18 Things we learned from The Undertaker's out-of-character interview with Steve Austin

The Undertaker is one of the few WWE Superstars who has remained in character for the majority of his career.

Over the last three decades, fans have seen “The Deadman” in more high-profile matches and storylines than anybody else in WWE, but we have hardly heard anything from the man behind the character, Mark Calaway, about his life in the sports entertainment industry.

Following the 2019 Survivor Series pay-per-view, WWE released the first episode of Steve Austin’s new interview series, Broken Skull Sessions, on the WWE Network, and Calaway was the first guest.

As you can imagine, the WrestleMania icon had plenty of stories to tell, dating all the way back to the early 1990s and up to the present day.

In this article, let’s take a look at 18 things we learned from the interview.

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#1 He feels ‘pretty decent’ for his age

There has been a lot of speculation about whether The Undertaker could potentially retire from in-ring competition soon, especially after his match against Goldberg at Super ShowDown in June.

At the start of the interview, he told Steve Austin that he feels “pretty decent” for somebody of his age (54) and he has recently made changes to his training and diet.

#2 He was told nobody would ever pay to see him wrestle

The Undertaker began to work as a singles competitor towards the end of his time with WCW. He expected to sign a new deal with the company when he sat down for a meeting with Jim Herd, Jim Barnett and Ole Anderson, only to be told by Anderson that he was a great athlete but nobody would ever pay money to see him wrestle.

This comment played a big part in his decision to move on from WCW and eventually sign with WWE in 1990.

#3 The Undertaker’s first meeting with Vince McMahon

After deciding to leave WCW, The Undertaker visited Vince McMahon at his house to hold a meeting about potentially joining WWE.

McMahon asked the former WCW star to tell him if he had any hidden talents. He replied by saying he was a good singer – something he instantly regretted, just in case he was given a “Shower Guy” gimmick.

Even though he thought the meeting went well, 'Taker was told by McMahon that WWE did not have a role for him at that time.

#4 He thought WWE would call him “Egg Man”

In 1990, WWE repeatedly showed a huge egg on the stage area in the weeks leading up to Survivor Series. As it turned out, the egg hatched at the PPV and it led to the debut of the Gobbledy Gooker.

Before the PPV, Vince McMahon called Calaway and referred to him as “The Undertaker” over the phone. He initially thought McMahon might want to give him an outlandish “Egg Man” gimmick – so much so that he convinced himself “to the point where his stomach hurt” that he would be involved in the egg storyline.

However, the WWE Chairman did not want 'Taker to have anything to do with the egg. Instead, he debuted a few weeks later as "The Deadman" character.

#5 He lived the gimmick early on in his career

As mentioned in the introduction, The Undertaker is one of the only WWE Superstars who has mostly remained in character outside of the squared circle.

He revealed during the interview that not only did he refuse to break character for many years early on in his WWE career, but he had nothing but black clothes in his wardrobe after he started his Undertaker gimmick.

#6 Veterans did not like his initial push

When The Undertaker debuted in 1990, he instantly cemented his status as one of WWE’s next top Superstars with a phenomenal performance in his first on-screen appearance at Survivor Series.

He told Steve Austin that many veterans did not like selling for his dominant offence during his initial push with the company, but he felt reassured when Dusty Rhodes congratulated him after his debut.

#7 The only person he went to for advice

Steve Austin asked The Undertaker to list some people who helped him put together his gimmick in 1990.

Excluding Vince McMahon, he said Jake Roberts was the only person who he went to for advice on his character. He mentioned that Roberts had a “brilliant mind” for the wrestling business and he trusted his opinion.

'Taker was particularly impressed by Roberts’ quiet promos, which were very different from the over-the-top promos that other Superstars cut during that era.

#8 He wanted to perform a more athletic style

The Undertaker said he wanted to perform a more athletic style during the early stages of his career, especially as it would have looked impressive for a guy of his size, but he adopted a “less is more” attitude and learned to put his ego to one side after realising that he offered something completely different to the rest of the WWE roster.

