The Undertaker Explains Origins of His Character

The Undertaker Explains Origins of His Character – During an appearance on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker reflected on how his iconic character came to life — and how Vince McMahon’s original concept evolved into one of wrestling’s most legendary personas.

The Undertaker revealed that after his unsuccessful stint in WCW, Vince McMahon invited him to WWE headquarters to discuss a new gimmick. McMahon’s first pitch, according to The Deadman, involved him portraying an actual undertaker from the Wild West. However, once the storyboards were laid out, McMahon gave him the freedom to shape the idea into something more personal.

“He (Vince McMahon) brings me up to the office and has these storyboards laid out with the images of The Undertaker, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is really cool!’ Once I saw it, and then he kind of gave me an idea of what he was looking for, and then he kind of handed it over to me and said, ‘Okay, now make it yours.’”

Wanting to give the character more depth, The Undertaker studied horror films for inspiration. “So now I’m invested in, I’m watching all of Friday the 13th movies, and you know, the Halloweens, all these things, and I’m trying to take little bits of all of them and incorporate them, and make them my own.”

He admitted that he initially feared the concept could come off as “corny,” but its uniqueness struck a chord with fans.

“But yeah, it was a little strange at first, because like you don’t want something to be, I mean that really has the potential to be really corny, and I think it was so different at the time that it resonated somehow with people, and then that character, and Undertaker, somehow becomes beloved.”

The Undertaker added that audience reactions shifted quickly, even against top stars like Hulk Hogan. “In a very short amount of time, like, people were just enamored by this character. Everything is babyfaces and heels, there’s nothing babyface about that. By the time that I wrestled Hogan in ’91, like, when we come out, I remember that was in Detroit as well, and we came out, and it was like, obviously, Hogan was the good guy, and it was like 60-40, the crowd was in favor of me. Yeah, I mean, Hulk Hogan! He’s the name!”

The Undertaker’s creation went on to define WWE for decades, blending horror, mystique, and storytelling in a way that continues to influence wrestling’s presentation today.