The Undertaker says that despite his long career in WWE, Vince McMahon once hurt his ego during a moment that stayed with him.
Speaking on his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker talked about a time when McMahon discussed stripping him of the WWE Title to put it onto “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
He explained that the issue came from creative decisions being discussed in front of other top stars, including Steve Austin, Triple H and Kane. Undertaker expected those conversations to be handled privately, and hearing them laid out in front of others left him embarrassed. He said the situation chipped away at his confidence at the time.
“I beat Stone Cold for the world title. Well, I think it may have been two, maybe three weeks later. We’re doing TV, and Vince brings myself, Steve, Triple H, and Kane into a room, and he’s p*****. He’s like, this isn’t working. Now, I think Kane, I don’t remember what title Kane had. He had a title, or he was doing something. Triple H was the Intercontinental Champion [and] I was the world champion.
And he goes, ‘Look, this isn’t working. We’re going to change things up.’ He says, we’re going to switch this title back to Steve tonight. And then I’m waiting, and I’m like, okay, well, what are they going to do? I guess they’re going to take the title off. He was that upset. Well, basically, the only thing that was changing was the fact that I wasn’t getting over as a champ.”
Even with his status as one of WWE’s most respected performers, Undertaker said the moment reminded him that no one is immune to disappointment when personal pride and creative direction collide.
“That’s obviously a blow to your ego. Yeah, especially to be said in front of your peers, too. It would have been one thing to pull me into the room and say, ‘Hey, look, this isn’t what we thought it was going to be. We’re going to put the belt back on Steve.’ Okay? I’m a professional. I can handle that. But some of the guys that I respect most in the business are in here and listening to you b**** about all this, and all the fingers are pointing at me.”
When Did The Undertaker First Win The WWE Championship?
The Undertaker won the WWE Championship for the first time on November 27 1991, at Survivor Series. He defeated Hulk Hogan in Detroit with a Tombstone that capped off one of the most rapid rises to the top in company history, reaching the title scene barely a year after his debut.
Although the reign was short, since Hogan regained the championship days later at This Tuesday in Texas, the moment established Undertaker as a main event presence and set the stage for the long career that followed.
