Interview
20th May 2002
Interview with Undertaker
by Phil Speer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- May 20, 2002 -- One day after winning the WWE
Undisputed Championship for the fourth time at Judgment Day, Undertaker
chatted with WWE.com about his latest title reign, his return two years ago at
Judgment Day, his new entrance music and more.
WWE.com:How are you feeling physically?
Undertaker:Physically I'm kind of battered up, but not too worse for wear. I've been a lot worse. I guess I'm well enough to keep on keepin' on.
WWE.com:So you didn't have anything broken or busted last night?
Undertaker:I got a busted lip. I bit my tongue, and I had to have my hip readjusted today. It's kind of a chronic injury. But my hip popped out of place last night when Hogan suplexed me, so I'm having to deal with that. That's going to be sore for a week or two until it works itself out. Hopefully it'll stay in place where it's supposed to be.
WWE.com:Did you get any stitches?
Undertaker:No. I could have had them in my tongue, but they'd have just bothered me. I'd have probably chewed 'em out, so I just left it open.
WWE.com:What is it about the month of May? You returned two years ago at Judgment Day. You retained the title against Stone Cold five years ago at the May Pay-Per-View. You wrestled him last year at Judgment Day. And in 1999 and this year you won the WWE Title.
Undertaker:I have no idea. It must be my time of the year to peak. I believe that people have times of the year where they physically peak. As always, going into the end of the March to WrestleMania, I'm
usually at my best. Maybe May is just a continuation of that. Hey, I'll take what I can get.
WWE.com:And "Judgment Day" is your Pay-Per-View after all.
Undertaker:It is. That's when I become judge, jury and executioner. Maybe one of these days, I'll make 'em all mine.
WWE.com:Judgment Day is the two-year anniversary of your comeback to WWE, and also the two-year anniversary of the birth of the American Badass. What was it like that night coming back after seven months off?
Undertaker:I'll tell you what, there's not much anymore after all the years that I've been in this business that makes me nervous, but I was a bit apprehensive that night. I was excited to finally be back in the ring, back in action. I think the anxiousness came from the fact that I was bringing something new to the fans that they hadn't seen from me before. I was kind of wondering how they were going to accept it. The ovation and the response that I got when I came out let me know that I was on the right path.
WWE.com:Did you realize last night that it was the two-year anniversary of your comeback?
Undertaker:I lose track, you know. After a while, all the days run into weeks, which run into months, which turn into years. I knew it had been close to two years or so. It just seems like yesterday though.
WWE.com:So what do you have to say about the last two years as the American Badass?
Undertaker:It's had its ups and downs. I've had to make a lot of adjustments in my ring preparation. It had become obvious to me in the time that I was off that the pace of wrestling had quickened. With the ailments that I have and the weight that I was carrying when I came back, it just wasn't going to cut it in this day and age. I've had to quicken my pace to keep up with the younger superstars. It's an ongoing battle, but I think it's obvious now that I'm the champion for the fourth time that I must be doing something right.
WWE.com:How does it feel to be a four-time WWE Champion?
Undertaker:It feels great. I'm looking forward to this run. It's one thing about being champion is that you don't have to hunt and wait to get your shot. Everybody is coming for you now. So that means the top guys in WWE are going to be pitted against me. That means I have to look forward to Stone Colds and the Triple Hs and the Kurt Angles and those guys, and these upstart young guys that are trying to make a name for themselves. They're all going to be coming at me. I welcome the challenge. Now more than ever, I'm more focused and more able and more ready to be champion than my previous three championships. It's always been a lot more fun for me to the pursuer instead of the pursued. But now I've got it. That means that I'm going to get the matches that I want. I'm going to get to fight the people that I want to fight. And for all those critics out there that say that Deadman Inc. has passed its prime, it's going to give me a prime chance to tell all of them and show all of them that they can kiss my ass.
WWE.com:What about being on both RAW and SmackDown!?
Undertaker:It definitely forces you to be sharper, because I really feel that now there's two different styles -- the SmackDown! style and the RAW style. So I think it's only going to make me sharper dealing with such young quick guys on SmackDown! and then the pure brute force of the guys on RAW. Now more so than ever, you've got to be sharp. Whoever the champ is has to be sharp. And guess what? The champ is me.
WWE.com:Did pinning Hogan last night bring back memories of the first time you won the title, when you beat him at Survivor Series 1991?
Undertaker:Somewhat. That was so long ago. It was a different era in our business. But it was nice to be able to beat him again. Rumor has it that after the way I beat him, he's considering retirement. And he probably should before he ever gets back in the ring with me again. Last night, I let him walk out of the ring under his own power. Next time he may not be so lucky. And if he ever touches another one of my motorcycles, I guarantee you he will never walk again.
WWE.com:What do you think of the new championship belt?
Undertaker:It's an awesome piece. It really stands out. It really represents the WWE brand. It's a showpiece and I'm proud to wear it.
WWE.com:What about your new entrance music?
Undertaker:My new entrance music is a work in progress. It's not the final product yet. We're looking for a band to go into the studio and record it, and do a harder, edgier version. It's by no means what the final product will be. I changed music strictly because the old song was fine for where I was at when I started using it, but now I have a much more aggressive attitude, for lack of a better term, and it was too upbeat. I want people to know when they hear that music that somebody's in store for an ass-kicking.
WWE.com:Is there anything you'd like to say about Davey Boy Smith?
Undertaker:In this business, you have friends and you have enemies. But regardless of how you feel, it always hits you harder when somebody within our fraternity dies -- even people that you haven't seen or have been retired for years. It's tragic that a man 39 years old has passed away. That family has endured much more than any family should have to endure in a two- or three-year span. I think their family has had to endure enough, and hopefully everybody is able to come to grips with this. I hope that his immediate family is taken care of. I can only hope for the best for them. It's another tragic loss of another warrior.
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