The Undertaker Recalls Early Creative Difference With Vince McMahon

The Undertaker on his patriotic trench coat: “That was all Vince”

The Undertaker was meant to be a patriotic character.

At least that is how Vince McMahon viewed it.

But not just any type of patriot–and certainly not the Del Wilkes mask-wearing, superhero-type.

It all tied back to the creation of The Undertaker character, which officially debuted at the 1990 edition of the Survivor Series. Mark Calaway was given this persona, playing the role of an undertaker–someone who prepares a body for burial. His portrayal was brilliant, presenting himself in a manner unlike any other wrestler in the entire industry.

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Calaway was also purposefully sparse with his words, allowing his manager–originally Brother Love, then shifting to Paul Bearer–to speak for him. The character was protected, making further believe in The Undertaker, and within a couple years, he was on the verge of breakout stardom as a babyface.

By 1993, as McMahon was ensuring WWE milk the last drops out of the America vs. foreign nation storyline, All-American hero Lex Luger was feuding with foreign terrors Yokozuna and Ludvig Borga. That built to the main event of that year’s Survivor Series, where Luger’s All Americans battled Yokozuna’s Foreign Fanatics.

Courtesy WWE

Luger’s partners were Tatanka and the Steiner Brothers. That changed when Yokozuna and Borga beat Tatanka to the point where he could no longer be part of the match. Eleven days before the event, his replacement was announced: The Undertaker.

During a Superstars taping, surrounded in the ring by Luger and the Steiners, The Undertaker joined the team by revealing that the inside of his trench coat was lined with the American flag.

11/13/93:

Before there was American Badass, there was American Coat.

Proud patriot The Undertaker replaces Tatanka in the All Americans, in an interview that was oddly enough conducted by Howard Finkel himself!” pic.twitter.com/NQyZRD5uhD

— OVP - Retro Wrestling Podcast (@ovppodcast) November 13, 2023

“I wasn’t thrilled about that,” said Calaway, who is best known as The Undertaker. “That was all Vince.”

The highlight of that Survivor Series match in Boston was the manner in which the crowd came alive for the interactions between The Undertaker and Yokozuna. It served as a proper build to the title match at the Royal Rumble that following January, by which point any and all connections to the flag were dropped.

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Calaway raised his objections, but McMahon had already made up his mind. Years later, they would find a happy medium when Calaway evolved the character into “The American Badass”.

“In retrospect, now, I’m very proud of that run as The American Badass,” said Calaway. “At the time, in 1993, adding the flag was not Undertaker-esque.

“I remember me and Vince going back and forth. It was one of those first things we really butted heads over. I still remember Vince trying to sell me, saying, ‘Well, it’s the Betsy Ross flag.’ I was thinking, ‘Well, OK? Is that supposed to change everything?’”

Courtesy WWE

That flag highlights the original 13 colonies, which was a connection to the old west. In McMahon’s mind, it made complete sense–that was from where The Undertaker originated. But McMahon was met with a negative reaction from Calaway, who did not like or agree with the idea.

“That just wasn’t The Undertaker back then,” said Calaway. “I just didn’t have the juice to say no.”

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