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The Undertaker was viewed by many as a locker-room leader during his 30 years as a WWE in-ring competitor. In a recent interview, former wrestling manager Rick Bassman recalled how an incident with The Deadman landed ex-WWE developmental talent Russ McCullough in trouble.
McCullough trained in WWE's Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) developmental system between 1999 and 2001. The six-foot-11 wrestler was taller than almost everyone on the main roster, including The Undertaker.
Bassman owned the Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) developmental territory between 1999 and 2007. On The Hannibal TV, he spoke about the time McCullough stood up to The Undertaker in an awkward behind-the-scenes encounter:
"They were backstage when the OVW guys were brought to come backstage one night, and Russ, who's a total sociopath, super smart guy, super articulate, very Ultimate Warrior-ish personality, he walked up to The Undertaker, if you could picture this, stood next to him, and then stood up on his toes to show 'Taker he was taller than him. Oops. That got him canned pretty fast," Bassman said. [0:35 – 1:02]
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McCullough shared the ring with several high-profile names, most notably The Big Show, Diamond Dallas Page, Mark Henry, and Randy Orton. However, he never wrestled in a televised main roster match.
What happened before Russ McCullough's incident with The Undertaker
In 2001, Russ McCullough wrestled for the International Wrestling Association (IWA) in Puerto Rico while contracted to WWE.
Former IWA booker Dutch Mantell said on his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast in 2023 that McCullough once cried after suffering a knee injury:
"He got down there and I forget what happened. He like hurt his knee or did something, and he was actually crying in the dressing room. I went, 'What the…?'"
Former OVW manager Kenny Bolin also appeared on the podcast. He said McCullough garnered backstage heat in developmental after claiming he was better than WWE legend Kane.
What is your favorite Undertaker moment? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit The Hannibal TV and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use Rick Bassman's quotes from this article.
