on "Byte This" 6 July 2000

The Coach and Tom say that the Undertaker is going to join the show right after the break. They take a break and they show the return of the Undertaker, and when they get back, the Undertaker joins the show. Tom says that it's always good to hear the Undertaker's voice. This coming November will be the Undertaker's 10 year anniversary. The Undertaker says it's 10 years of kicking ass, and he's still kicking strong. Over the last 10 years, the WWF has changed. The Undertaker says that it's done a complete 360. It's gone from being a very gimmicky kid oriented program to a young adult program. Everything use to be almost cartoonish, and it's amazing what it has evolved into. Tom says that when the Undertaker first came in, he was managed by Brother Love, and he was on Ted Dibiase's team. After that, he was hooked up with Paul Bearer. Each year, he developed a new persona, but he was the same Undertaker. The Undertaker says that the problem a lot of people have is that they get set in their ways, and they don't evolve themselves. With the character of the Undertaker, at first, it took everybody by surprise. No one really ever saw anything like that in wrestling. Initially, there was a huge shock factor. The more you saw it, the more you became use to it. If you don't evolve the character, it's going to get stale. As the industry changed, so did his style.

Before he came in as the Undertaker, he relied more on his athleticism than his persona. Initially the Undertaker persona overwhelmed his athleticism. The Coach says that he has been here for a few months, and he says that the Undertaker's name comes up a lot when it comes to respect in the backstage area. The Undertaker is one of the guys that everyone looks up to as a role model. The Undertaker says that it's nothing he intentionally does. He takes a great pride in what it is that they do. He thinks that one of the things he will be most proud about when he hangs his boots up is that he treated everybody good. He never swerved anyone or stabbed them in the back. Along the way if he can help a few people, it's his duty to keep the industry growing by helping people along. When people get a little too big for the bridges, you send them down and go hey, this is going to go with you or without you. No one is bigger than the business. People look at that and the young guys have seen the success that he has had. They appreciate that and know that he is trust worthy. The Coach goes to the emails, and it asks about the persona of the Undertaker. If he enjoys it, and his theme song is number 8 on the billboards.

The Undertaker says that they have gone with the evolution of the Undertaker. There are still some over tones of the Undertaker in him, but they brought it into the year 2000. What the Undertaker is now is what you would see if you saw him on the street. He believes the same things and thinks the same way, but one of the biggest things when he was developing the Undertaker, it's okay to be different. He says that he had some of the old school diehards feel that he let the creatures of the night down. It's all about evolution. He still believes in everything he believed in, but it's time to reach a new era of people. He doesn't think that he shunned anybody, and it's also easier for him, because what he is doing is taking what you see on the street and putting it in the ring. The Undertaker says that he hopes people appreciate that. The Coach goes to the phones, and they go to line 3. The caller asks the Undertaker how much money he put into his tattoos. The Undertaker says he lost count, and he says that guys gave him tattoos for free, so they can say they worked on someone who is in the public eye. The Undertaker says the tattoos weren't part of his character, and they were personal choice. It became one of the signatures of the Undertaker, though.

The Coach asks The Undertaker what his opinion is on the new superstars, compared to the old school guys. The Undertaker says that the guys now are phenomenal. They use to be superstars of the World Wrestling Federation. Now these guys are cross media, and they do T.V. shows, and magazines. It's nice that the wrestlers are now getting recognized just like anybody else in the entertainment field. As far as the athleticism, it's not even comparable. The guys today are hands down the greatest of all time. Tom says that the Undertaker is a ring general in the ring as well as the locker room. The Undertaker would go out there night after night, and he wouldn't give up, even if he was hurting. Coming back off an injury, he is showing the young guys that you have to do what you have to do to step up. Tom says that he never saw a match with the Undertaker where he dogged it, or came into the locker room with a negative attitude. He's always positive. Tom says he thinks that has taught the young guys in the business. The Undertaker thanks Tom, and he says that he appreciates those words. This is their chosen profession, and he has a huge passion for the industry. Sometimes they don't get the same amount of respect, but this is his world series game, his super bowl, and they get paid to play. There has been big stars in the World Wrestling Federation that would go home with a hang nail. The Undertaker says he doesn't believe in that, and the people come out and pay their money to see what they do, and they deserve a good show. He doesn't want people to jeopardize their long term health. That isn't what he is all about, although he may have made some mistakes.

They go to the phones, and the caller asks the Undertaker if he sees himself going into a feud with Triple H. He doesn't know when, but it would be a good match. The Undertaker says that Triple H is probably the best ring technician today, and he has lifted his game ten fold since he was away. He would really like a chance to have a program with Triple H. The Undertaker says that Triple H is head and shoulders above everybody else. Tom goes over an email, and it asks what his most memorable match in the WWF is. The Undertaker says that it would probably be his match with Shawn Michaels in the first Hell in a Cell. It was one of the best matches that he has ever had, and if he ever wants to watch one of his matches and critique, that is the one that he is going to watch. The Undertaker says that they had two contrasting styles in the ring, and it was built to the right point. People wanted to see him beat the hell out of Shawn Michaels, and he did a pretty good job. They had a hell of a match, and both men deserve credit. Tom asks how it compares to the other Hell in a Cell with Mankind. The Undertaker says that a lot of people have marked that as one of the greatest cage matches ever. It was definitely most violent. There was one point in his career when he had an out of body experience, and that was when he launched Mankind off the top of the cage. The Coach says that he saw interviews of the Undertaker where he tried to talk Mankind out of doing that. The Undertaker says that he is all for laying it out on the line, but there's a degree where enough is enough. He wasn't too crazy about it, but better Mankind than the Undertaker.

