Undertaker: It Was Hard For Me To Accept Protocols And Trainers; We Weren’t Getting Soft, We Got Smarter

The Undertaker discusses the business changing. 

Back when men were men, wrestlers would compete no matter what, finishing matches despite being injured and working while hurt. As times have changes, protocols have changed, and wrestling has become safer, though the risks are still evident. 

Speaking on his Six Feet Under podcast, Undertaker commented on the changing protocols. 

“It’s amazing now, all the protocols that are in place. We’re treated, today, like NFL players, NBA players, Major League Baseball guys. There are a list of protocols that you have to clear once you get injured before you get back in the ring. Back in the day, we didn’t have trainers that traveled with us. If somebody had a roll of white athletic tape, that was the trainer because he had something that you could possibly use. Nowadays, we have two or three trainers that travel, we have doctors that travel, concussion protocols. I have to be honest, for me, it was hard to accept that at first because it was ‘ah man, everything is getting soft now.’ I appreciated that badge of honor, as silly as that sounds. It was hard for me to accept that. ‘Man, our business is getting soft.’ It wasn’t getting soft. It was getting smarter. I’m glad that I was part of the generation that led into that because, today, you see the referee and they throw the X up, you know something bad has happened. You’re not going to get a bunch of blood in the ring. If someone is concussed or injured to a point, the match is going to stop and the athletes are going to be treated the way they need to be. Even with all that going on, the wear and tear and the risk of injury is crazy,” he stated. 

Undertaker has had his fair share of injuries throughout the years with torn muscles, hip issues, knee issues, a crushed face, and much more. 

Undertaker is retired from in-ring competition, but still makes an occasional appearance on television. He recently showed up on the October 10 episode of NXT to chokeslam Bron Breakker. 

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