The popular wrestling industry figure, The Undertaker, recently revealed how the pressure was nearly unbearable when he had to propose the idea of being reintroduced as the “American Badass” character to Vince McMahon back in 2000.
After a hiatus from the wrestling scene in September 1999, the iconic sports entertainment star reprised his role with a slight twist. This saw him embodying a character far more grounded in reality, with his return announced during the May 2000 Judgment Day pay-per-view.
Sharing details from behind the scenes in his new podcast, “Six Feet Under,” the superstar talks about how he was terrified that McMahon, the then-Chairman, would not be receptive to his idea. He mentioned,
“The prospect of debuting something new wasn’t as frightening as that initial conversation where I had to tell him, ‘This is my idea. How does this resonate with you?’ To my surprise, instead of the expected ‘absolutely not’, his response was more along the lines of ‘Dismiss the critics and continue producing valuable content.’
“Overwhelmed, I decided to clarify my idea further during a meeting. The favorable response was something I hadn’t quite anticipated. His enthusiastic ‘This is wonderful, absolutely fantastic’ sent my doubts soaring. I kept waiting for him to share the actual reaction, ready for a knockout blow.”
The Undertaker’s time as the American Badass came to a dramatic end at the Survivor Series 2003, where he suffered a defeat, only to be resurrected in traditional Undertaker style at WrestleMania XX as the “Deadman”.
After laying down his wrestling gloves at Survivor Series 2020, The Undertaker has made infrequent appearances, reprising his “American Badass” character on occasion.
Enjoy a glimpse at his apprehension-filled experience as he recounts the time he painted himself as “American Badass,” in the embedded video below.