The Undertaker has revealed that Vince McMahon made a big change to WWE rings when he started taking bumps.
When Undertaker started wrestling, wrestling rings had very little give, but that all changed when McMahon began taking moves in WWE.
According to The Deadman, the rings “got a lot softer” when McMcMahon started getting Stunners from Steve Austin and even taking part in matches during the Attitude Era. Speaking on his Six Feet Under podcast, he recalled that the original rings were “glorified boxing rings.”
“The ring got a lot softer after Vince started taking bumps years ago. Those first-generation rings with WWE were nothing more than glorified boxing rings.
“They freaking hurt, especially in the winter when your body is already stiff and it’s cold outside and you’re doing double shot days.
“The second show on a double shot day, your body doesn’t loosen up the second time the way it does the first time. Those were pretty snug, hitting some of those in cold arenas.”
The Undertaker Found It Hard To Accept Safety Protocols
The Undertaker has admitted finding it hard to accept WWE’s introduction of safety protocols, saying he thought at the time that things were “getting soft.”
However, he has now came around to the idea, realising that it’s good for the performers in the ring.
“I’m glad that I was part of the generation that led into that because, today, you see the referee and they throw the X up, you know something bad has happened. You’re not going to get a bunch of blood in the ring. If someone is concussed or injured to a point, the match is going to stop and the athletes are going to be treated the way they need to be. Even with all that going on, the wear and tear and the risk of injury is crazy.”
H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.