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  • 6/22/2025
Transcript
00:00You're in my yard, and I'm the big dog that runs that yard.
00:30I'm the dead man, and if you try me, I'll make you famous.
00:38Dead man walking.
01:00I left school, and I only needed, what, maybe 12 hours for my degree.
01:22I left a full-ride scholarship to pursue this dream of wrestling.
01:29From Kent Valley, winning 358 pounds, the Undertaker!
01:38Started back in late 86.
01:41I was working out at a health club in Dallas.
01:44I was actually getting ready to go overseas and play pro basketball in Europe.
01:48There was a guy that worked at the health club there that was trying to get somebody to go through a wrestling camp with him.
01:53Every day, he was on me.
01:55You know, man, come on, let's do this thing.
01:57And I said, look, man, I'm getting ready to go play pro ball.
02:00You know, I got it made.
02:02You know, so I thought, one day, it just didn't sound like such a bad idea anymore.
02:06619 pounds, Mr. Theodore R. Long presents from Metropolis, Dangerous Dan Spivey and Mean Markellis, the new Skyscraper!
02:19First time I saw him, I was working in Atlanta for Turner in the early days of WCW in the late 80s.
02:32And here he had a guy that was young, 6'9", 6'10", around 300 pounds, that was extremely athletic.
02:39I thought, man, this guy is a phenomenon.
02:42He's young, he's just huge, and he doesn't move around like a Clydesdale.
02:48He moves around like a real athlete.
02:50WCW, I got a call.
02:52I was down in Memphis, in the Tennessee area.
02:55Big Sid Vicious was tag team partner with Dan Spivey.
02:58They were the skyscrapers down there.
03:00I guess Sid had got hurt in the ring, broke a rib, punctured a lung, whatever.
03:04And someone told him, hey, there's this kid down in Tennessee.
03:07He's about 6'8", 6'9".
03:09He'd be a good partner for Spivey.
03:12So I got the call, and, you know, everything was looking real good.
03:16Danny and I, we really hit it off well together.
03:20We complimented each other's styles at the time.
03:23Things were looking really good for us.
03:25We were working with the road warriors.
03:27We were gearing up for a Chicago street fight at the pay-per-view for them.
03:31I don't know, Danny felt like everybody was trying to be really,
03:35they were making bad business decisions for us.
03:39Danny just one day up and left.
03:42I'd already realized what kind of organization it was.
03:46Our first meeting was in Indianapolis.
03:48And he walked into the room, and this guy was just a monster.
03:53And just, he had such a presence to him.
03:56And the fact that he wasn't already on top of WCW scared me.
04:02It just come to the point one day where I said, look, this ain't working out.
04:08You know, they told me that I would never make, I would never amount to anything in this business.
04:14That I was a good athlete, but I would never be able, no one would ever buy a ticket to see me wrestle.
04:22By this time, I was trying to get an appointment with Vince.
04:25And, you know, trying to get into him was like trying to get in to see the Pope, I guess.
04:31So I actually left the WCW without a job.
04:35Fortunately, I met with Vince and his staff.
04:40And after the meeting, Vince told me at the time, he says, well, he says,
04:45right now, we don't have anything for you.
04:47And I was like, whoa.
04:49So I was contemplating what I was going to do.
04:51And I was sitting at home one day and the phone rang.
04:56So I pick up the phone, you know, hello.
05:00Is this The Undertaker?
05:02I was like, what the hell is this?
05:04I will introduce to you now my mystery partner, led to the ring by his manager,
05:11Brother Love, weighing in at 320 pounds from Death Valley.
05:18I give you The Undertaker.
05:21The Undertaker, the mystery partner is now revealed.
05:25I never heard of him.
05:26Oh, take a look.
05:27Holy cow.
05:28Look at the size of that ham hock.
05:34Check out them drumsticks, baby.
05:37320 pounds looks to be 6'9", 6'10", some of that neighborhood, Rod.
05:436'10"?
05:44I don't know.
05:45It's hard to tell from here.
05:47Holy cow.
05:49Look at the look on the face.
05:54I don't know.
05:55Do you think it's his cocky?
06:01It doesn't look like he's having a good time.
06:04Do you think he'd steal the gold out of your team?
06:08It was overwhelming.
06:10There was such a huge buildup to who the mystery partner was for Ted Diabiasi's Survivor Series
06:16team.
06:17Nobody ever seen me.
06:18No one ever heard the name Undertaker.
06:19When Undertaker first started, his presence and his look was really magic.
06:24We've never had anything like this in the WWF before.
06:26The Undertaker came in as a rookie and debuted at the Survivor Series in 1990.
06:32And there was something about him, the spark that he generated.
06:35The music came out, which was that old organ, like a funeral dirge song.
06:39And it was like, it really captured everybody's imagination and attention.
06:43The whole presentation of the character was very unique and very extraordinary.
06:48The music treatment was very moving and gripping.
06:51The lighting treatments in the early going were very novel, very revolutionary in the business.
06:57Vince had a vision.
06:59He always liked the old Western Undertaker with the long coat and the hat.
07:05He thought I fit the bill.
07:06Vince McMahon takes a guy like that, gives him a character, gives him something to go behind.
07:10And all of a sudden, it turns into a mind-boggling success.
07:15I learned a lot from mistakes.
07:20Actually, I learned quite a bit from Jake Roberts, good and bad.
07:25Jake was probably, in my opinion, had one of the best wrestling minds as far as psychology
07:32and how to present his character to the audience.
07:35From the time Jake hit that arena until the time he left, man, he was Jake the Snake.
07:40I also watched his brilliance in the ring and applied it to what The Undertaker was going to be about.
07:49So, here I am, you know, just about a year into my career with the World Wrestling Federation
07:56and I find myself going up against Hulk Hogan.
