Nikunj Walia on February 20, 2023
The Undertaker had been around the WWE landscape since the 1990s, debuting at that year’s Survivor Series. Since The Deadman’s heyday, a lot has changed in the professional wrestling world, but the biggest thorn in the retired wrestler’s side may be what he perceives as the absence of kayfabe in contemporary wrestling, due to the fans’ grown interest in backstage dirt sheets.
During the heights of the Attitude Era, The Undertaker was a prime fixture of WWE television programming. At that time, fans were not aware of kayfabe much and enjoyed the product, with many perceiving it to be real-life action played in front of them.
Nowadays, WWE fans are more intrigued to explore backstage secrets, with this being the death of kayfabe according to The Last Outlaw. The Undertaker spoke about the topic during a recent interview on Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.
“Guys always protected their [kayfabe backstory in previous eras]. There wasn’t social media and all that stuff going on.”
The duo also addressed Abdullah the Butcher, who was labeled as the “Madman from Sudan.” In reality, he was actually born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada which prompted The Undertaker to make a quip about modern kayfabe.
“If you were from the Sudan, you were from the Sudan, and you didn’t let anyone know any different.”
The Deadman concluded the talk by mentioning that viewers are more fascinated by what happens off-screen than what happens on it. The Phenom believes that this is a problem. He also spoke briefly about fans breaking kayfabe by portraying a different character than they do on television.
“They want the soil. It’s driven by social media, just like everything else in our society. It’s difficult for me to watch anything because everyone shares details of their lives online. For example, how can you be this guy on TV and then a completely different person online? So, there is a significant gap for me. I don’t necessarily like it, but it is what it is and that is where we are, so there is nothing I can do about it.”
The Undertaker retired from the squared circle back in 2020, after being with WWE for three decades. Check back at Ringside News as we follow up on the thoughts of people on The Undertaker’s comments.
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February 20, 2023 3:22 pm
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