Ahead of the debut of his new mini-series “Undertaker: The Last Ride”, the Phenom talked to ESPN about the series as well as his match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On the new series
“I think there’s a lot of people that have wanted to see a lot of what they’re going to get to see. They just had to wait 30 years for it. But I think people are going to be shocked and amazed, and have a better understanding of who The Undertaker is and who Mark Calaway is.”
On breaking character and letting people see the real Mark Calaway
“It was pretty difficult, honestly. But it was my idea. The end is near. [Laughs] I knew that I needed to document some of this stuff, because I wouldn’t have another chance to do it. Because once I finally pull the plug, I won’t have the opportunity to have footage of me behind the scenes and what I was thinking at the time. I really didn’t know what we were going to do with all of this. We didn’t start out with any thoughts. We just started filming this stuff with the thought that somewhere down the line we’d maybe do something with it. But it was extremely difficult. Even though it was my idea to have a crew start following me, it was extremely difficult for me to get used to it, to let my guard down. They would be there. They’d be filming. And then next thing you know, I’d snap at them, ‘Why are you filming me?!’ And they’d be like, ‘Because that’s what you asked us to do.’ And I was like, ‘Aw, s— you’re right.’ That’s one reason why The Undertaker had the longevity that it did. Because all they got was The Undertaker. So it was really difficult at first to let the guard down. [For example], it took me forever to get on the social media thing. A couple of years ago, I started a social media account, and I started getting things like ‘The Undertaker is on Instagram. My childhood has been ruined.’ [Laughs] That’s how protective I was of that character. So some people are really receptive to the fact that I’m opening up. Others are acting like I’ve ruined their childhood.”
His reaction to the Roman Reigns match at WrestleMania 33
That was one of those times it was tough having the cameras there. That was the first time that I watched that match back. I was so disgusted with it that I didn’t want to watch it back. So, a little insight into how we used to do things. We used to have a pay-per-view on Sunday, and then obviously do TV on Monday. During catering, they’d be replaying the pay-per-view from the night before. Everybody would be watching the matches. I couldn’t do it. I cannot watch myself in that atmosphere. I wouldn’t watch my matches back until I was by myself, at home. No wife, no kids, nothing. I had to be by myself, alone. I wasn’t looking for the good stuff. I was looking for the bad stuff. What I should have done when I did that [move]. I wanted to pick it apart. You can watch a match with your peers and they’ll be like, “Aw, man, that was awesome.” I don’t want to hear that. Early on in my career, I watched everything back. Good, bad, indifferent. As I got older … I know when I’m out there and I’m moving slow. I know when my limp is more prominent that it may be. Or when I’m behind in a spot. I just know now.
“[Watching that match], I’m battling with it. I was so disappointed for Roman. Even after Brock Lesnar beat the streak, for guys coming up to have a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania — especially where Roman was at — it was important for his career. Especially because he was going over. For me, in that role, I wanted to do the very best that I could do for Roman. I think the world of him. You want to be able to do the best you can for him, and you know you have no business being in the ring.
“Yes, I could have mailed it in. Protected myself. Only done a couple of things that I knew that I could do. But that’s just not the way I work. And it wouldn’t have been fair to him. So I just tried to do the best I could. The harder I tried, the more I did — at least in my perception — it was not a good night. It was really disappointing. Watching it back finally, and watching it back in front of a film crew, it was like … I didn’t have to say much. You could just tell from the expression on my face that I wasn’t really pleased with it.”
The whole interview is available HERE.
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