WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker recently shared concerns about today’s wrestling style. While he praised the athleticism of modern wrestlers, he warned that many may not enjoy the same longevity as stars from previous generations.
Speaking on The Hall of Fame podcast with Booker T, The Undertaker explained that today’s performers are far more athletic than wrestlers from his era. However, he believes that focus sometimes comes at the expense of storytelling.
He said, “It is completely two different worlds. It’s crazy because never in a million years can I imagine how athletic these guys are today. And I think because they are, I mean, they’re doing, like, game, I don’t know if it was the video games they played as kids, but they’re doing video game type stuff in the ring.”
“And what I think, it’s almost sometimes it’s a curse because they’re so athletic and they rely so much on that aspect that they forget the most important aspect of what we do, and that is storytelling.”
The Undertaker warns modern wrestlers about longevity
The Undertaker also expressed concerns about the physical risks involved with modern wrestling. He argued that wrestlers often push themselves to perform increasingly dangerous moves to get bigger crowd reactions.
“I’ve mentioned it to different people high up, and it’s like, hey, we can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. But I think, I think at some point we’re going to have to figure out a way to get it back in there because these guys.”
“I’m just thinking of their health, if nothing else, cuz they, I tell people this all the time, and people look at me like I’m crazy, but in any given wrestling match, any match, at some point in that match, you’re two inches away from something really catastrophic happening.”
The Undertaker says modern wrestlers focus too much on athleticism
He continued, “Well, as much as possible. Yeah. And the stuff that these guys are doing to get reactions from the crowds, I mean, it just makes it exponentially more dangerous than what it has to be because after a while, people get desensitized to the crazy moves, the double back flip off the top rope onto the floor.”
“I’ve seen it done a couple times. Now, what do you have for me? So, you have to continue to push the envelope to, okay, what am I going to have to do to get a reaction? Whereas, you know, our era, and, you know, I mean, it’s hard to argue with them because, look, business is great. It’s their era. It is what it is.”
He later warned that constantly trying to top previous performances could have long-term consequences. “But, I mean, as just being there through the years and knowing what it does to your body, it’s just like, man, you’re not going to have careers like we had. You’re going to burn out. You’re going to get hurt.”
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