07:59The slam by the Hulkster.
08:04What business does he have down there?
08:08Well, you better talk to Mr. Perfect about that or talk to Ric Flair.
08:12I don't know.
08:13I mean it, I really don't know.
08:16Hulkster finally says, what are you doing down here?
08:24It unloads on Ric Flair.
08:27Why would he go touch Flair?
08:29Flair never touched the ring, he never got involved in the match.
08:32What business does Flair have down there?
08:34I don't know, but he doesn't deserve to be struck.
08:37And a big boot by the Hulkster.
08:39From the outside, it's Paul Bear grabbing the leg of the Hulkster.
08:45Referee's lost control on this one.
08:50Look at this, Flair with a chair, a steel chair.
08:56He got pile dripped right into the steel chair.
09:01Wait a minute.
09:02One.
09:03Come on.
09:04Two.
09:05Get out.
09:06We got a new world champion.
09:08Wrestling Federation champion.
09:11Woo!
09:15I told you so.
09:16If I was a fan of the new world champion.
09:19And new World Wrestling Federation champion,
09:25The Undertaker.
09:29Hulkamania is dead!
09:39It is dead!
09:41Long live The Undertaker!
09:43At that time, Hulk Hogan was everything in wrestling.
09:46And to his credit, he'll go down in history as one of the biggest icons in wrestling.
09:51And I beat him.
09:52I think in the Hogan era, here in the WWF, anyone that defeated Hogan was denoted as a player.
10:00The strangest thing about that was that night, it was in Joe Lewis in Detroit.
10:04When we went out, although I was being portrayed as the antagonist, the heel, when I came out that night,
10:11I think it was probably about 60-40 as far as the fans were, they were cheering for me.
10:16And The Undertaker, Hogan saw a man larger than him, extremely athletic, very believable,
10:23and a potential great opponent over the course of time.
10:27And it was a good call because it gave him great notoriety in the early part of his career.
10:31That was the beginning of, you know, people who were already getting with that character.
10:36And I think it was kind of a start of a change in the times of that lollipop, goody-two-shoe, whole persona.
10:45Actually, I thought it would come sooner than a year.
10:48I thought it would be about six months.
10:50And you had no choice but to put him against the champion, Hulk Hogan.
10:54And from there, he just took off.
10:56I remember the Inferno match he had with Kane and flying over the top rope with the flames just below him.
11:13It just looked so insane.
11:15And for his proportions, I have a tough time doing that.
11:17He shouldn't be able to.
11:18The thing that impressed me most about the Inferno match probably wasn't the heat.
11:21It was the sight of seeing The Undertaker at 6'10 or 11 and 330 pounds waltzing over the top rope onto me.
11:27And despite what happened in that match, that was still the most impressive thing to me.
11:32You can't even begin to describe how hot that was.
11:35And I was approached with, all right, what we're going to do is we're going to engulf all the ropes in flame,
11:42and you two guys are going to wrestle in it until one of you catches the other one on fire.
11:47I was like, wow, that sounds like a real good idea.
11:50Yeah, anyway.
11:53Fire is a very non-discriminating weapon.
12:00It burns whomever it touches, whether the good guy or the bad guy.
12:04I think to say that they were a little uncomfortable would be an understatement.
12:10There was like no air.
12:11The fire was burning the air up.
12:13You get two, three feet from the ropes, even on the inside, you could feel the heat.
12:20Kane back up now with that steel chair.
12:24Undertaker catches it on his hand.
12:26Kane back in the fire.
12:30Kane's on fire.
12:33Kane is on fire.
12:35Kane is on fire.
12:37He's burning.
12:38Put him out.
12:40Put him out.
12:41He's burning an undertaker.
12:43Woo!
12:52Once it was all said and done and I wasn't the one on fire, it was a pretty cool match.
12:58I think it was challenging for him.
12:59Probably as challenging as anything, maybe even more challenging than Hell in a Cell.
13:04Michael's going up now.
13:05And...
13:06Oh!
13:07On the top of the steps.
13:08He's running!
13:09Oh my God!
13:10Oh my God!
13:11Oh my God!
13:12I don't believe that!
13:13Oh!
13:14Michael!
13:15Probably one of the matches that I'm most proud of, and one that I actually lost, was the
13:21Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels.
13:22The best Hell in a Cell match was versus Shawn Michaels.
13:23The very first one.
13:24One of my top five favorite matches I've ever seen.
13:26The first time that guys had ever stood on the cage, and he ran Shawn into the cage from
13:28the outside, climbed up to the top, threw him off the side.
13:32And that match was awesome.
13:33I remember sitting at home, and Jeff and I, you know, we were big and we were big and
13:38fans of, you know, different matches and things that were high impact and were a risk we're
13:55taking or whatever, and people really turn up the voltage a little bit in a match.
13:58You know, don't just do the status quo.
14:00And I remember just watching the match between Taker and Shawn.
14:03It was one of those times where you just go, wow!
14:06That was unbelievable.
14:08That was the psychology of a good cage match.
14:11He showed that he had the mind, he had the physical ability, he worked his ass off.
14:15Man, what a match that was.
14:16That to me is the epitome of the Undertaker career, was that match right there.
14:26Once again, Undertaker against Shawn Michaels in a casket match.
14:29And that was where I, I ripped the casket on fire, trying to go and pay back for it after
14:34me when I was 10 years old.
14:36The casket is on fire!
14:37The Undertaker is in the casket!
14:40I have a lot of memories of The Undertaker.
14:42One stands out in my mind especially is when they actually had Undertaker rise to the top
14:47of the ceiling like going to heaven.
14:52Oh my, what?
14:53What?
14:54We've never seen anything.
14:55What?
14:56Anything quite like this.
14:57What is this?
