WWE HOFer The Undertaker Explains The Importance Of 'Paying Dues' In Wrestling

In a recent episode of his "Six Feet Under with The Undertaker" podcast, Mark Calaway sat down with Sean 'X-Pac' Waltman, where the two looked back at their early years coming up in the wrestling industry. The two both recalled how poorly wrestling initially paid, making travelling difficult, so having to sleep at an airport the night before a flight was just a part of keeping the dream alive.

"Paying those kinda dues were so important and never forgetting that you're always one day away from [not] at all coming back," Calaway remembered, noting just how volatile it was to make your mark in the industry back then. While things are different today, Calaway believes there was something to learn through the experience. "I think there's a part of the grit that's missing from some of these guys because they don't have to do that."

Calaway further compared the entire concept to a double-edged sword, which Waltman agreed with. Waltman also expressed how grateful he is that wrestlers today don't have to go through the things they did, while admitting that those experiences shaped him as a wrestler, pointing out how long it took him to make it in pro wrestling, specifically the night he beat Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) as 'The 1-2-3 Kid' in 1993. 

"The second-most important moment in my career is so far – there's such a gap between that [moment] and The 1-2-3 Kid. It's not even funny," he pointed out, suggesting that the years between his breakthrough as The 1-2-3 Kid and his later career as 'X-Pac' were years of "paying dues."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Six Feet Under with The Undertaker," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.