Wrestling Legend Talks Undertaker Changing From His CWA Days, Disliking Eric Bischoff, William Regal
Former AWA Tag Team Champion "Superstar" Bill Dundee was recently a guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. They passed along these highlights:
Working with The Undertaker in CWA (as Mark Callous):
"When The Undertaker was 'Mean' Mark Callous, he was just a big guy with freckles and red hair and white skin. He never looked anything like The Undertaker until he got that gimmick with Vince McMahon. He was a big ol' boy, but he didn't have the black hat and makeup on his face and rolling his eyes. That's what got him over as The Undertaker. If he would have been the same guy with freckles and white skin, do you think he would have got over?"
Undertaker's backstage demeanor in CWA:
"Mark was the kind of guy that didn't want any [pointers]. I thought he was pretty quiet, actually. He never said much to nobody. He just went and did his thing, tell him what you wanted and he would do it. Then, when he went to Vince, he became The Undertaker, and the rest is history. He's Vince's boy, so that's just how it is."
Original plans for "Lord" Steven Regal:
"Bill Watts came in to take the book from Turner. He saw Regal and Regal was a good wrestler. So he brought him over, and they didn't know what to do with him. So Dusty Rhodes talked to me and said, 'What are we gonna do with this kid?' I said well most Englishmen are lords. He said, 'Well let's make him "Lord" Steven Regal, and we'll let Larry Zbyszko manage him.' I said why would Larry manage Regal? He doesn't know anything about lords in England. I'm from Scotland, and the British thing fits together. Dusty said, 'Ok. You manage him.' So that's how it came. He got over and he's still there, so what can you say?"
Eric Bischoff letting him go from WCW:
"I never got along with Bischoff. I don't know how he got the job. Well, I do know how he got the job, but that's a different story too. I never cared for him, and when Hogan came in, he kissed Hogan's backside and followed him around like a little lapdog. So, he wasn't a very nice fella. I can tell you that much. He let me, Mike Graham, Greg Gagne, there was about four or five of us that he let go at the same time."
Dundee also talked about working with Jerry Lawler, meeting with Vince McMahon to come to the WWE, Vince having control over gimmicks, wrestling against EC3, and much more. You can listen to the full interview by clicking here.