14:58What is this?
14:59Oh, wait a minute.
15:00Wait just a minute.
15:01What is going on?
15:02What is going on?
15:03What is going on?
15:04I don't believe what I'm seeing.
15:06What is going on?
15:07What is going on?
15:08What is going on?
15:09What is going on?
15:10I don't believe what I'm seeing.
15:13When he wrestled The Mock Undertaker at SummerSlam in 1994, that was intriguing to me.
15:22The old entrance with the flames over top and he came out with that huge Batman-like cape.
15:27Just really eerie stuff with the purple lighting and the fog and the mist and everything.
15:30It was such a build up when he came out with the Blackbird.
15:34Spectacular.
15:35Minneapolis, my hometown.
15:37We had SummerSlam there two years ago.
15:40It was Kane and I against Taker and Big Show.
15:43It was one of the biggest matches of my career probably if not the biggest.
15:46Just being in there with Taker is a big deal.
15:49We got the team with him and Kane.
15:52It was myself, Jeff, him and Kane against Stone Cold, Triple H, Edge and Christian.
15:56I remember it was great.
15:57We came halfway down the ramp and Jeff and I got a great reaction.
15:59The Taker and Kane came out and they got a great reaction.
16:01It was really cool being with someone, you know, that is such a legend in the business.
16:05You know, and someone that I'd watched growing up to actually be out there and get to team with.
16:17That is a, puts goosebumps on my back there.
16:19That makes the hair on my neck stand up.
16:21I like it.
16:22They're fighting on a steel roof of this cell.
16:26That's a steel chair that Mankind is using.
16:29My gosh, look at this, it broke through.
16:31It broke through.
16:32It broke through.
16:33That's a lot of weight.
16:34There's over two, three hundred pounders up there.
16:37They're destroying the hell in the cell.
16:42And my God, don't get them over here where we are.
16:44What's gonna happen here?
16:45Undertaker fighting back.
16:46He's fighting back that round above us, folks.
16:47And I don't like it a damn bit.
16:48My God.
16:49Look at that.
16:50Look at that.
16:51Oh man!
16:52The God Almighty!
16:53The God Almighty!
16:54They killed him!
16:55The God Almighty!
16:56The God Almighty!
16:57They killed him!
16:58Oh my God!
16:59The God Almighty!
17:00The God Almighty!
17:01They killed him!
17:02Oh my God!
17:03As God as my witness, he is broken in half!
17:08The Hell in a Cell match, a lot of people have said, well, that was the greatest cage match
17:16of all time.
17:17I don't know about that, but it was a display of one man's body being taken to the limit.
17:23It's a really strange thing.
17:25That building, the fans of Pittsburgh call it the igloo because the Penguins play hockey
17:28there.
17:29But it's probably one of the, it's kind of like going to Soldier Field in Chicago.
17:32It's just got a lot of character.
17:34It has a lot of history.
17:35But it's kind of dark and kind of eerie in places.
17:40Walking around that day getting ready for the show, I had some of a strange feeling
17:44that this was going to be kind of a memorable night.
17:47Good God!
17:48You know, I just, I couldn't believe it.
17:50If they didn't play it back 20 times, we'd have played it back, which we did.
17:53The things that him and Mick did were just unbelievable.
17:57To me, it was nuts.
17:58Did he just throw him off the cage?
18:00I think he did just throw him off the cage.
18:02When I actually watched that Hell in a Cell match, I was with everybody watching the monitor
18:06in the back and then I walked out and I watched it alone.
18:08You could feel an aura in the building.
18:10History is going to be made right now.
18:12I mean, because when Mick Foley gets on top of the cage with Undertaker, you know something's
18:17going to happen.
18:18Something's going to happen serious.
18:19Undertaker was standing up on the cage in his presence.
18:21I remember the people were up.
18:22And I remember I was sitting in a living room watching the pay-per-view with like nine
18:25or ten friends.
18:26And I remember the feeling in the living room was just giving us all chills.
18:28You know, so I couldn't imagine how it would have been to be at the arena.
18:30It's okay.
18:31Now they're on the top of the cage.
18:32Hopefully it's been reinforced.
18:33Hopefully it's solid.
18:34But there's no mat.
18:35There's nothing to break your fall.
18:36I mean, you're going to fall on steel.
18:37You're going to fall on either the crossbar that holds it or you're going to fall on
18:41the mesh.
18:42Those wrestlers know how to fall.
18:43How in the hell do you learn how to fall on steel without hurting?
18:46You don't.
18:47But for God forbid, I had no idea that Mick was going to be tossed off the cage, which
18:52really shocked me.
18:53I mean, legitimately shocked me, scared me the whole nine yards.
18:57I can't believe either one of them are still walking, to be honest with you.
19:00It was the one and only time that I can remember in my 15-year career that I felt like
19:06I had an outer body experience.
19:09I just let go of him, and I'm sitting there, and I'm watching him fall, which seemed like
19:15it took forever for him, you know, before he hit the table.
19:19And it was almost as if I could see him falling, and I could see myself standing there watching
19:24him fall.
19:25And it just seemed like that moment, which was only a moment, you know, it seemed like
19:31it just took forever.
19:32You look down and Mick's there, and you see he's still breathing, which is a good sign.
19:35And he's moving around a little bit, and then you look up at The Undertaker, and it was
19:39one of the most dominating presence I've ever seen.
19:42He looked like he'd been through hell and back, and there he stood, on top.
19:46On top of the world.
19:47On top of the cage.
19:48On top of the king of the ring.
19:50And symbolically, on top of the WWF.
19:53You can see it on video.
19:54You can watch it back.
19:56You just can't comprehend the magnitude of what that was.
20:02Unless you're actually standing up there on top of that cage, cell, and seeing how high
20:09it is, and then the impact for which he hit.
