WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker says deep down Chairman Vince McMahon is just one of the boys.
Taker recently appeared on Chris Van Vliet’s “INSIGHT” podcast and was asked about lessons learned from McMahon, who inducted Taker into the WWE Hall of Fame last year. Taker talked about earning his own respect backstage, and how his friends knew he’d always do what was best for business.
“Um, there’s several. You know, and I mentioned it last year in my speech at the Hall of Fame, perception is reality,” Taker said. “And, you know, I think sometimes he may have forgotten that, but I never did. And so that went a long way. Perception is reality and how I dealt with people through my career. I always, I didn’t want anybody to ever think that, you know, that I swerved them or that I had to go behind their back or do anything. What they saw is what they got, and I think that was probably a large factor in people always considering me the locker room leader. Everybody knew my relationship with Vince and Bruce and all of those, Pat Patterson, everybody knew my relationship there.
“But those same guys that I was on the road with, that I was hanging out with and partying with, you know, they knew what happened there was safe, and there was never going to be any crossover. Don’t let what we’re doing at night get in the way of business. I mean, that was a, that was a really strong rule with me. I don’t care what we do, don’t be late, and work hard. That was, that was the only thing that I [told people], don’t get in trouble, don’t make us late, don’t embarrass us, don’t be late to work and work hard. And I think that was why I garnered, I guess the respect because people trust me. And they knew that the two never the two never cross, I was going to do what was best for business, and that’s something that I learned from Vince.”
Taker continued and talked about how Vince is just one of the boys. He also commented on how the WWE product has evolved.
“With Vince, regardless of what anybody thinks, deep in his heart he’s one of the boys, he really is,” Taker said. “And he has that mentality. Things had to change, obviously, whatever, things changed, when the business, when the company went public, there were a lot of changes that had to happen, changes for the better. Everything’s, you know, we’ve evolved into a whole I mean, it is a, I think, I think WWE is in a lot of [ways], a lot more now is regarded in the same way as as other major sports franchises, you know, NBA or the NFL, we’re on that, if we’re not on that level, we’re really close, and the company is run that way. It is not that circus, you know, carny kind of thing anymore. It is a big, huge business, as everybody knows. And that’s the way it’s treated. The product has evolved, and it’s evolved for the better.”
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