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The Godfather believes The Undertaker was indirectly responsible for Vince McMahon booking him as a WWE Tag Team Champion in 2000.
Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather won the titles from The Hardy Boyz on the November 6, 2000 episode of RAW. At the time, The Godfather disliked his Goodfather character and wanted to leave WWE.
Speaking on It’s My Wrestling Podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer said The Undertaker was aware of his unhappiness behind the scenes. He thinks his close friend may have spoken to Vince McMahon about his situation, prompting the WWE Chairman to give him a tag title reign.
“So when they took me in as The Goodfather, it wasn't fun no more. So right away I was like, ‘Dude, I'm out of here.’ I think ‘Taker went to Vince and said I'm getting ready to leave, and all of a sudden they drop the belts on me. And I had loyalty, I'm not going to run out with the belts. As soon as they got those belts off of us then I finished that because I really wasn't having fun,” The Godfather said.
The Goodfather’s WWE Tag Team Championship reign with Bull Buchanan lasted 34 days before they lost the titles to Edge and Christian.
Vince McMahon fought for The Godfather to keep his character
The Godfather’s pimp character drew complaints from the PTC (Parents Television Council) in 2000. Vince McMahon made fun of the backlash by creating a new group, RTC (Right to Censor), which saw The Godfather repackaged as The Goodfather.
The former Intercontinental Champion said Vince McMahon had little choice but to drastically change his controversial character.
“If it was up to Vince, I would still be out there doing my thing. He used to just walk down the hall saying, ‘Pimping ain't easy.’ Vince fought for me forever, but at that point they [WWE] became public, he was answering to a lot of people, they were transitioning to the PG era,” The Godfather said.
The Godfather left WWE in December 2002 after briefly reviving his pimp character earlier that year. The 60-year-old has been signed to a Legends Contract since 2003, which means WWE can still use his likeness for merchandise and video games.