20:11It just, you know, the tape doesn't do it justice.
20:16It was off the chart, man.
20:23In time, your World Wrestling Federation will belong to me.
20:36What?
20:37One by one, they will all fall before my ministry.
20:44That was kind of like the last facet of the whole darker side that I brought out.
20:51You know, Vince had this vision of that Undertaker character.
20:55Fortunately, he allowed me to make the essence of it.
20:59You know, this guy came out there, and he commenced to beating on people.
21:04Whoa, this guy is, you know, he doesn't scream and holler, and he doesn't talk about taking
21:08his vitamins and saying his prayers.
21:10He doesn't talk about beating somebody.
21:12He talks about beating them and taking their soul.
21:14People got caught up in the fantasy of it all.
21:16It just kind of became cool to be dark.
21:20In its grandest vision, in its grandest dream, and in my ministry's destiny,
21:28I will own the World Wrestling Federation.
21:35I think one of the reasons why it was so successful is it's very genuine.
21:40I've always been one that was kind of fascinated with the darkness and
21:43came out so genuine because it was.
21:46People try and go out there and portray this character, and it looks contrived,
21:50and it looks like they're trying to be something, you know, that they're not.
21:54And you didn't get that with The Undertaker because what I was doing was coming natural to me.
21:59I took away some of these other wrestlers' names and give them their own ministry names,
22:04and I think a lot of people that were involved in it benefited from the spotlight that they hadn't had before.
22:11I was happy that a lot of guys were brought up through the ministry.
22:15The Edge and Christian were part of it, the Acolytes.
22:19It was interesting. It was very visual.
22:21Hanging Austin on my symbol with me down below with the eyes rolled back and looking very demonic.
22:29Oh, those were the good old days.
22:32The ministry was good, but it was also one of my low points, too,
22:37because I allowed the ministry to join the corporation,
22:41and it allowed The Undertaker to be part of something else that wasn't derived from The Undertaker.
22:48Naturally, with the McMahons involved, the issue is going to revolve around them.
22:52I hate everyone, but Austin, your name is on top of the list.
23:05Who in the hell do you think you are?
23:08I take these ideas and then, I mean, I try to provoke some emotion from them,
23:14whether it be good or bad.
23:16You know, at the time, I felt like being the antagonist, the heel of the whole situation.
23:19So, I mean, I turned what was cool into something that was kind of weird, you know?
23:25Now, you will know why you are afraid of the dark, and you will learn why.
23:40Oh!
23:44When you start talking about sacrificing people and brainwashing people,
23:49and, you know, it disturbed some people.
23:51And the fact that I had the robes that looked like the very ceremonial robes,
23:55and my whole set that I had built up to look like a, you know, a demonic altar, you know?
24:01It was, it kind of got under people's skin a little bit,
24:04and especially when, you know, I went after the likes of Austin and The Rock and, you know,
24:09which when those guys are fan favorites, you just don't cross them.
24:12You will provoke the fans aggression, which is what I wanted, you know?
24:17Yeah.
24:20Although, at this point in my career, we've kind of evolved from that,
24:24you know, it's still all there, you know?
24:26And it's just, you're just getting to see another version of The Undertaker now.
24:31About a year or so ago, I went through two really serious injuries,
24:37serious enough to where I contemplated retirement.
24:40Anyway, I took this ride, and I was just like,
24:42everything that's happened over the past 10, 11 years has,
24:46for some reason, brought me to this point.
24:48I didn't want to go out in the midst of self-doubt
24:51and whether my body was going to hold up anymore.
24:54The thought came over me, you know, and it was like,
24:56you know what, you're going to make a comeback.
24:59You know what, you're going to go back to the top of the pile.
25:02You're going to be the big dog in the yard.
25:04And, you know, there's just no two ways about it.
25:08As I lay me down to sleep, I pray my soul is mine to keep my soul.
25:18And never step outside this bed, never into all the evil.
25:26Now back from the dead.
25:29What the hell?
25:31My God.
25:39I got it.
25:40It's The Undertaker.
25:41What?
25:42It's The Undertaker.
25:47He's coming from McMahon.
25:49You've got to believe.
25:50Or is he?
25:51Yes!
25:52The Undertaker.
25:53It's with an ass.
25:54The feet on him.
25:56Touch slam to hell.
25:57Look out, Vince.
25:58Get away.
25:59Oh!
26:00Right hand by The Undertaker.
26:01Knocking McMahon out.
26:02Oh, my God.
26:03It's carnage.
26:04The Undertaker could have stayed in his original persona to this very day and still be doing
26:19extremely well.
26:20But he had the confidence.
26:21He had the belief that he needed to change.
26:25He really is, in today's American Badass presentation, about as close to who he is as he could be.
26:33The Undertaker is truly an American Badass, not just as his character, but in real life.
26:40It was just a little strange because I was going to be giving the people something that they had never seen from me.
26:45That was a little odd at first.
26:47But I think that the character had to evolve that way to continue on.
26:51The key to longevity in wrestling is being able to change.
26:54Change with the times.
26:55It's more believable to have him come out as this badass who comes out on a motorcycle, which is more him, and then kicks ass.
27:02The Undertaker is kicking ass, but he's not taking no names.
27:07I think Dead Man Inc. is open for business tonight!
27:11What really is cool about Taker is that over the years, if you've taken a picture, each month you took a picture of him,
27:18and there's a period of time where you'd see him change and change and change and re-adapt and re-mold.
27:25He's like the Madonna of wrestling, and what I mean by that is he's not like a blonde, big-breasted girl.
27:31He's always stayed ahead of the curve, and just when things start to get a little bit stale, he changes his look, his costume,
27:36his character.
