Reporter On Why The Undertaker Never Met With LeBron James At Recent Cleveland Cavs Game
As noted, The Undertaker recently appeared in Cleveland at The Q to welcome back the NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers for their championship ring ceremony and season opener.
There were photos of Taker meeting several Cavs players but none of Taker and LeBron James, who was photographed wearing a Taker t-shirt during the NBA Finals. James getting media attention for the t-shirt is what led to Taker making the appearance at The Q in the first place.
Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon reports that James arrived to the arena before Taker, wife Michelle McCool and The Ultimate Warrior's family, but claimed not to know the WWE crew was out there. Word quickly spread through the locker room that Taker was waiting outside of the locker room door but he still never met with James.
Vardon responded to a question from a reader and explained why James and Taker never met:
I love this question. For a quick review, The Undertaker was stationed outside the locker room at The Q for an uncomfortable hour (give or take) on opening night, apparently to meet James (with cameras and cell phones rolling for the fine folks at WWE to capture the moment and spread the footage around the globe). The reason, besides the huge publicity it would generate for the WWE, was James wore a T-shirt from Homage with The Undertaker's likeness on the front on practice day prior to Game 5 of the Finals.
James arrived at The Q before the wrestler and his posse, and claimed not to know he was out there. But of course the word immediately spread through the locker room that The Undertaker was waiting outside.
Here's a life lesson. If you don't have an appointment, don't already know James personally, aren't a business associate or a small child, the odds of "meeting" James before or after a Cavs game in or near the locker room are not great. I once saw Houston Astros stud second baseman Jose Altuve try to get a meeting with James after a game against the Houston Rockets in Texas. The request came through various team PR officials. Let's just say James had no interest.
Another rule. James is not cool with someone purposefully trying to make money or gain fame through him, away from the court. In other words, no PR stunts that don't benefit James. He wore an Undertaker T-shirt. For him, that's enough.
UPDATE: Sources say The Undertaker and Dana were both invited guests of the Cleveland Cavaliers.