WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker was unhappy with his one-man show performance at Survivor Series Weekend in November, but he’s adjusting to this new phase of his career.
Taker performed his fifth “UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN SHOW” at the Big Night Live venue in Boston during Survivor Series Weekend in November. According to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Taker’s Boston show fell short after a string of four highly successful one-man shows in which he left the audience inspired and hungry for more.
Taker recently spoke with Barrasso and confirmed his dissatisfaction with his performance.
“I went too long in the beginning,” Taker said. “Part of the show dragged on too long. The first few shows almost came too easy. I wasn’t happy with parts of this one.”
While the show was not a flop, Taker admitted he would sleep on it until he had a chance to redeem himself at the next show, which will take place tonight at the Tech Port Center & Arena in San Antonio, one night before the WWE Royal Rumble.
The “disappointing outing” in Boston was noted to include a few patrons who repeatedly shouted out their opinions from the crowd. Taker vowed to be better in San Antonio and reflected on what had happened and what had gone wrong.
“I’m trying to give people the layers and stages of my life that brought me to where I am now,” Taker said. “It’s a very limited audience, and I want to make it special. I want people to leave being blown away. Especially with my character, who hardly said a word for 30 years, I want people to think, ‘I can’t believe all that was going on.’
“I want to make people think. I want them to believe in themselves. I want to entertain, but also use my experience to show that anything is possible. My story exemplifies that. I was told, at every turn, I wasn’t good enough. Yet look at the final product. Hopefully that gives people inspiration to battle through in their own lives. The tricky part is telling the right stories in the right manner. It’s just like putting together a match.”
Barrasso emphasized how Taker mastered the art of story-telling throughout his career, allowing him to thrive in virtually any setting. Now he’s onstage telling stories for a living, and a man whose character was built largely on stoic silence is now onstage telling stories for a living. Despite his passion and charisma, there was bound to be a learning curve, and that lack of experience was evident in Boston. Taker, 57, made a remark about being a rookie once more.
“It’s all new again,” Taker said. “By the end of my career, I had an answer for everything. There was nothing that could happen I didn’t have an answer for. People could ask me questions, and I’d have an answer for them, too. Now it’s starting all over again. It makes it a new challenge. I’m a greenhorn again.”
Taker returned to WWE TV for the RAW 30th Anniversary show this past Monday, working an in-ring segment with LA Knight and Bray Wyatt, with whom he shared a private-but-very-public in-ring moment. This was yet another reminder that the wrestling ring is Taker’s second home, and while that is not yet the case for his one-man show, history suggests that he will not be satisfied until it is. Taker discussed his process for the one-man show and stated that he will not make the same mistakes tonight.
“I have a new way of ‘putting my match together,’ a whole new kind of deal,” Taker said. “I know I need to involve the layers that led me to where I am, but I also understand people want to hear about wrestling. The show in Boston was a learning-curve experience. I can’t wait for San Antonio. It’s all about storytelling. That show wasn’t my best, but I’ll learn from it, and I won’t make the same mistakes in San Antonio. People deserve my very best. I’ll always strive to be better.”
