Ex-WWE Star Says Vince McMahon Nixed Undertaker Feud After Backstage "Lies"

Vince McMahon was WWE's creative figurehead throughout The Undertaker's 30-year in-ring career with the company. Mr. Hughes, a WWE talent in the 1990s, recently explained why his rivalry with The Deadman was short-lived.

Hughes worked for WWE in 1993, 1997, and 1999 after making his name in WCW from 1990 to 1992. He faced The Undertaker at several live events during his first run with the company. However, plans for them to feud in a long-term storyline on television were canceled.

In an interview with Title Match Wrestling, Hughes claimed his main-event push ended after wrestlers lied about him to McMahon.

"Me and Undertaker, man, we had some good matches, man, but people started stooging me off, telling lies to Vince, which they weren't true, and when you get so many people saying the same damn thing, eventually they be going like [believe the stories]. That's why the run didn't last that long."

One of Hughes' most notable WWE moments came in 1993 when he stole The Phenom's urn. He also worked as a bodyguard for Triple H and Chris Jericho in 1997 and 1999, respectively.

How WWE stars felt about Mr. Hughes facing The Undertaker

At the time, The Undertaker was among WWE's most popular stars. Mr. Hughes, by contrast, had only recently joined the company and immediately found himself in a top spot.

According to Hughes, wrestlers told Vince McMahon he took drugs because they were jealous of his quick rise to the main-event scene.

"Back in the old days, in our WCW days, everybody did drugs. Everybody did it. And so what they tried to do was bring that WCW garbage up to WWF [WWE], which I was as clean as a freaking church wh*re, man. I didn't do nothing."

Hughes' final WWE match took place on the October 14, 1999, episode of SmackDown. He lost to Chris Jericho in a 60-second bout, ending their one-month storyline.

Please credit Title Match Wrestling and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart