WWE News: Bray Wyatt reveals what The Undertaker taught him
What's the story?
During SummerSlam weekend, 2K put on an event called the WWE 2K18 Kickoff Weekend where the media got the chance to sit down and interview various WWE Superstars. Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald spoke with Bray Wyatt, and they talked about the subject of The Undertaker being a mentor to him.
In case you didn't know...
When Undertaker was with the WWE full-time, he was a leader of the locker room. Wrestlers looked up to him for advice, and when someone was out of line, The Undertaker would step in and correct the situation.
One of the biggest situations The Undertaker stepped in as a leader of the locker room was the Montreal Screwjob. Sources indicate that he was the one who told Vince McMahon that he needs to confront Bret Hart about the bizarre situation that occurred at the 1997 Survivor Series.
The heart of the matter
Within the interview, Wyatt described to Fishman how the Undertaker taught him to continuously evolve Bray's character. Wyatt further explained in the quote below (transcript provided by WrestlingInc.com):
"I think the thing about keeping your character fresh is when you change as an individual you have to flow with it. There are times where fans don't understand that change is inevitable or that changes are done too fast. They say, 'We like the way you used to be.' Or they say, 'We liked what you did then.' You can't stay the same. As you mature as an adult, you find out you have to keep changing in this business. It's something The Undertaker laid on me."
It is advice that Undertaker lived through in a career that has spanned 33 years. He transformed from Mean Mark Callous in the WCW days, to a "Deadman" with no emotion and little room to express personality, to a cult leader at the height of the Attitude Era, to the biker gimmick, and back to the "Deadman" we know as of today.
What's next?
Bray Wyatt continues to torment Finn Balor, and the two will clash once again at No Mercy on September 24th. Wyatt claims that Balor cannot defeat him without becoming "The Demon"; which seems like a challenge Balor is willing to take Wyatt up on.
Author's take
There are few people I respect as a person more in the WWE than The Undertaker. His worth to the wrestling industry cannot be measured, and for the longest time was left untold.
Though he will be the last person to take the credit for what he's done in the industry, I cannot wait for the day that he speaks about it during his inevitable WWE Hall Of Fame speech in the next few years.