The Undertaker made a career out of maintaining his character for over three decades, as he never broke character no matter what. Before he became The Deadman, he had other gimmicks as well and it appears he was even a backyard wrestler once.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet on his Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway podcast, The Deadman shared that he began his wrestling journey as a backyard wrestler. He explained that in those early days, he felt like Andre The Giant compared to his peers in the ring, who were much smaller and unlikely to advance in wrestling.

At 6 foot 8 and 320 pounds, he stood out significantly among them. The WWE Hall of Famer mentioned that back then, any opportunity to get in the ring was valuable.

“Backyard wrestling. I got my start in backyard wrestling. I looked like Andre The Giant compared to the guys I was in the ring with. They were all guys that were never gonna go anywhere. They would be great in this day in age because there’s like a smaller wrestling base, I guess. These guys were teeny tiny and there was just me, 6 foot 8 and 320 pounds. I just looked like Andre compared to everybody else. Back then, whenever you got an opportunity to get in the ring, whatever it was.”

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When The Deadman was asked about his backyard wrestling name, The Undertaker revealed that he went by “Powerhouse.” He wore a Powerhouse Gym t-shirt, embracing the persona. He also mentioned that the shirt was likely pink, which was before he toned down his color choices.

“Powerhouse. I had a Powerhouse Gym t-shirt. I was living the gimmick…I think it was even pink too. That was before I had calmed my colors down.”

The Deadman also recently inked new legends deal with WWE and even addressed accusations that he intentionally hurt a professional wrestler due to his sexuality. Nevertheless, The Undertaker will always have a lot of stories to share and that’s all that matters.

What do you think of The Undertaker’s past run as a backyard wrestler? Let us know in the comments section below!

Subhojeet Mukherjee

Subhojeet, a professional wrestling fan for over 20+ years, found his passion during the Monday Night Wars. With expertise honed over decades and a broad spectrum of interests including TV, movies, anime, novels, and music, he offers insightful analysis and coverage. Respected in the industry, Subhojeet keeps fans informed and engaged with his knowledge and perspective.

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