The Undertaker did an interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri to discuss his induction into this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony where Vince McMahon will induct him. Here are some of the highlights:
Being inducted by Vince McMahon:
I mean, how else could it be? I mean, it’s such an honor… Our relationship has gone from boss-employee to friends, He’s been like a father figure to me, a brother, a friend. Our relationship has kind of grown outside of the realm of WWE. More times than not when there has to be something to discuss business-wise, it’s someone other than Vince that I discuss it with. We text and call each other and talk about the most obscure things at this point. That’s really cool. When I got the call that they wanted to induct me, there was nobody else that I could think of that I wanted to induct me more so than Vince. Put it this way: he brought me in and he will take me out. So that’s pretty cool.
Having fans at the ceremony:
The short answer is extremely special. The long answer is it’s extremely nerve-wracking. I’ve wrestled in front of 100,000-plus crowds [and] not bad an eye about it. I can get in front of thousands and thousands of people as The Undertaker and cut a promo on somebody. I don’t think twice about it. But what’s going to happen at the Hall of Fame is, yes, you’re going to get a kind of a retrospective of The Undertaker and his 30-plus years with the company, but you’re going to get a look behind the curtain at Mark Calaway. What all of those things that people have been so attached to for all those years, you’re going to find out what those things have meant to me personally. The retirement was during the pandemic and it was what it was. That was easy. I mean, it was hard for me to say that I’m retiring, but it was easy because there was nobody there. Now I’m going to be making eye contact with 15,000 to 20,000 people and try to keep my composure. There are going to be some emotional moments, I’m sure. At this point, I’m extremely honored that I’m being inducted. I’m honored and I’m excited to be able to share some things with the fans who have been with me all these years. It’s really exciting.
Taking a break from speech writing, nervousness:
Actually, I needed a little bit of a break. I’ve been working on the speech. I didn’t realize that the pressure was going to be quite as much as it is, but it’s going to be interesting.
[Maybe] I get stage fright and forget everything that I was going to say that might be it. I might have to do a throat slash, eye-roll and call it a day… I know for me it’s going to be an extremely emotional, special night. Deep down, I’m very thankful that there will be an arena full of people there to see it, and I get to share that with them.
Growing more comfortable with media, but nervous about HOF speech:
Doing this kind of thing has become much more comfortable and speaking about the business. Now, when you started talking about your career and Hall of Fame and then you add fans to it. I’m going to be as honest as I can, I’m going to be a nervous wreck out there because I can share stories of things that have happened from Mark Calaway’s perspective, but actually, to share the things that I’m feeling, that’s going to be a first for me. That’s really going to be new. I can tell stories of things that me and Godfather did years ago and laugh about it.
There are a few stories, some that we could actually say in public. But when you pull the curtain back and you start unravelling the emotions that come with it, it’s going to be a very interesting night for sure. I don’t know how well I’m going to do. When I first started doing this media over the last year or so, I got all the hate from like, ‘Well, there goes my childhood. There goes my childhood.’ Well, what happens when The Undertaker is a babbling, blubbering mess on stage and can’t get a sentence out? You know, that’ll put the nail in the casket, for sure.