The Undertaker shares what he’d change to do well in today’s WWE – “I’d do a few things a little differently.”
The Undertaker recently shared how he’d need to adjust his WWE character if he were wrestling today, and talked about leaving behind his legendary persona after 30 years as he takes on a new role running AAA, WWE’s fourth brand.
Known as ‘The Deadman,’ Mark Calaway made this spooky, supernatural figure one of the most iconic characters in wrestling history over three decades. He even switched things up by becoming ‘The American Badass’ and later the modern ‘Phenom.’
Today’s WWE fans are smarter and the style is more realistic, so The Undertaker says he’d probably change his pacing and how he works with opponents if he joined the 2026 roster.
“I’d do some things differently, but some characters like Stone Cold and The Undertaker are timeless,” he told SPORTbible. “I’d probably slow down or speed up my matches, and help my opponents do the same so we’d have great matches.”
Now retired from wrestling, Calaway enjoys just being himself. After years of keeping ‘The Undertaker’ mysterious, he’s opened up through his podcast and interviews, showing fans a more human side.
“I love being Mark Calaway but also loved living the character,” he said. “I miss it but enjoy talking to people as myself. It surprises some that I can actually have a normal conversation!”
Even after such an amazing in-ring career, The Undertaker didn’t step away from wrestling completely. Along with being a WWE ambassador, he now leads AAA, focusing on Lucha Libre, WWE’s Mexican brand acquired in 2025. The big event this weekend is the two-night Triplemania in Las Vegas and Mexico City.
“It’s a new kind of job for me,” he said. “I’m learning a lot about the culture and the behind-the-scenes challenges, like injuries and travel, that affect shows. It’s rewarding to try and create something fans want to see.”
In 2026, Shawn Michaels runs the NXT brand, Triple H is WWE’s Chief Content Officer, and there’s a friendly competition to make the best shows.
“There’s definitely a bit of rivalry — everyone wants to put out the best product,” The Undertaker said. “That pushes us all to do better.”
As a respected ‘locker room leader,’ he loves helping younger wrestlers improve by sharing wisdom from his career and the legends before him.
“I enjoy working with hungry performers who really want to get better,” he said. “It’s not just about moves, it’s about making fans care about the character.”
The Undertaker also reflected on his famous 21-0 WrestleMania winning streak, which ended when Brock Lesnar beat him at WrestleMania XXX. Thinking about today’s stars, he named a few he’d like to face: Gunther, Oba Femi, Trick Williams, and Jacob Fatu.
While his old-school style wouldn’t always fit today’s world — like using scary symbols that big sponsors might not love — he feels there’s too little mystery in wrestling now.
“I probably wouldn’t want to be on ‘Unreal’ because I’m old school,” he said. “Mystery makes things more exciting, but these days a lot is revealed behind the scenes.”
One unforgettable moment in his career: in 2010, he accidentally caught fire during his entrance but still finished the match despite serious burns. “I didn’t want to let the fans down,” he said.
Mindset like that helped him reach the top and stay there, just like fellow legend John Cena, who recently retired too. The Undertaker praised Cena’s hard work and determination to stay at the top for over 20 years.
“He didn’t give anyone an easy chance to take his place — that’s why he stayed on top so long,” he said.
Now, as part of a fun new Clash of Clans campaign, The Undertaker and Cody Rhodes are teaming up to find John Cena in the game. Fans can join in the search until September 30th by downloading Clash of Clans on iOS or Google Play.
It’s a great way for WWE stars and gamers alike to have some fun and celebrate two of wrestling’s biggest names!