The Undertaker's former rival received surprise WWE payment after The Bump appearance
The Undertaker retired from in-ring competition in 2020 after 30 years in WWE. Maven Huffman, one of The Deadman's former rivals, recently recalled what happened after he appeared on WWE show The Bump to discuss the legendary wrestler.
Maven worked for WWE from 2001 to 2005 after winning the Tough Enough reality series. In 2002, the then-rookie feuded with The Undertaker after surprisingly eliminating the veteran from the Royal Rumble.
On his Maven Huffman YouTube channel, Maven disclosed details about several paychecks he has received throughout his career. Reflecting on his 2020 appearance on The Bump, the three-time Hardcore Champion revealed WWE sent him $1,500 even though he did not ask for money.
"Within a week of being on The Bump, I would receive an unexpected but welcome surprise when in my mailbox there was a check for $1,500," Maven said. "And an added perk was I didn't even have to travel anywhere. I got to do the interview from the comfort of my own office, and it only took about 20 minutes." [3:02 – 3:24]
The feud with The Undertaker was arguably the highlight of Maven's WWE career. Shortly after the Royal Rumble incident, the 48-year-old defeated The Phenom on the February 7, 2002, episode of SmackDown to win the Hardcore Championship.
Maven addresses his appearance on The Undertaker's podcast
In 2024, Maven spoke about his life and wrestling career on The Undertaker's Six Feet Under w/Mark Calaway podcast. In return, The Deadman appeared in a video on his former opponent's YouTube channel.
Maven clarified that no money was exchanged when he and the WWE icon featured on each other's platforms:
"Speaking of The Deadman, I would appear on his podcast, Six Feet Under, and where I didn't get paid to be on his show, he didn't charge me to come on mine. And, truth be told, the amount of respect I have for 'Taker, hell, I would have paid to be on his show just to thank him for everything he has done for my career." [3:24 – 3:46]
Maven has amassed a large following since he began posting regularly on his YouTube account in 2023. At the time of writing, his channel has 667k subscribers.
Please credit Maven Huffman and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.