27:37He was like the biker Undertaker, but that leather trench coat was the link to the old Undertaker,
27:43so people didn't see a completely new character right off the bat.
27:46They saw kind of the slow transformation from the guy that they knew to the guy that they were going to know.
27:51I don't know.
27:52I mean, if we change his name back to his real name, and you ask him to do a promo or an interview,
27:58he would sound like he sounds right now.
28:01That's his natural self.
28:02The Undertaker is part of who I am as a person.
28:06For all these years that I was that dark and mysterious Undertaker, people were like,
28:11well, I wonder what he's like.
28:12You know, I wonder what he's like when he's not in an arena or when he's not on television.
28:17Well, I brought that, I combined the two now.
28:20I mean, what you see on TV is probably what you'd see out on the street.
28:23Leonard Baker, I would like to apologize for ruining your tag team title match.
28:30The king of the ring, Kurt Angle, on that sector right to the knee of the Undertaker.
28:35And for soiling your motorbike with milk.
28:41Milk doesn't find you good, but I don't think it applies to motorcycles.
28:44As they would say on the streets, my bad.
28:47Now, I realize you won't accept my apology, but I do believe I have something that you will,
28:52accept.
28:53I want you to look at your brand new sleek scooter.
28:57I'm gonna kick your teeth so far down your throat, you'll be able to chew your own ass out for me off.
29:02What are you gonna do, Kurt?
29:04What is he doing?
29:05Wait, Kurt's gonna hit Triple H.
29:07Kurt Angle clocked The Undertaker.
29:09That sledgehammer was meant for Triple H.
29:11Write this down.
29:12Kurt Angle is on The Undertaker's most wanted list.
29:17As far as hitting you in the head with the sledgehammer, Undertaker,
29:21I am really sorry about that.
29:23Nobody wanted to see that happen, especially me.
29:26Almost as much as nobody wants to see you and me fight at Fully Loaded.
29:30The Undertaker coming right after Kurt Angle.
29:34The Olympian, our hero, is running from The Undertaker.
29:38You know, over the past few weeks, I've been a nervous wreck.
29:44But this morning, I had a revelation.
29:47I've been literally scared, afraid, of a man who rides a bicycle.
29:54Undertaker, I am no longer scared of you.
29:57Kurt Angle!
29:58My God!
29:59What is he doing?
30:00What is he?
30:01He just poured something over The Undertaker's motorcycle.
30:03You'd think if Kurt Angle was scared of The Undertaker, he would have done that?
30:06Kurt Angle, he better turn around and run.
30:08Look at that!
30:09Kurt Angle from behind!
30:10He got a wrist!
30:11Going for the knees in The Undertaker!
30:13He may be breaking The Undertaker's knees!
30:15How badly is The Undertaker hurt?
30:17The American Badass against The Great American Hero!
30:24Undertaker giving Angle a beating.
30:26Same time, Angle has focused on The Undertaker's knees.
30:28I don't even understand how The Undertaker's standing right now.
30:30Because he's The Undertaker.
30:32He is truly an American Badass.
30:35Look out, look out here!
30:37Don't do it!
30:38A one-off!
30:39Toe Slam!
30:40Toe Slam!
30:41By The Undertaker!
30:42That should be enough right there!
30:45Look at The Undertaker!
30:46He doesn't want to just win this match.
30:49He wants to hurt Kurt!
30:51It's true, it's true!
30:53The Undertaker, pure evil intentions directed toward Kurt Angle.
30:59He is the American Badass.
31:02My gosh.
31:03Not the last ride.
31:05The last ride, indeed.
31:07How aptly named is this maneuver?
31:10Listen to the impact of this.
31:12You're not gonna like this, Robbo!
31:14No!
31:15No!
31:16He's standing like a car crash!
31:18He's standing like a car crash!
31:21One, two, three!
31:24It was my first main event match, and The Undertaker went out there and threw me around like a rag doll.
31:29I do remember being out there and just feeling the strength of the guy.
31:35You know, what he could do to me.
31:36When he gave me the last ride, he hoisted me up and threw me up in the air.
31:39I thought I was gonna keep going.
31:41And before I knew it, I was flat on my back.
31:43And he's the badass with the last ride.
31:45And anybody he faces, he's gonna get the last ride.
31:48And that's the last you're gonna see of him.
31:55I've retained a lot of the characteristics that people are, that know The Undertaker and expect.
32:00But I've brought it into 2000 and 2001.
32:04I've updated it so more people can identify with the person that The Undertaker is.
32:09The similarities I see between the character and him is that what you see is what you get.
32:19For all those years, when I was struggling and people were telling me that I'd never amount to anything in this industry or this business, you know,
32:29there was always one thing I always had, and that was my motorcycle.
32:33This bike here was actually the first brand new motorcycle that I ever bought.
32:37I bought this for myself after I beat Hulk Hogan for the world title in 91.
32:41It was kind of like, I think I've made it.
32:45Anybody who knows anything about me knows that I love skulls.
32:48On my own artifacts, my motorcycles, I just think they look cool.
32:54This was actually given to me by a close personal friend of mine.
32:58It is my basic setup for a motorcycle.
33:00Black, fast, usually it'll start right up.
33:04You're gonna put me on the spot here.
33:10You know, although you have moments out on the road where, you know, you really get in the throttle and hit it,
33:15it's a complete different feeling when you're in an arena.
33:19And here comes the American badass!
33:21Here comes this cat on this badass motorcycle, and, you know, he's riding around the ring like he's just out on the road, you know?
33:28At WrestleMania 17 in Houston, you know, Houston being where I grew up.
33:34I'm sitting on one of my own bikes on that stage in front of 60-some-odd thousand people.
33:40It was one of those times where, you know, the hair on your arm stands up and you just have an adrenaline rush that's just peaked off the chart.