#9 He was nervous about changing his gimmick

In 2000, The Undertaker returned to WWE after a lengthy absence due to groin and pectoral injuries. He made his long-awaited comeback at Judgment Day, where he took out Vince McMahon, Triple H and the rest of D-Generation X in the closing minutes of the pay-per-view.

'Taker said he felt very nervous about the reaction he would receive when he rode down to the ring at Judgment Day to debut his biker gimmick.

#10 Why he never wanted to leave WWE for WCW

He went on to admit that WWE produced some “lame stuff” in the mid-1990s when WCW began to beat them in the television ratings, but he never considered jumping ship because he wanted to stay loyal to the person who gave him his first big opportunity in the wrestling business, Vince McMahon.

He also never forgot the comment that Ole Anderson made to him in WCW about fans not paying to see him wrestle.

#11 He was really proud of the Shawn Michaels/Triple H storyline

The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV and WrestleMania XXVI before also going on to defeat Triple H in back-to-back years at WrestleMania XXVII and WrestleMania XXVIII.

'Taker said he does not like to brag about his own work, but he thought the four-year run of 'Mania matches was great storytelling and he was “really proud” of his performances during that time.

#12 He thought he had retired in 2012 and 2017

When Steve Austin spoke about the famous picture of The Undertaker, Triple H and Shawn Michaels on the WrestleMania XXVIII stage after the Hell in a Cell “End of an Era” match, 'Taker said the iconic moment between the three legends was not planned, but he really did think at the time that his career might be over.

Five years later, following his loss against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33, he felt that the image of his hat, coat and gloves in the middle of the ring would register more with the WWE audience than any retirement speech he could give. However, despite thinking once and for all that he had retired, he got talked into returning.

#13 His biggest fear is becoming a parody of himself

The Undertaker’s match against Goldberg at Super ShowDown prompted renewed talk amongst fans about when the WrestleMania icon will call time on his career.

He said his biggest fear is becoming a parody of himself and he does not want to overstay his welcome in the wrestling business.

#14 He could not remember his own name after WrestleMania 30

One of the biggest moments in WWE history came at WrestleMania 30 when Brock Lesnar became the first person to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania.

WWE released footage in 2015 of Vince McMahon calling for help when 'Taker collapsed after walking back through the curtain following the match.

Elaborating on that moment, the veteran revealed that he suffered a concussion five minutes into the match and he could not remember anything from 3:30pm on the day of the show until 4:30am the next morning.

He also had no idea what his name was and he could not remember his birthday.

#15 He does not blame Brock Lesnar for his WrestleMania concussion

'Taker said he has watched his WrestleMania 30 match back 10-15 times. He still cannot pinpoint where he got concussed but suspects it happened after one of Brock Lesnar’s German suplexes.

He does not blame Lesnar for causing the concussion, but admitted that the match knocked his confidence as a performer.

#16 He plans to write his own WWE ending

Asked about his current WWE status, The Undertaker revealed that he plans to write his own ending to his career. Although he is still physically fit, he said that sometimes he feels great during matches but he also knows there is a danger of injury when he competes.

#17 How he felt about the Goldberg match

Regarding the match against Goldberg at Super ShowDown, 'Taker said he was not going to let people remember him by that match, which is why he returned one month later to team with Roman Reigns against Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre at Extreme Rules.

He described the Goldberg match as a “bad day at the office” and revealed that he was still feeling the physical effects of the match when he returned to join forces with Reigns.

#18 Who could persuade him to retire?

With so many fans stating their opinion on social media about his in-ring future, 'Taker added that he would take retirement into consideration if a legend like Steve Austin, Triple H or Shawn Michaels advised him to call time on his career.

However, he acknowledged that it would be difficult for any of those guys to say that to him.

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