The Godfather Recalls His First Match With The Undertaker Being "So Horrible"

In honor of WWE celebrating The Undertaker all month long on their Network, WWE's The Bump brought on a longtime friend to "The Deadman," The Godfather. In his interview, Godfather recalls the very first time he met Taker, and how bad their first match was together.

"Wow, I've got to take my glasses off for this," Godfather said with a chuckle. "I just got into wrestling and my first job I was working in Memphis with Jerry Lawler. So, the promoters told us, 'We're going to bring this big, tall, red-headed kid in to work with you. He's still green, so maybe you could help him along.' They told me his name was Master of Pain. We had a match against each other and it was so horrible, but I think they put us together for a short time and we just became really good friends."

After teaming with him for a time, Godfather knew that Undertaker was a future star in the making.

"Nah, man, he was destined for greatness right from the beginning. I just knew," he replied. "He was big, athletic, he could talk, and he was very serious about it."

It's no secret that Godfather has worn man hats throughout his tenure in WWE. When comparing fighting styles, he admits that although they were both considered big men, their in-ring styles were like night and day.

"Two different, conflicting styles. Back then, there were a lot more big men. I mean, I think we were more of the average-sized guys back then; it's hard to explain," he mentioned. "I was, you know, so many different characters, and he became The Undertaker. I was so many things – from a supreme fighting machine, to a voodoo man, to the Nation of Domination, so my styles changed a lot. Him, you know, he was locked into the Deadman role."

When panelist Evan T. Mack brought up the fact that Godfather's other persona, Papa Shango, never had a big rivalry with Taker that caught many fans' eyes, he noted that during his time as the voodoo practitioner, he did everything he could to crack a smile on "The Phenom's" face. He had no such luck.

"I don't know what happened there; I wish it was. I've been in more caskets than anybody," he chuckled. "Whenever I'd work with him, I always tried to make him laugh and make him come out of character. Every time I would, he'd say, 'Knock it off, knock it off.' But yeah, I always tried to make him laugh."

Looking back at their time as The Bone Street Krew (BSK), Godfather mentioned that Taker's presence in the group was very uplifting. He complements Taker's strides during his 30-year venture in the business and how he looks up to guys like him that have such deep respect for this business.

"I talk to everyone from BSK all the time," he noted. "To this day, I'm still friends with everybody. People think BSK was this group that partied every night. BSK was a bunch of guys who hung out together every night and played dominoes. It was such a great time. To come up with The Undertaker – it was such a great time. He is such a great guy.

"I asked him about two or three years ago, 'Dude, why do you still keeping doing this? You don't need the money.' He actually loves the business. Vince loves him. He has so much respect for the business that even if he does step away, he'll still be part of the business somehow."

You can watch The Godfather's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.