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The Undertaker Was Nervous About Pitching His Popular WWE Gimmick Change to Vince McMahon
Despite the success of The American Badas* gimmick, The Undertaker initially felt nervous about pitching the idea to Vince McMahon.
The Undertaker is, without a doubt, on the Mt. Rushmore of several wrestling fans. One major thing that sets him apart from others is the fact that he was able to pull off a supernatural character, which is not an easy feat.
Taker had to deal with the challenges of making his character look believable to the WWE Universe. Anyway, in a bid to avoid staleness of his character, The Undertaker debuted as The American Bada** in 2000.
However, The Phenom was initially nervous to pitch the idea to Vince McMahon. So, how did McMahon react?
The Undertaker recalls feeling nervous about pitching his gimmick change to Vince McMahon
While speaking on his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker recalled feeling apprehensive about introducing the American Badas* character to then-chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon.
The Undertaker expected McMahon to reject the idea, as the character shift was a major departure from his Deadman gimmick. The Undertaker’s biker gimmick appeared more realistic as he rode a bike to the ringside and underwent costume changes as well.
This distinction, of course, gave Taker the opportunity to demonstrate his versatility as a wrestler. But the seven-time WWE World Champion felt worried if his new gimmick would be seen as a joke from McMahon’s perspective.
The Undertaker said, on Six Feet Under: “That was probably what I was most nervous about. Not the night that I’d debut it but actually telling Vince, ‘What do you think about this?’ I was totally expecting him to go, ‘There’s no damn way, you’ll be fine, screw all those guys talking and cutting those great promos.”
Much to his surprise, Vince McMahon endorsed the idea. According to The Undertaker, McMahon felt the new gimmick was a “great idea.” Yet, The Undertaker felt incredulous at McMahon’s response, thinking he was joking.
He further added, “I’m thinking it’s a rib, like here comes the punchline, he’s about to pull the rug right out from underneath me.”
It's widely known that Vince McMahon had nothing but respect for The Undertaker and his ideas. Hence, he was also known as the 'Conscience of WWE.'
Nonetheless, The Undertaker got the green signal from McMahon, and The American Badas* made its debut on WWE TV. The character change was met with a positive reaction from wrestling fans.
Despite the character change, The Undertaker’s new gimmick mirrored the same intimidating presence as the Deadman gimmick. Taker didn’t have to dress like satan anymore to strike fear in his opponents’ hearts
As a matter of fact, the fresh gimmick allowed The Undertaker to interact with the fans and wrestlers differently. Interestingly, though, The Undertaker dropped his biker gimmick after a feud with Vince McMahon.
When did The Undertaker drop the American Badas* gimmick?
In 2003, The Undertaker was embroiled in a rivalry with Vince McMahon. The American Badas* locked up with the tyrannical boss in a Buried Alive match at Survivor Series.
McMahon managed to defeat Taker with Kane’s assist. That was when The Undertaker’s American Badas* gimmick was buried, literally.
The Undertaker then made his return at WrestleMania 20 to exact revenge on Kane, bringing back the Phenom persona.
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However, after his retirement, on Raw XXX 2023, Taker returned as The American Badas* and worked a short angle with Bray Wyatt.
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