The Undertaker Recalls Being Pranked Early In WWE Career

The Undertaker has discussed one of the pranks made on him at the start of his career – and how he found out who was behind it.

Stories of ribs in professional wrestling seem to gradually come to the surface, as competitors play practical jokes on each other backstage or on the road, keeping spirits up and almost as a way of passing the time.

As a locker room leader, it would be tough for anyone to try and rib The Undertaker, but there were some who were brave enough to try it.

In a discussion on his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker revealed that Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were behind some of the early antics in his career, but he soon caught them out.

When I first started with WWE, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. They were a couple little turds. That’s what they were. They were just bad. I would go out and have a match. Back then, we’d have somebody there that would bring our ring gear back.

Every time I’d come back from a match, there would be my hat sitting on a case somewhere, and it would be poked. The top of it would be poked in. It’d be like sugar poured all over the top of it, flowers put in it. Just silly things that they would do to my hat. I didn’t know who was doing it.

One thing with a rib when you’re in the wrestling business is, you don’t sell it. You don’t sell the rib. You don’t let anybody know that the rib’s getting to you. Because if it’s bothering you, it’s only gonna get worse. So I’m just playing it cool and I kind of set it up like a trap one day. I had my hat sitting out on the case. My coat was lying next to it and I’m kind of hiding.

This is kinda juvenile in its own right. I’m kind of hiding behind the curtain backstage, watching. I set a trap [and] here comes Shawn Michaels, just be-bopping down the hallway, and he stops. He walked in, he sees my hat and he stops. I remember him looking both ways like ‘Is there anybody around?’

I remember him pushing my hat, the top of my hat, caving my hat in, and I caught him right away. I was like, ‘You son of a bitch.’ And he about pissed himself like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ That was some of the more juvenile. I’ve been fairly lucky.

The Undertaker: “He Spent Thousands To Rib Me”

The Undertaker also revealed who else would rib him throughout his career, and that Vince McMahon would spend thousands if it meant he could play a practical joke.

There’s only been a few guys that would rib me. Paul Bearer would rib me and Brian Adams would rib me. Those are the only two. Yeah, those are the only two guys or whatever. I mean Vince. Yeah, he went out of his way to rib me. He would spend thousands and thousands of dollars just to rib me and get a kick out of it. But as far as the talent, though, the only two guys that would rib me were Paul Bearer and Bryan Adams.

With thanks to SEScoops for the transcription.