"It was a different group of men" - The Undertaker compares WWE's "comic book era" to the 1980s

The Undertaker says wrestlers in the 1980s often carried knives and guns in their bags while traveling to and from events.

The soon-to-be Hall of Famer retired from in-ring competition in 2020 after 30 years in WWE and 34 total years in the wrestling business. Last year, he controversially criticized current WWE Superstars for playing video games. He also said he preferred wrestling when “men were men.”

Speaking on the True Geordie Podcast, the WWE icon reiterated that there is a big difference between wrestling locker rooms now compared to those days:

“There were a few guys that had knives in their bags, guns in their bags," The Undertaker said. "It was a different group of men. Not saying one’s better or one’s worse, but they just had a different way of settling things. If there was a disagreement, they’d go into the shower and that’s where everything got handled.” [29:27-29:51]

The 56-year-old added that one of his first opponents, Bruiser Brody, died after receiving stab wounds in a shower at a wrestling event in Puerto Rico.

---

The Undertaker discusses current wrestlers’ inspiration

Discussing the lack of “grit” in modern-day wrestling, The Phenom mentioned that many of today’s superstars grew up enjoying comic books and superheroes.

Without being overly critical of the current generation, he highlighted how wrestling has evolved since the time that he broke into the business:

“A lot of the younger talent, it’s the evolution of that comic book era, the superhero era, and I think that’s their motivation and what their inspiration is," said The Undertaker. "They didn’t have to come up and bust heads in bars and figure out how they’re gonna eat and things like that.” [32:38-33:10]

The legendary Deadman is due to be inducted into the 2022 Hall of Fame by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. The event will take place on Friday, April 1 in Dallas, Texas following SmackDown.

---

Please credit the True Geordie Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.