33:49This bike here actually isn't mine. This is Sarah's bike. She enjoys riding behind me, but now she's ready to start out on her own.
33:59It was a gift. I give it to her for our first anniversary. She's taken to it pretty well.
34:03There's the undertaker and his wife, Sarah.
34:05At first, I was really hesitant to even bring her on and to make her a public figure like that.
34:10Also, on the other hand, I really enjoy her company. We get along so well, and the fact that I could actually spend more than two days a week with her was the deciding factor.
34:22He always tells me to just relax and have fun, and that's, you know, the best advice he ever gave me.
34:30I go out there and I don't think of it as working. I think of it as having fun.
34:35DDP with a side set up, Sarah! Get away from her!
34:39DDP is making his move! Get away from her!
34:40DDP is making his move!
34:41I love being physical. You know, you have so much adrenaline when you're doing it.
34:46Sarah climbing a cage! What the hell, Sarah?
34:49I think Sarah rounds out the Undertaker's character very well. We understand now that the Undertaker cares about certain people too, as opposed to just whipping people's asses.
34:59As far as Sarah goes, she's the toughest chick that I know.
35:04The Undertaker's wife and The Undertaker are very much alike.
35:08We're both avid boxing fans.
35:10My wife is not an ordinary woman.
35:12We're both really big sports freaks.
35:14You know, she's all woman, but she's also very much a tomboy, so it kind of gives me a bud to run around with.
35:20She likes to get in there and get her hands dirty. She likes to throw punches. She likes submission wrestling.
35:26One day I made the mistake of teaching Sarah the arm bar, and it's come back to haunt me.
35:32And then she takes her body weight and rolls back. I have no choice other than to fall back with her.
35:38If she thinks this is funny, it hyperextends my elbow. And although it doesn't look like much, there's no way to get out of this, and it hurts like hell.
35:48I'm pretty much right now at her mercy. I just did that for your sake. I would never tap out.
36:00This guy here is an original dead man. First major, major tattoo was an eight-hour session.
36:08Probably my favorite tattoo is this guy here. It's kind of the demon and the thinker kind of all combined together.
36:15Probably one of the best pieces that I have. That and, of course, my Sarah tattoo, which happens to be the most painful.
36:22It's a good thing there's no H on Sarah.
36:25What makes me bad is the fact that I don't have to act bad. In the ring or out of the ring, I don't have to let you know how bad I am.
36:35If you feel like you want to try me, hey, so be it. You know what I mean? I don't know what being bad is.
36:44I mean, I know what bad behavior is, because I've been there, too. But as far as being bad, I say, I'm not bad, but the bad don't mess with me. How about that?
36:56Not too many people in this world being that size can do the things he does.
37:02You know, we're talking about the Undertaker matching every bit of athleticism as an Olympic champion myself.
37:08I can compare him to myself when you talk about athletic ability. He's a true great world-class athlete.
37:13This man would think nothing of hitting the ropes, diving over the top rope and jumping on an opponent outside the ring.
37:19But Undertaker isn't known as a high flyer. He's known as a giant, but yet he uses some of the same tactics as a high flyer.
37:26That makes him unique as a professional wrestler here in the World Wrestling Federation.
37:31As the years go on, he's gotten better and better, whereas you see some performers and their ability of their performance deteriorates over time.
37:39His never has, because he's smart enough to adjust and adapt.
37:44That's gotta be, that's gotta be Kane! That's gotta be Kane!
37:50I first appeared in the WWF at the original helmet cell match, October 5th, 1997, in St. Louis.
37:57Oh my God, he just ripped the door off its hinges!
38:02Of course, for some time, the WWF fans had been hearing that Undertaker's brother Kane was still alive.
38:09Look at the size of this human being! Or is that a human being?
38:13I knew the type of wrestler and the type of person that Undertaker was.
38:16I didn't know if anybody could live up to that standard as far as being his brother, but actually I was wrong.
38:23Kane hasn't even got close to peaking yet. He has so much raw talent. Physically, he is probably one of the strongest guys ever to work in this business.
38:36He really strives to work hard and do the best that's within him.
38:42One of my more favorite matches was the first time that we actually wrestled at WrestleMania in Boston.
38:49Of just all out physical war.
38:52I think as big as the star that Kane is now, I still think that he will achieve even greater heights.
38:59Kane is something really extraordinary.
39:02He always brings out the best in Kane. He always brings out the best in everybody.
39:08One thing I've learned from him is that every time you go out, you give it everything you have.
39:15Whether you're hurt, whether you don't feel like it that night, whatever.
39:20You always give everything you have.
39:22And I think that's probably the greatest lesson that I've learned from my brother.
39:26This would be the third tombstone.
39:30Yes, he got it.
39:32And will this be enough?
39:34My God, what will it take if it's not?
39:37Yes.
39:38The Undertaker has won this match.
39:48Here is your winner, The Undertaker.
39:53Well, the first time I met The Undertaker,
39:58it was probably the first day I was in the company,
40:00but the second day I ever appeared on the WWE TV
40:02was in a promo segment where I interrupted The Undertaker.
40:07Personification of evil?
40:10I say personification of boredom.
40:13Whoa!
40:15The only thing scary about you two is the amount of TV time you get,
40:23which causes the people to pick up the remote and change the channel,
40:28looking for a hero.
40:30I don't think I would have said a lot of things that I said then today,
40:34after knowing Taker and knowing the respect that he has and that he commands
40:37and that I have for him.
40:38Hey boy, I don't know who you are or who you think you are, but judging from
40:47that peach fuzz you're trying to grow on your chin, I can tell I got more shower
40:53time than you've got ring time.
40:55And if you ever, and I mean ever, decide to interrupt me again, it will be your last time.
41:04And that is a promise.
