Shane McMahon recently spoke about his longtime relationship with The Undertaker that saw the pair grow to become close friends. The story was told by Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.
Shane says that the relationship started when they were both in their early 20’s. Vince would bring talent to his house on special occasions and The Undertaker came one day while Shane McMahon was home from school. Shane said, “We just hit it off. You’ve got two kids in their 20s, just starting in the business. And that’s what our relationship would be built on: trust, respect and looking out for each other.”
Shane admits that they grew up drastically different. Undertaker went through the indies and Shane was born into the WWE family. But that hasn’t stopped them from becoming good friends that always look out for each other. Shane said, “He’s been through the wringer on every single thing and still has the drive to go after it. But I think that’s where Mark struggles now. He’s not as fast. But you can do different things and tell a different story. Mark has always been about performance. Telling a really great story. He doesn’t have to jump over the top rope and fly to the floor.”
When talking about the WrestleMania 32 match the two had together, Shane said that the reason for the match had numerous factors behind it. “I had a hiatus from the company for a while prior to that. My three boys had never seen me perform live. They’re the main reason I changed my life around, to be more involved in their personal lives. They had asked about me doing it again, and I figured if the right scenario ever came around, I would consider it.”
That right scenario finally came for Shane who said, “One day, I get a call from Undertaker. He says, “What do you think?” And I ask, “About what?” And he says, “Me and you.” My gut was that I didn’t want to say no, which stunned me. So I told him to run it by the boss and see what he thought. Taker called Vince. My dad called me. And the rest is history. The three of us started thinking about this match as a special attraction, and the story was about my comeback after seven years, for control of the company — which was a great little family dynamic, because you never know with the McMahon’s what’s real and what’s not — and that I’d have to get in there with Vince’s chosen representative, and it’ll be a Hell in a Cell.”
Shane said their relationship would sometimes see them start wrestling in hotel rooms. “It’s a big-brother/little-brother relationship. Sometimes I’d annoy him. And then other times, he’d just attack me, and I’d have to defend my life. It was hurtful. If it went too far, I’d pick stuff up as an equalizer. I’d swing a lamp at him. It’s like a hardcore match, we’d just go at it. I had techniques. There are two beds. If he finds himself between them, I’ve got opportunities: I can hit him high, and the bed hits him low. I’m putting covers over him. I’m trying to be as creative as possible, because if he gets free, you’re toast. So I’d try to inflict some pain and then find out which way was the door.”
When discussing their WrestleMania match, Shane said “I just remember my adrenaline was pumping so high at the start that I jumped high and kicked him right in the chest, really hard, to set the tone. Because he’s my friend, and you take more liberties with your friend than you would anyone else. So I waffled him. A lot of people will never understand. You’re teeing off with your friend. It’s like hitting your friend on the arm and then getting one back later.”
During the match, Undertaker was making it clear with Shane that he was hurting and not having fun. Originally, Undertaker was against the idea of Shane jumping from the top of the cell but Shane insisted that it had to be this way. Shane said, “I blew my belly button out — an umbilical hernia — because I hit so hard [on impact]. I didn’t expect that force to be that hard. But oh my god, it was. I always have extra baseball jerseys made for important events, so I presented one to him after the match, and as I was doing that, he was giving me one of his [MMA-style] gloves. That old-school appreciation.”
Shane ends by saying that Undertaker is battling the ultimate competitor right now which is time. “It’s kind of like if Michael Jordan was still playing, and performing at a high level. What Jordan is to basketball is what Undertaker still is to the WWE. There never has been, nor will there ever be, a character like The Undertaker.”
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