Undertaker Praises Vince McMahon, WWE Chief Wants Deadman At WrestleMania

The Undertaker – real name Mark Calaway – is arguably one of the greatest performers in the history of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) but after over two decades of being a regular, he is currently not on the full-time roster at the moment. In a recent interview, the Undertaker popularly, known as "The Deadman," spoke about his relationship with WWE CEO Vince McMahon and why he left WCW for WWE.

The 53-year-old joined the WWE in 1990 and has been one of the most revered performers in the sports entertainment industry with his entrance into the arena becoming one of the most iconic. He still remains one of the most popular wrestlers among the WWE Universe.

The Undertaker revealed that he left WCW after they informed him that he was not good enough after he went into the meeting expecting the management to renegotiate his contract. He admitted the shocking assessment of his talent was something that kept him motivated to become one of the best in the pro-wrestling world.

"I was working for another company, and they actually told me I was going in to renegotiate the contract," Undertaker said during an interview with Ed Young. "They sat me down and went 'Listen, you're a good athlete, but no one's ever gonna pay money to watch you wrestle.' They said to me, and I was like 'Really? Okay, that's all I need to hear. We'll see you guys down the road.' That really stuck with me."

McMahon did not hire Undertaker immediately after his exit from WCW but gave him his debut at Survivor Series in 1990. He was introduced as the mystery member of Ted DiBiase’s "Million Dollar Team" and as they say, the rest is history.

The Undertaker heaped praise on the WWE chairman during his recent interview and revealed that McMahon’s dedication toward the promotion pushes the athletes to do the same. Despite starting as employee and boss – the Deadman believes their relationship has now evolved to them now becoming friends.

"He's awesome, you may see him on TV and think 'man, I do not like that guy', but he's awesome," Undertaker said. "He would never ask anybody to do something he wouldn't do, and he's really built an empire on hard work, dedication, and energy. When you see that man and see what he puts into it [WWE], you feel like 'well, I at least have to try and match that.' He's an awesome leader, and I call him boss, but I think we're more friends now than we are employee and company owner.”

Despite their close relationship, the Undertaker has not been on WWE since his appearance at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view in November 2018. He is now booking events outside of the WWE, which seems to have not gone down well with McMahon.

Undertaker is scheduled to appear at the Starrcast event in May, and that is happening during the same weekend as newly formed All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) – WWE’s biggest competition in North America – first event "Double or Nothing" in Las Vegas. McMahon is said to be worried about losing one of his biggest stars to a rival.

According to Cageside Seats, the WWE chairman is keen to ensure he remains firmly a part of the WWE family and therefore wants to get him a match at WrestleMania 35. However, the report claims that there is nothing scheduled at the moment as they will have to build a new storyline for Undertaker, who has been out for three months.