41:08It was pretty funny because I realized afterwards that I thought,
41:12maybe I better be a little bit more careful with things that I say about some of the guys, you know?
41:17When you look at him, you just know that he is a badass and he is a leader.
41:21A guy that doesn't take from anybody.
41:24A guy that's very blunt.
41:26He's very honest.
41:28But he'll tell you like it is, and too bad if you don't like it.
41:31I think the one thing that has made him so successful,
41:35I mean you can talk about how tough he is.
41:37You can talk about how big and bad he is.
41:40But the guy's got wits.
41:42He's smart.
41:43He's one of the smartest guys I know.
41:45And you talk about being dangerous with, you know, your physical ability.
41:49But this guy is even more dangerous because he has it up here.
41:53And he has it better than anybody else I know.
41:55He's the kind of guy that when he goes out there,
41:57every single time he wrestles he tells a story.
42:00He gets it.
42:01He gets the business.
42:02He knows how to entertain these fans.
42:04He knows how to grab these people's attention and keep it.
42:07The Undertaker is the man.
42:09Angle's Olympic and amateur skills have yet to be utilized thus far in this match.
42:16He just utilized one of his three eyes, intelligence.
42:19I've never actually seen anybody come along so fast as Kurt Angle.
42:25Not a very bright move there.
42:28He's almost prodigy like as far as his transformation from amateur athlete into sports entertainment.
42:34He has picked up not only on the physical aspects of what it is we do, but just the personality side of it.
42:42I'm real high on Kurt Angle and what he's done and what he's accomplished in such a short amount of time.
42:51Please, I'm begging you, put it down.
42:52That would be a nasty fall, wouldn't it?
42:54What do you want?
42:55I want a match with Triple H at WrestleMania, one on one.
43:00I can't do that.
43:01What?
43:02Put it down, please.
43:03Hey, sit down here.
43:04No.
43:05No, please.
43:06No.
43:07You got what you want.
43:08You got your match.
43:15Triple H, in my opinion, is the best of the best.
43:20I think as I move on and as I leave this industry, he'll probably be the one that kind of ends up with my role.
43:27He has such a sharp mind for our business.
43:30He's an in-ring technician, top shelf performer, and he studies the game.
43:35He is what he says he is.
43:37He is the game.
43:39Start to play the game.
43:41If I was going to start my own promotion, I would start with Triple H.
43:46The one Taker moment that comes to mind that is awesome was at WrestleMania 17 this year.
43:55Usually when Taker comes out on his bike, he's got, I don't know, 30, 40, 50 feet.
43:59At the dome, he opened that sucker up because he had probably, I don't know, 300, 400 feet to get to the ring.
44:08And it was really cool to see him be able to just open that bad boy up and just rip it up to the ring.
44:12And it was like, man, that is a cool entrance.
44:15The Undertaker has never lost at this sports entertainment spectacular.
44:20It's not that win-loss records are really that important in our business.
44:28The confidence in The Undertaker and the perpetuation of his legacy is one of the contributing factors to the fact that he's never lost at WrestleMania.
44:37I guess I'm pretty proud of the fact because that's our, I mean, that's our Super Bowl.
44:41That's our World Series.
44:42Maybe the day when it comes when I retire, I'll be undefeated at WrestleMania.
44:45That'll be my legacy.
44:46The legacy of The Undertaker.
44:47Don't get William at WrestleMania.
44:49Monday night, some sorry ass called the Cincinnati PD and told them that my wife was in a car wreck.
45:01I heard her face is all mangled and twisted cuff.
45:06Come to find out everybody's just fine.
45:09My wife's fine.
45:10There was no wreck.
45:11Hey Undertaker, it was me all along.
45:15It was Stone Cold Steve Austin.
45:17What a no good, heinous human being.
45:19Austin mastermind the conspiracy.
45:21Rest with my family and I will hurt you.
45:24So tonight, let's let the pain and suffering begin.
45:28Wait a minute, Undertaker, Undertaker with a chain.
45:32Undertaker attacking Austin.
45:34My name is Stone Cold Steve Austin.
45:38I'm the WWF champion, I do not deserve this.
45:41Come on, let's go.
45:42Driver, go.
45:43Help, boys.
45:46It was The Undertaker test.
45:48My name is Stone Cold Steve Austin.
45:50I'm the WWF champion, I do not deserve this.
45:53Stone Cold may pay with his heart and his soul when Austin meets The Undertaker for
45:58the World Wrestling Federation Championship.
46:02At Judgment Day, I know The Undertaker ain't got a chance in hell against Stone Cold Steve Austin.
46:08I don't like you, I don't respect you.
46:10I sure as hell don't fear you.
46:13My name is Stone Cold Steve Austin.
46:15I am The World Wrestling Federation champ.
46:17You better give your soul to the Lord, because your ass belongs to me.
46:24It's gonna be an explosion.
46:26I'm in different horses.
46:29Here comes The Undertaker, a three time WWF champion.
46:33A man who has defeated Stone Cold for the WWF title.
46:38Undertaker going after Austin.
46:39Austin made the hideous phone calls with The Undertaker's wife.
46:43That stupid, ridiculous hoax.
46:46And now Stone Cold's gonna pay for it.
46:49With body and soul, it may be the WWF title.
46:52Early advantage going to The Undertaker.
46:556'10", well over 300 pounds, and he's taking the fight to the WWF champion.
47:01This is about retribution, and payback, and beating the hell out of the rattlesnake.
47:07I always get a little extra boost when I'm gonna wrestle against Steve.
47:11The challenger for the WWF title.
47:14Ruthless and relentless.
47:16But he has to be ruthless and relentless, because he's not in there with just anybody.
47:21He's in there with the rattlesnake.
47:23He brings a lot of intensity into whatever he does.
