During a recent interview with ViBe & Wrestling, The Undertaker commented on old school vs. new school wrestling, his legacy, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On old school vs. new school wrestling: “That’s a good question. I think athletes today are exactly that, amazing athletes in terms of what they can do physically, but what I think is that the disconnection or the problem is that they rely too much on their athletic ability and the things they can do in the ring instead of trying to develop the layers of their characters. I was talked to Bruce Prichard on the phone a couple of days ago and I told him how much I like the rivalry between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso, because it’s an old-fashioned kind of rivalry. It is very easy to understand, especially if you are familiar with the Samoan heritage and linage and how proud Samoans are of family status, especially in this world of professional wrestling.”
“Understanding that and having two cousins who grew up together and are now fighting … there are so many layers to this story that I think it’s the closest thing to old school we’ve done in a long time and obviously they did a great job and it was an amazing match too. But I think the big difference is that you don’t have those rich characters to believe in. A lot of people used to tell me: “I don’t understand, were you dead or were you alive?” They were so committed to the character and I think that’s the most important thing: the story and the character development. I think they all have twisted their priorities in what they are doing in the sense that they are so athletic and they have these amazing matches, that they should, but it’s always about storytelling, the good versus the evil… that’s what’s really important and that’s what makes people invested in what you do; it’s always about the story.”
On how he wanted to be remembered: “I would like to be remembered as someone who loved this business and did everything possible to not only improve it when I was there but to move it forward. I want to be remembered as someone who wanted to help those who wanted to be better. Those are the most important things for me, going out there and knowing that my fans will be rewarded for the price they paid for a ticket, I never kept anything inside, I gave everything I had and it didn’t matter how bad I felt or in what physical condition I was, I gave it my all because I always thought that they paid their money to come see me and I have to give them everything I have. I hope you know that and appreciate it. And on the professional side, I have always tried to look and help those whose came behind. Maybe I was wrong on some occasions but that was part of a learning process and I think those are the most important things that I would like to be remembered for.”
