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The Undertaker has cemented his legacy as a pro wrestling icon and one of the greatest to have ever set foot inside a WWE ring. 'The Deadman' is a seven-time world champion in WWE, and a Royal Rumble winner along with a host of other accolades. However, it came very close to not happening, according to Bruce Prichard.
On a recent episode of Something To Wrestle with Bruce Prichard, the long-time WWE veteran revealed that Vince McMahon was initially hesitant to sign The Undertaker, who was wrestling for WCW as Mean 'Mark' Callous at the time. According to Brice Prichard, Vince McMahon initially didn't see The Undertaker as anything special:
We’d had a meeting scheduled I believe in July at some point whenever – around Great American Bash when Undertaker had faced Lex Luger – and Taker had a dislocated hip, but worked the match anyway. The next day he was supposed to meet with Vince, and that didn’t happen. And it didn’t happen because Vince looked at Undertaker and thought ‘Just another tall basketball player with red hair, don’t see anything special.’ H/T: 411Mania
Bruce Prichard had to convince Vince McMahon to meet with The Undertaker
Bruce Prichard went on to say that he had to "beg" Vince McMahon to mean with Mark Calaway, aka The Undertaker. Prichard said he saw something in The Undertaker and eventually managed to convince Vince McMahon:
That meeting was canceled and I begged Vince to please meet with Mark Calaway because they were doing a show in the Meadowlands I believe and I offered to get Undertaker there. I said ‘Look, I’ll get this guy, just meet him.’ I didn’t know him but I had spoken to Mark, and I was a big fan of Mark’s work. Plus in my head, I had an idea as to what to do with him. I had an idea, and that was the talent in my head that could pull off that idea.
The Undertaker went on to become one of the biggest stars in the history of the WWE. Clearly, Bruce Prichard made the right call in recommending him.
You can listen to Something To Wrestle with Bruce Prichard HERE.
