What’s the story?
A few iconic pictures revealing the origins of the Undertaker’s ‘BSK’ tattoo have emerged on the internet.
The BSK tattoo is, in fact, gang ink that signifies his backstage crew in WWE during the 1990s. The initials stand for ‘Bone Street Krew’ – a real-life gang run by The Undertaker and Yokozuna, which is said to have acted as a foil to the Shawn Michaels-led ‘Kliq’.
In case you didn’t know...
The 1990s are widely considered as a wild time in professional wrestling as the sport got edgier with progressively risqué content produced.
It’s a well-known fact that the WWE locker room at the time was chaotic, to say the least, with Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and X-Pac being involved in all kinds of controversies behind-the-scenes.
The heart of the matter
The Undertaker is highly-respected not only in WWE, but also in the sport of pro-wrestling, in general, owing to his backstage leadership. He and his fellow BSK members were considered the peacemakers of the WWE locker room back then, with several stories of Taker breaking up real-life fights between wrestlers behind-the-scenes.
The name BSK was derived from the gang’s love of playing dominoes, which in slang is oft referred to as bones, hence the name Bone Street Krew.
The gang consisted of Undertaker, Yokozuna, Rikishi, Charles Wight (who played The Godfather, Papa Shango and Kama), Savio Vega, Henry Godwinn, Mideon (Phineas Godwinn), Krush, Paul Bearer and Mr Fuji. Legend has it that a wrestler would be granted entry into the exclusive club only upon the approval of The Undertaker and Yokozuna.
What’s next?
Most members of the legendary faction have now bid adieu to the sport, while a few of them have unfortunately passed away.
The last and perhaps most famous member of BSK, The Undertaker performed in what most fans and pundits believe was his last match at Wrestlemania 33 earlier this year. Co-incidentally, Roman Reigns – the man who retired Taker – is the real-life cousin of the aforementioned Rikishi.
Author’s take
BSK is one of the most legendary, and perhaps the most overlooked groups in the sport of professional wrestling. They represent a bygone era in the industry – times when no-holds-barred, anything-goes sort of chaotic proceedings was commonplace in WWE.
The Undertaker always stayed loyal to his crew, proudly representing the BSK and staying true to his roots right up until his last match. BSK will live on in the memories of professional wrestling fans. Then. Now. Forever.
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