47:26When somebody has the same type passion for what they're doing as I do,
47:30it always makes for a pretty interesting time out there in the ring.
47:35There it is!
47:36The suplex!
47:37As Austin reaches for that steel chair.
47:40Oh, my God Almighty!
47:42Did you hear the sickening thud?
47:44A steel on skull!
47:47And that's what The Undertaker thinks of Austin.
47:50Stunner!
47:51Austin got the stunner!
47:53It's over!
47:54Austin get the stunner!
47:56It's gotta be!
47:57It is!
47:58No, it's not!
48:00No way!
48:01The Undertaker kicked down the stunner!
48:03And now Austin's armed again with that steel chair.
48:07Lunacy!
48:08Chaos!
48:10Sick and perverted.
48:11What has happened to this human being?
48:13Retribution!
48:14And there's a low blow back at Austin!
48:18Taker has Austin by the throat!
48:20Look out!
48:21Austin went for the ride!
48:23Maybe his last ride!
48:25And The Undertaker has the chair!
48:28And now The Undertaker is wearing out!
48:31Mr. McMahon's corporate WWF by God champion!
48:35And here comes Triple A!
48:36What's that son of a bitch doing here?
48:38And now Mr. McMahon's son-in-law is getting the hell beat out of him!
48:42Austin got nailed!
48:45There's the cover!
48:46And Mr. McMahon broke it up!
48:49My God, that's not fair!
48:51Mr. McMahon getting the hell beat out of him!
48:54Austin nailed McMahon!
48:57That man is getting The Undertaker!
49:00Off to the last ride!
49:01And the sledgehammer to the hip of the game!
49:04There's a cover!
49:06And it's over!
49:08The story of Austin and The Undertaker I think is far from over.
49:15I don't know, I guess you can't keep his rednecks down.
49:18My gut instinct tells me somewhere, someday, we're gonna hook up one more time.
49:23Who's to know what we'll bring out of this character before it's all said and done?
49:27I'd like to be remembered as somebody who was pretty much a stand-up guy.
49:32I'd like to be known as somebody that took pride in the company that they worked for.
49:37And somebody that give his all for the fans and for this industry.
49:48Do you know where you're standing?
49:51You're trespassing on private property.
49:56When you walk through here, you're in my yard.
50:01The yard is obviously symbolic of the ring, and you come in the ring,
50:05I'm the biggest dog in the yard, and so beware.
50:08You don't wanna be here.
50:10And his T-shirt says it all.
50:12Bad things happen in my yard.
50:15An explosive chokeslam by The Undertaker!
50:18Bad things have been happening here for a very long time.
50:22The Undertaker looks like he's in some mood tonight.
50:25I think they call it a decade of destruction.
50:29This is Vintage Undertaker!
50:30You're right!
50:34This is not your yard.
50:36This is my ring, dammit!
50:38When Daddy wakes up, tell him The Undertaker took back his yard.
50:44In a reality-based way, the yard is the hallowed grounds that the WWF Superstars perform in.
50:53And if you're gonna walk in that yard, which is dominated by the guy that's been here the longest uninterrupted, then you're gonna do it with pride, you're gonna do it with character, or you're gonna answer to those that are waiting for you in the back, like The Undertaker.
51:07It is his yard, and nobody lays down in the yard.
51:10When he says this is his yard and he's the big dog, well, it really is.
51:15I mean, back here you know that he's the man, and there's a reason for it.
51:19Taker has been the one that has been here through everything.
51:24He knows exactly how to carry himself.
51:27He's got wisdom to give to people that want to receive it.
51:31When you're talking to him, he makes you feel like your time right then is his.
51:35He's listening to you, and you know, for that time, however long it is, he's going to be genuine and listen to what you have to say and be real.
51:43The advice that he gives is advice that you need to go by.
51:47Taker's got a lot of stroke.
51:49If I could sum Taker up in one word, it would be respect.
51:56He's got that rare attribute for a sports entertainer, which is the legendary status.
52:02And a lot of guys, when they achieve that legendary status, they can float along and rest on their laurels.
52:07But Taker doesn't do that.
52:09Undertaker! Float through the air! Taken out the coalition!
52:13And he hit the ropes, and he jumped straight over the top rope.
52:15Big swan dive over the top rope on the crowd of guys.
52:18I mean, he didn't have to do that, but he did.
52:20Why? Because he works his ass off every night.
52:22And when he grabs that hand and he's about ready to climb the top rope and yells out,
52:26Old school! That's what he is, old school.
52:28And that's not bad, because he has the respect for the business, he understands the business,
52:32and he's passed the torch time and time again, but he's still got many more torches to pass on,
52:37and he has no problem doing that if the time is right and if the guys are right.
52:40I think the legacy that The Undertaker will leave will be untouchable.
52:47The Undertaker! No one quite like him!
52:51Twenty years from now, the wildest thing about him is that as much as the fans are going to remember him,
52:58the locker room's going to remember him even more.
53:01The more we can keep him in our locker room, the more he's going to accomplish with building the future of this company.
53:08The more that we can expose him to our television audience, the more our fans are going to grow to respect him,
53:15and grow even closer to the character.
53:17There's no shame in going out and fighting and getting your ass kicked.
53:22I couldn't imagine the success that I've been blessed with.
53:25There's no honor in not fighting at all.
53:28You have dreams and you have goals.
53:32Fortunately, I've far exceeded both of those.
53:35I'm tremendously proud of what I've been able to accomplish here.
53:38There's just no way that I could have ever imagined being a headliner in main event status for over a decade with the World Wrestling Federation.
53:45I don't know how anybody could ever dream that.
53:48It's been a great feeling to know that I've had this kind of long-lasting staying power and still, you know, got a few fights left in me.

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