The Undertaker wasn’t happy with one set of ring gear Vince McMahon insisted he wear.
At Survivor Series in 1993, Lex Luger led a team of All Americans to fight the Yokozuna-led team of the Foreign Fanatics. Luger had assembled a team that included Tatanka and the Steiner Brothers, but when Tatanka was taken out by an attack from Yokozuna and Ludvig Borga ahead of the event, a replacement member of their team had to be found.
That replacement, revealed on an episode of WWF Superstars, was none other than The Undertaker. As ‘Taker joined his new teammates in the ring, he opened his trench coat to reveal that it contained an old-school American flag.
11/13/93:
Before there was American Badass, there was American Coat.
Proud patriot The Undertaker replaces Tatanka in the All Americans, in an interview that was oddly enough conducted by Howard Finkel himself!” pic.twitter.com/NQyZRD5uhD
— OVP – Retro Wrestling Podcast (@ovppodcast) November 13, 2023
“That Was All Vince” – The Undertaker On His American Flag Gear
Speaking in a new interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, The Deadman admitted he wasn’t happy to wear an American flag at that time in his career and that the idea was all Vince McMahon’s.
“I wasn’t thrilled about that. That was all Vince.”
While ‘Taker, real name Mark Calaway, would go on to portray a patriotic American Badass character down the line, he doesn’t believe the flag fit his stoic and serious character in 1993.
“In retrospect, now, I’m very proud of that run as The American Badass. At the time, in 1993, adding the flag was not Undertaker-esque.
“I remember me and Vince going back and forth. It was one of those first things we really butted heads over. I still remember Vince trying to sell me, saying, ‘Well, it’s the Betsy Ross flag.’ I was thinking, ‘Well, OK? Is that supposed to change everything?’”
In McMahon’s mind, the Betsy Ross-style flag symbolized the feeling of the Old West, and as ‘Taker was billed from Death Valley, McMahon felt it did actually fit his character. However, Calaway disagreed.
“That just wasn’t The Undertaker back then. I just didn’t have the juice to say no.”
The Undertaker had an official retirement ceremony at Survivor Series 2020, 30 years after making his debut at the event. In a previous interview, Undertaker revealed why Vince McMahon forbid him from saying the word “retirement” during the ceremony. He was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022.
In an episode of his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker believes that one of his previous personas did not have a lot of WWE longevity.
Recently The Undertaker discussed his infamous Survivor Series 2000 attire.