The Undertaker has openly spoken about his relationship with Triple H and enjoying the series of matches that he had with both Hunter and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania more than any other matches he’s had in his near three-decade career. Now, Triple H is opening up about how their relationship has evolved over the years.
Speaking with CBS Sports, Triple H talked about coming into WWE in 1995 and trying to earn the respect of Mark Calaway, The Undertaker, and how that evolved into being somebody The Undertaker could confide in the latter stages of his career when he was having issues with self-doubt.
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“Obviously, everybody changes as performers and who you are. When I first came in here and faced him for the first time in 1995, it was just about earning his respect and trust as a performer,” Triple H began. “Taker is one of those guys who gives everybody respect, but you don’t just get it, you have to earn it. That’s in-ring and everything else. I approached that time very differently. Over the course of our careers, we worked a lot. At that point in time, you just didn’t think about it. It was a night off. If I was wrestling Taker — and I’d like to think he thought the same with me — it was a night off. You don’t have to think about it — he’s going to do his part, you don’t have to think for him. You just go in there and it’s magic and fun. You’re laughing and having a good time because you’re in there with a guy that’s incredibly gifted in the ring but you also get along with and think the same as. It couldn’t be any easier.
“But, when you fast forward toward the end of your careers and he’s in the place he’s in with everything you’re seeing in ‘The Last Ride,’ with self-doubt and the physical shape that he was in and trying to overcome all that, and then you’re having your own issues with all of that. As you’ve heard him say, and I’ve said it a bunch, the hardest thing I’ve ever done is have to do what we do and try to do it at the level we want to do it at once or twice a year. It’s incredibly difficult. So, the approach to that in 2018 is a completely different animal. You don’t know what he’s going to bring to the table, and in some way, you doubt what you can bring to the table. That makes it a lot more difficult.”
To read the full interview, click here.
