The Undertaker left WCW money on the table during the exact stretch when WWE could least afford to pay him, and the reason traces back to something WCW management said to him on the way out the door.
On a new Q&A episode of Six Feet Under, the Hall of Famer said the insult stung enough to override every offer that came later.
“Being told [in WCW] that you’ll never draw money in this business really struck a nerve with me. And the one guy that believed in giving me a chance was Vince and the WWE,” Undertaker said. “That meant more to me than the instant money that I could’ve made… Vince believed in me, and I felt obligated to stand by him even when business was so bad.”
Thin Paydays During The Monday Night Wars
Undertaker described brutal road schedules with almost nothing to show for them while WCW pulled ahead in the ratings war.
“We weren’t making any money at all. But, man, the camaraderie… was an amazing time,” he said.
McMahon’s Business-First Instinct
That same period eventually produced the nWo’s arrival in WWE, a move Undertaker used to illustrate how McMahon separated grudges from opportunity.
“Vince always had that ability: ‘What they can provide for us or what they can do for us at this point is far greater than what they’ve said about us,'” Undertaker said. “When it comes to business, he could get past the personal beef. What’s best for business was a true statement with him.”
Undertaker never worked for another major promotion after that decision. He stayed with WWE for three decades and retired following WrestleMania 36, a run he has since described as shadowed by self-doubt in its final years.
