The Undertaker reveals why he fought AJ Styles as the ‘American Badass’ at Wrestlemania 36. He also opened up on his experience of the Boneyard match.
The Undertaker bid adieu to the WWE Universe with a cinematic match against AJ Styles at Wrestlemania earlier this year. Instead of his usual Deadman persona however, the Undertaker wrestled the match as the American Badass.
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The gimmick also known as Biker Taker was last seen all the way back in 2014. That’s more than a decade and a half since he last graced the WWE universe. However, Taker felt the feud with Styles was too personal. So much so, that it needed the American Badass with that Evil in him to approach the match.
The Undertaker reveals why he fought AJ Styles as the ‘American Badass’ at Wrestlemania 36
Once I left the American Badass, I think everyone was really content with the hybrid version of The Undertaker,” he told Barstool Sports. “My style had changed where I kept a lot of the elements of my in-ring work kind of geared to that American Badass character but then brought the origins and the mystique of The Undertaker was kind of that outward look.
“It didn’t come up until this year and it just kind of dawned on me with the type of promos that AJ was cutting, there’s really no way that I can bring the original Undertaker to this. It’s become too personal, crossed too many lines.
“You’re going to have to get the American Badass; all grown up and he’s still got that evil side to him but it’s going to be a much more personal approach to delivering that match. So that’s kind of how we ended up American Badass 2.0.”
Taker wants to continue as the American Badass
Taker also revealed that he had a lot of fun filming the Boneyard match. He also added that any future appearance he’d have in the WWE would be made as the Biker Taker.
“It was fun,” Taker continued. “At that point I hadn’t made the decision of whether I was gonna work or what I was going to do post this but man, it really felt good and I was like thinking to myself ‘I gotta run here if I want it’ and it was cool.
“We were out as they were setting up, doing the lighting and everything, I was taking that bike up and down the road. People in the neighborhood, their lights were coming on and I was like, this is fun. And it was. Regardless of what I do on camera moving forward, I’m sure that’s the persona that I will continue to move forward.”
H/T Sportskeeda
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