3 Ideas The Undertaker pitched and 3 he initially rejected

#3 The Undertaker pitched his American Badass gimmick

Between 1990 and 2000, The Undertaker portrayed The Deadman character that he became best known for during his 30 years in WWE.

As is often the case with WWE Superstars, there comes a time when it makes sense for someone’s character to undergo a transformation.

In modern-day WWE, the likes of Bray Wyatt (cult leader to The Fiend) and Roman Reigns (top babyface to Tribal Chief) have drastically altered their characters. Back in 2000, it was The Undertaker’s turn to debut a new persona.

Speaking on The Bump in 2020, The Undertaker recalled that he was worried about the WWE Universe’s reaction before his debut as The American Badass at Judgment Day 2000.

“As I'm sitting back there on that motorcycle — to say I was a little bit nervous is an understatement. I was more nervous here than when I made my debut in 1990. I'd already been there for 10 years, completely changing the character the way I did, you just don't know how they're going to take it... I was extremely nervous, but I knew it was the right thing to do.” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]

The Undertaker performed as The American Badass/Big Evil for four years before returning in 2004 as The Deadman.