Undertaker Clears Up WWE Backstage Drinking Myth

Undertaker Clears Up WWE Backstage Drinking Myth – The Undertaker has finally addressed and shut down a long-running rumor about backstage drinking traditions in WWE, specifically the belief that younger talent were forced to drink alcohol or “gargle” whiskey as a rite of passage. Speaking during his appearance on What Do You Wanna Talk About? with Cody Rhodes, the WWE Hall of Famer explained where the story came from and why it has been misunderstood for years.

Undertaker made it clear that he never pressured anyone to drink and rejected the idea that talent were required to participate. According to him, the invitation to have a drink was exactly that—an invitation, not a demand.

“So you may be a little disappointed in all this. And I’m not one to make someone gargle. That’s not my deal. I take the shot, I drink the shot… You’re invited over. It is a welcome. But you know, that’s a big misnomer. Like ‘Oh, man, Taker told me to come over and drink, I had to drink.’ No, it’s not that. I don’t ever make anybody do anything they didn’t want to do. But it was kind of a, ‘Hey kid, come on in here. You’re proving yourself and if you want to drink with us? That’s fine. If you don’t, you know, you don’t have to.’”

He then explained the real origin of the infamous whiskey gargling story, tracing it back to a much earlier era in the wrestling business when money was tight for many performers.

“So we go back to when business wasn’t quite so good, all right? I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum. And so for me, gargling happened because the guys on top, when you go to the bar. Those guys were making a little bit more money than everybody else was, right? And there was a struggle.”

Undertaker said that during that time, some wrestlers wanted to be included socially but could not afford to keep buying drinks. That led to some pretending to take shots, which eventually caused problems.

“So what would end up happening is a lot of people would quick shot or they’d throw it, pour it on the floor and then act like they’re drinking, right? And you know, that’s money, right? That’s people’s money.”

Once that behavior was discovered, the so-called rule was created to make sure drinks were actually being consumed.

“So there was a lot of people that were tossing shots and they got busted for it. So then it kind of became a deal where, ‘Alright, you gotta gargle so that you know that you’ve had the shot.’ That was the original origins of it.”

Over time, Undertaker noted, the practice evolved into a macho legend that no longer reflected reality.

“So then it kind of became a machismo thing too… So I never gargled, and I never made anybody gargle.”

With these comments, Undertaker put the rumor to rest, clarifying that the story has been exaggerated and misunderstood over the years.