The Undertaker is one of professional wrestling’s most iconic gimmicks. Debuting in an era that embraced the absurd, Mark Calaway’s undead wizard mortician that wrestled on the side should have never worked, but his commitment to the gimmick allowed it to flourish for decades. The Undertaker went on to have one of the most decorated careers of all time, winning dozens of championships and holding a mystical WWE WrestleMania winning streak that stretched for 21 matches. Taker called it a career after WWE WrestleMania 36 in 2020 but has still made the odd annual appearance on WWE TV in his more grounded biker persona.
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All that being said, things might have gone very differently if WWE Chairman Vince McMahon capitalized on another one of Taker’s talents.
The Undertaker Could Have Had a Singing Gimmick
In another timeline, The Deadman serenades his opponents instead of telling them to Rest In Peace.
Speaking on Six Feet Under, The Undertaker recalled going to Vince McMahon’s house after finishing up his WCW commitments to discuss how he would be utilized in the WWF.
“We start talking, Bruce [Prichard] is putting me over, I’m telling my life story. I feel like it’s going pretty good. He asks me, ‘Do you have any other talents? Do you sing? Do you dance?’ I say, ‘Only in the shower,’” Taker recalled. “As soon as I said it, I was like, ‘Ohh, I shouldn’t have said that.’ It was the time of outlandish gimmicks.”
Taker’s debut came at a time where the WWF utilized real-life jobs and non-wrestling talents for the roster’s personas. The locker room was made up of garbagemen, baseball players, barbers, dentists and more.
“Now I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to be singing in the shower guy.’ As soon as I said ‘I sing in the shower,’ Vince is like, ‘Really?!’ Oh no, I’ve screwed up. I was just trying to be funny,” Taker continued. “This meeting goes on and it feels like it’s been two hours.”
Fortunately for Taker, McMahon did not pry further on his singing abilities.
“We get to the end of the meeting. ‘Well, we don’t have anything for you. Maybe after WrestleMania we’ll have something for you then.’ I thanked him for his time,” Taker added. “The only reason I got a shot is because, at that meeting, I don’t think he thought I was a draw or would be a draw, but he liked the person. He liked who he was talking to and that is why I think he gave me a chance.”
