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WWE veteran Teddy Long recently looked back at his "one-on-one" catchphrase, which he used while booking wrestlers to compete against The Undertaker.
For those who watched SmackDown in the mid to late 2000s, the equation between Long and The Phenom was one of the best parts of the show. The performers on SmackDown used to dread Long booking them against the WWE Hall of Famer by saying they were going "one-on-one" against The Undertaker.
Speaking on the first edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's One on One, Teddy Long recalled how he came up with the iconic catchphrase. The former SmackDown manager disclosed that he was backstage when he heard Vince McMahon saying he wanted more "enthusiasm" when introducing wrestlers.
"Vince McMahon had sent Stephanie McMahon out there to make an introduction, and when Stephanie came back, Vince commented that he wanted a little bit more enthusiasm on the introduction. He really wanted to build the guy up when introducing. So, I was standing there and listening; I didn't say anything," said Teddy Long.
The wrestling veteran added that when it was his turn for a promo with The Undertaker, he recalled what McMahon had suggested. Long improvised and heightened his voice pitch when saying "one-on-one" for greater effect.
"So, what I did was when I got to the promo with The Undertaker, that's when I remembered what Vince said to build him up, and that's when I said, "One-on-one with The Undertaker. And that's how it all started," added Teddy Long. (1:32 - 2:13)
Check out the video below:
WWE legend Teddy Long said Vince McMahon wanted introductions to mean something
Furthermore, the WWE legend also recalled coming up with the "tag team line," which was also a result of Vince McMahon saying introductions must mean something. Teddy Long explained that instead of plainly delivering his plain lines without any flavor, he wanted to add some "pizzazz" to make them memorable.
"The tag team line came first, and that was just another part of remembering Vince saying, "When you present something, build them up. Make it mean something." So that's what I did, you know, adding a little bit of pizzazz to the tag team match. "Right now, fellas, we are gonna have ourselves a tag team match!" It was just me remembering what he wanted, and not just brought that out on my own. That's how it all happened," recalled Teddy Long. (2:19 - 2:46)
Long was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017 and has since made only sporadic appearances on the promotion's weekly programming.
What's your favorite Teddy Long moment from his WWE career? Sound off in the comments section below.
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