adored not just by wrestling fans, but also by popular celebrities and sportsmen who are WWE fans. That said, who could turn down a meet-up with the wrestling legend? The Undertaker is probably one of the fewest wrestlers who stayed in character throughout his wrestling career. However, he made exceptions just to go see LeBron James outside the latter’s locker room. But he was left stood up.
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In 2016, after the Cleaveland Cavaliers won the NBA finals, The Undertaker was invited backstage for a meet and greet with the team, especially with LeBron James. Taker was accompanied by his wife and Dana Warrior.
The wrestling legend was greeted by various stars of the Cavaliers, but, was ghosted on by LeBron James. The incident did not sit very well with the fans as The Phenom was left standing humiliated.
Why did LeBron James refuse to meet The Undertaker?
It is believed that The UT waited outside the locker room in his “Deadman” attire for almost an hour. He even posed for pictures with Kevin Love, who had a replica WWE Championship on his shoulder. But what explains LeBron James’ refusal to meet The Deadman?
According to Joe Vardon, LeBron refused to meet The Undertaker because he was not cool with someone making money or gaining fame through him.
“James is not cool with someone purposefully trying to make money or gain fame through him, away from the court. In other words, no PR stunts that don’t benefit James. He wore an Undertaker T-shirt. For him, that’s enough.”
He also cited that LeBron James was sporting WWE merchandise, most notably the T-shirts of The Undertaker and The Ultimate Warrior, during the training sessions in the lead-up to the finals, “for him”.
The statement also stated that “James had no interest”.
It should be noted that the former World Champion was invited to the game by LeBron’s representatives. A WWE spokesperson revealed that The Undertaker was fulfilling a request.
“The Cavs invited WWE to the game and paid for the appearance. As their guests, we were gladly fulfilling their request to meet the team.”
While LeBron had his reasons, a legend such as The Undertaker should have been treated better.
LeBron James pays tribute to the Undertaker by launching LeBron 14 Undertaker Puma limited edition shoes
Although LeBron James did not come out to see his favorite wrestler, he launched sneakers dedicated to the theme of the Deadman. In 2017, the NBA legend released LeBron 14 Undertaker sneakers out of his admiration for The Deadman.
The shoes were black with purple coloring and lightning straps. During an interview with Sneaker Shopping with Complex, The Undertaker reviewed the sneakers. Taker said it was humbling to see kids wearing their little LeBron Undertakers.
“Anybody with LeBron’s stature in the sneaker world, those were really cool. Anytime you see some kind of homage paid to yourself, it’s kind of humbling to know that kids are out there wearing their little LeBron Undertakers. It’s a cool feeling. Those shoes turned out nice,” said Taker.
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