The Undertaker reveals how the recruitment process changed in WWE from the 1990s to 2025

WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker recently sat down for a conversation with Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on the show Nightcap. The Phenom, who retired from WWE in 2020, opened up about several topics, ranging from his three-decade-long career to his new role as a top recruiter looking for the next generational talents in the ring.

When The Undertaker began his journey in WWE (then known as the WWF) in 1990, the wrestling world was quite bare-bones, with not much glamor or money attached to it. He is now one of the brand ambassadors in the WWE and is actively involved in the recruitment process. Speaking about how the recruitment process has changed from his time, he said:

"The biggest thing for me is that now we recruit athletes directly—we’ve got people at the Combine, at colleges, at pro days, because we have to keep feeding the system. When I came up, it was different. Either you had it, or you didn’t. I was a fan who wanted to do this, so I already had some understanding of the business. Now we’re getting people who’ve never been fans, never watched, no concept of the business at all. It’s like starting them from ground zero. So when I talk about the way I came up, sometimes I just get blank stares. They have no idea what I’m talking about, and then I have to break it down step by step and hope it connects."

Shannon Sharpe asked The Undertaker if he foresaw back then the tremendous reach and impact the WWE would eventually have.

"Absolutely not, man. We were just trying to fill arenas and make a little money. Back then, when I started, there were only four pay-per-views—the big four. That was it. We were focused on selling pay-per-views, moving some t-shirts, and that’s about it. We had no clue that something like Netflix would come along, or that the kind of money in these deals would ever exist. Back in 1990, you couldn’t even imagine what 2025 would look like," The Phenom said.

He even mentioned how the wrestlers would oftentimes be involved in getting the backstage work done.

"We call that paying your dues, right? When you’re coming up, there were so many times I had to go help set up the ring just to get on the card. Sometimes I wouldn’t even make any money, maybe even had to chip in myself. But that’s how important ring time was. We didn’t have a Performance Center or all the resources guys have now."

Recalling a hilarious story of when he was given a piece of advice from an elderly gentleman, he narrated:

The first time I went to an H&R Block, I’d been in the business about a year. I walked in with this bag full of receipts and handed it to the guy. He looks at it and says, ‘You drove 45,000 miles in eight months?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ Then he says, ‘And you made $12,227?’ He was an old-timer, pulls his glasses down, looks at me, and goes, ‘Son, can I give you some advice? You might want to find a different line of work.’ But that was paying your dues. And now, here we are."

Interestingly, The Undertaker didn't always dream of becoming a wrestler. In fact, American football was his first real passion, and he even played basketball for a while, but wrestling somehow found its way to him.

"I thought I was going to play football—that was my dream, my way out. But I ended up playing basketball, and then wrestling kind of came back around. I was training at a gym between my junior and senior year of college, and this guy working out there said, ‘Hey man, you ought to go through this wrestling school with me.’ I told him, ‘Nah, I think I’m going to try to play some pro ball overseas.’ But every day I came in, he’d hit me up, and I started catching up with wrestling again. It was already a lot different then than it had been when I was a kid."

When it finally came to making a choice, Calaway chose the ring over the court and pitch.

"I’ve always been pretty practical. I know what my abilities are and what they aren’t. I started thinking, do I really want to be the 12th man on a bench in Lithuania at 21 or 22 years old? And then I realized there weren’t a lot of big, athletic guys in wrestling at the time. That’s how it started. Once I began training, I knew—yeah, this is it. This is what I want to do."

He was then asked about the most important quality a pro wrestler must have.

"You have to have the ability to make people care. Bar none. There’ve been plenty of guys who made a lot of money without being great wrestlers. But you put a microphone in their hand, and suddenly you’re on the edge of your seat. That’s number one. You don’t need everyone to love you—they can hate you, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you make people feel something."

Calaway then revealed his Greatest of All Time wrestlers in the business.

"I’d put Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, and Ric Flair. I think those guys are synonymous with the history of our industry. Sure, there have been better talkers and better wrestlers, but in terms of impact, those are my four."

The Undertaker holds the record of winning 21 consecutive matches at WrestleMania, a feat that is labeled The Streak. Regarding how his wrestling name, The Undertaker, was chosen, he said:

"That name was given to me by Vince. He had this character envisioned in his mind, and basically he needed a big guy with very limited personality. I said, ‘I’m your guy.’ But it resonated with me. He had everything laid out on big storyboards in his office, and as he’s showing me, my brain’s going, ‘This is different. This is special.’ I didn’t know what it would become, but I knew right then it was pretty cool."

Sharpe then asked The Deadman if anyone calls him by his real name anymore.

"Most people call me Taker—or Dead Man. That was my nickname. Sometimes people say ‘Mark’ and I don’t even turn around. But if I hear ‘Taker’ or ‘Dead Man,’ I’m like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ It gets funny in public, though. Someone will yell ‘Dead Man!’ and everyone else is looking around like, ‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’" Taker replied.

Revealing his thoughts on what about the WWE really resonates with the fans, Calaway said:

"It goes back to that connection I was talking about. If they’re invested in you and they care… see, one of the things that takes a lot of guys a while to figure out is that they’re so athletic now, and that’s what they want to display. That’s great, but at the end of the day your audience gets desensitized. You have to keep pushing the envelope. Okay, I’ve seen you do a double backflip off the top rope onto the floor, and I’ve seen it a couple of times. Now what do you have for me?"

"But if you can get them invested in the character, and if somebody does that character wrong, now you’ve got them. That’s what it’s all about. If you love somebody, you’re going to pay money to see that guy kick the other guy’s ass. Or if you don’t like that guy, you’re going to pay to see somebody beat him. Whether you want him to win or lose, you’re still going to show up."

He stressed that professional wrestling isn't just about wrestling, but about telling stories:

Wrestling isn’t about wrestling moves. Wrestling is about telling stories. We use the moves to help tell the story, but it’s all about the connection. That’s the biggest thing. Once that light bulb goes off, then you’ve got a good chance of doing well."

You can watch the full interview on the Youtube channel below.