In a recent episode of his “Six Feet Under” podcast, wrestling legend The Undertaker reflected on his widely criticized battle with the late Giant Gonzalez. His remarks were telling:
“I should have been wrestling with Yoko. Instead, I found myself entering the ring in a chariot, accompanied by a giant black vulture – a symbolic scavenger set to pick over the ‘carcass’ of that regretful match. It’s somewhat miraculous I survived those early years in wrestling. Regarding opponents… I’m going refrain from mentioning names, with an exception for Gonzalez because his name has previously been in circulation on this matter and his no longer with us.
To put it into perspective, Gonzalez made Khali appear like wrestling great, Lou Thesz. Battling Gonzalez was no easy task. I don’t lay the blame on him specifically, the situation was merely what it was. We all have our limitations. On the surface, Gonzalez presented a formidable challenge to the Undertaker. Towering over me by a full foot, he stood near 7 foot 8, and even had a muscle suit trimmed with fur. By the end of the encounter, I’d had enough. I found solace in a few cold beverages as I attempted to erase the memory of those awful matches. Looking back, I can’t recall a single satisfactory match with him.
Despite the challenges, I gave it my all. I was endeavoring to create something worthwhile from an otherwise lackluster situation. It was strenuous and he was constrained in his abilities. At that point, it was all about the character. I found myself pushing the boundaries of what was possible ‘Maybe he thrashes me for five or six minutes and we devise a way to extricate ourselves from this’”.
A notable clash between The Undertaker and Gonzalez took place at WWE WrestleMania 9, where Undertaker clinched victory by disqualification (DQ). This highly disparaged duel saw Gonzalez employ ether on Undertaker, causing DQ, and thus maintaining Undertaker’s unbeaten run at WrestleMania to a 3-0 streak.