WWE legend Mark “The Undertaker” Calaway has detailed how the gladiatorial spirit of wrestlers negatively impacts their health.
On the latest “Six Feet Under” podcast, The Undertaker was joined by fellow Hall of Famer Booker T, and they talked about several topics, one of which was concussions in sports. “The Phenom” believes that sportspersons who are prone to concussions, like football players, wrestlers, and MMA fighters, should do their due diligence and consult with doctors if they get concussed constantly. But, he also touched on the gladiatorial spirit of such athletes, which may, in a way, come in the way of them seeking help.
Advertisement
“We’re all kind of gladiators. If you’re in football, you’re in wrestling, you’re in boxing, you’re in MMA, you have kind of a gladiator spirit, and that sometimes can be the absolute worst thing for you,” said Undertaker. “And I’m a prime example ’cause I always thought … I had this silly mentality [that] I’m going to go out in my shield, that’s how I want to go out. And then you get to that point where things are starting to happen and then you realize that, ‘I’m a young man and I got a lot of my life left, I have a young wife, I have kids …’ You really have to put all of those things into perspective.”
The Hall of Famer talked about NFL player Tua Tagovailoa, who has suffered several concussions in recent years, stating that the Miami Dolphins star should step back and assess why he is getting concussed frequently. Booker T, though, added that it’s difficult to tell a person who loves what they’re doing to not do it anymore.
Advertisement
The Undertaker, who had a long career in pro wrestling, had his fair share of concussions, one of which happened in his iconic WrestleMania 30 match against Brock Lesnar. “The Deadman” has revealed in recent years that he has no recollection of the match, which ended his Streak.