Undertaker reveals the reason he decided to stay with WWF even after WCW offered him a lot of money to jump over. Undertaker was one of the faces of WWF in the ‘90s and remained a face of the company when it changed to WWE and entered the 2000s.
However, Undertaker wasn’t always with WWE. Before joining WWE he was part of WCW. He went by a number of names and gimmicks, but he gained the most notoriety under the name “Mean Mark” Callous.
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WCW didn’t see Undertaker’s potential and had even told him that he would never draw money. This eventually led him to move over to WCW’s rival, WWF. WCW did see the error of their decision to let him go and tried to get him back. On a recent episode of Six Feet Under with Mark Callaway he revealed why he never went back.
“If my situation had been different, if WCW hadn’t told me that I wasn’t gonna draw any money, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I don’t. But the fact that they told me, you’re never gonna make money, that was always my chip. That was always the chip I carried on my shoulder.”
Via Wrestling Inc.
WCW’s Loss Is WWF’s Gain
WCW was not known for seeing the potential in their up-in-coming talent. They let wrestlers who would become huge stars just a few years later go. Just to name a few of those wrestlers who would become big stars in WWF are guys like Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind/Mick Foley, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Razor Ramon and Diesel to name a few.
Undertaker made his debut in WWF in 1990. His character has remained relatively the same throughout his career which is rare. He won the WWF Championship just a year after debuting by defeating the legends of all legends, Hulk Hogan. It was clear that WWF saw the potential in him.
Undertaker stayed at the top of the card and carried that momentum throughout the ‘90s as WCW struggled. However, in 1996 when the nWo formed in WCW the wrestling landscape changed.
Some guys jumped back-and-forth as WCW skyrocketed in popularity. One of those guys who jumped back to WCW from WWF was also one of the people who started the nWo, Diesel now going by Kevin Nash.
Undertaker revealed that sometime prior to 2001 when WCW was bought out by WWE, Nash called him to offer him a deal on behalf of WCW. Undertaker talked about why he declined that offer even though it was a lot of money.
“I remember Nash calling me [and] said ‘Man, I think I can get you this if you wanna come down,’ and I was like, ‘Wow that’s a lot more money than I’m making right now.’ I thought about it, and I was like no. … That guy there [Vince McMahon] gave me the opportunity. … And this might be the worst decision I ever make, but he gave me the opportunity to become something. And I just couldn’t do it.”
Staying Loyal Over Financial Gain
Undertaker thinks that he would have worked a lot less but made a lot more money. However, his loyalty to the man who believed in him and gave him the opportunity to show the world what he could do meant he couldn’t leave.
Undertaker admits that WCW was kicking WWF/WWE’s ass for a long time. However, him being in the trenches and fighting with the WWE side made it so rewarding when their side won the Monday Night Wars.
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What If Undertaker Went Back To WCW
Having Undertaker stay with WWF/WWE may have changed wrestling forever. Not having him in WWF when they and WCW were at war may have changed who won the Monday Night Wars. Having him join the nWo or team WCW would have been so cool or having him and Sting face each other or team up could have changed everything. The Undertaker leaving WWF/WWE could have led to someone else taking his spot at the top like perhaps Kane or someone lower on the roster moving up.
However, Undertaker stayed with WWF/WWE and has gotten us to where we are today. It isn’t a bad place to be, but the fantasy booking and “what if” is very interesting.
Do you think Undertaker was wise to stick with WWF? Do you think WCW would have used him well if he did jump over? Would WCW have won the Monday Night Wars with Undertaker in WCW? What is a dream match you would have loved to see with Undertaker in WCW? What do you think his WCW name would have been? Let us know on social media who you think could have taken Undertaker’s spot in WWF.
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