The Coach goes over an email, and it asks who the Undertaker's favorite WWF Superstar is that he enjoys performing with. The Undertaker says that he is actually enjoying working with Kane. It would probably be Kane or Austin, and they had a pretty good run as tag team champions. Austin would be up there, but right now, he is really enjoying working with Kane. Kane has still not scratched his potential, and he'll be damned if he doesn't get it out of him. The Undertaker has a prediction, and within the next year, Kane is going to be a break through superstar here. He is going to be the man to beat in the WWF, and he guarantees it. The Coach says that whenever a big superstar comes back, and the entrance is good. The Coach asks the Undertaker to talk about his return. The Undertaker says that after being in the WWF as long as he has been here, and taking that much time off, you still always have to wonder. A lot of things has changed, and you never know. He thought there would be a positive reaction, but he never expected what he got in Louisville. There was a lot of thought in his mind about retiring, but when he comes through the curtain, the people start going off and letting him know he was in the right place and made the right decision. People are very fickle sometimes about changing something that they are accustom to, and he was nervous about going out there with a new look. This was a pretty bold move, and he is glad that for the most part, everybody has accepted it.

The Coach tries the phones, and the caller asks when Paul Bearer returns, if they will ever reunite. The Undertaker says that he doesn't know, and they have moved in opposite directions, and from the time that they split up, he didn't say much, and Paul Bearer did the talking. He was the Undertaker's link to the public, and as the years went by, he talked more. Paul got pushed to the side. Paul has a lot of knowledge, and he has been in the business for about 20 years, and he has a lot to offer some young talent. The Undertaker says he thinks he is going to be able to help some of the young guys. He has nothing but good things to say about Paul, and he has helped him tremendously over the years. When it's all said and done, they may hook it up one more time for old times sake, but for the betterment of Paul, he'll probably try to find some new talent to manage. Tom goes over an email, and it asks what the Undertaker did while he was out of action. The Undertaker says that he spent a lot of time on the bikes, and contemplating what it was that he wanted to do. For the last couple of years, his body has sustained quite a few injuries. Sometimes it's your body letting you know that it's time to move a long. Most of it was rehabbing, and it was a severe groin and ab strain. From there, he was about 10 days from coming back to work when he tore his pec. Most of it was rehabbing, and the other was contemplating whether it was the right thing to do. It was almost a little bit of a spiritual healing for him as well as physical.

The Coach goes to the phones, and it's a female caller, and the phone doesn't work. The Coach touches on the Undertaker's music, and he asks him to talk about it. A lot of people associate a superstar with their music. When the Undertaker's music comes on, the fans go nuts. The Undertaker says that he loves his music, and he digs Kid Rock's stuff anyway. All of this stuff with Kid Rock came up when he decided to come back, and he was thinking of doing a video vignette of his life at the time. He was going to use "Only God Knows Why", and they started talking to Kid, and they found out that American Bad Ass was coming out. They heard it, and said that the Undertaker had to hear it. With what he is doing when he comes back, that's the song. With the no bullshit look and the attitude. That's the song. Tom says that he was out in the arena before the music hit, and you could hear the bike starting up, and it was a great feeling. The Undertaker says that for him, it's a rush, and most people know that motorcycles are his thing. To be sitting back there knowing he is going to go out to the ring on his bike, it gives him an extra added rush, and the juice that he needs to keep up with the young guys. Once the music hits, it's ass kicking time.

The Coach goes to line 6, and the phone once again doesn't work. The Undertaker tells The Coach and Tom that they are treating him like a Red Headed Step Child, because the phones won't work for him. Tom says that the young guys are going to have to keep up with the Undertaker as well. The Undertaker says that he isn't going out without a fight, and he is definitely old school. A lot of things have changed over the past couple of years, and not all of it has been for the good. Fortunately, he is old enough to know better, but still too young to care. He has been around, and he fought all of the old guys, and he still has a lot left for the young pups. Hopefully they will take some of the ass kicking they get in the ring and put it all together and say "that's what he was talking about". When it's their time to pass it along, they will have a good idea what is going on. Tom goes over an email, and it asks the Undertaker if he will be releasing an autobiography like Mick Foley and The Rock. The Undertaker says that is funny, and he probably has forgotten more than he can remember, and there are still family members alive that he may have to wait until they passed on before he writes a book. The Undertaker says that they will leave that alone.

Superstars have gone Hollywood, and The Coach ask the Undertaker if he wants to do something like that. The Undertaker says that he is approached quite often, and he is a wrestler, and he likes to dedicate his time to doing that. He likes to stay a little bit more focused. Maybe after it's all over, but right now, he wants to focus on the World Wrestling Federation, and keeping himself at a level where people expect to see him. He doesn't have a real huge desire for outside projects, but he doesn't rule anything out. The Coach goes over a phone call that they got, and it asks about the Undertaker's finisher changing from the tombstone to the choke slam. The Undertaker says that he has always used the choke slam, and Tom corrects him by saying it's the power bomb. Tom says that the Coach is new, and The Undertaker tells him that he has to pay his dues. The Undertaker says that the business has changed, and he is changing with the times. He will still use the tombstone when he needs to, and the Last Ride is a new move in his arsenal. It seems to have done the trick so far, and he has put the tombstone on the back burner for a while. Tom goes over another email, and it asks if there is someone in the business that he hasn't worked with that he would like to. The Undertaker says that the only guy that he can think of is Goldberg. The Undertaker says that he would love to see that guy come to the WWF. People think he is a tremendous athlete and a big star now, that would only be a fraction of what he would become in the WWF. The Undertaker would like to show him that the WWF does it the right way.