10 Amazing Stories Behind One-Off WWE Attires

As incongruous with his character as it was, there was something strangely satisfying about seeing The Undertaker unfurl his duster to reveal Old Glory at Survivor Series '93, like some sort of American eagle spreading its patriotic wings. Given the forren-bashing theme of the show, which saw Lex Luger lead a crew of pugnacious bigots against Yokozuna and co., it's not too difficult to guess why The Phenom had the flag stitched into his lining. In early '90s WWE, undead morticians hated the Japanese just as much as All-American heroes.

What's less obvious is why it wasn't Old Glory, but old Old Glory that The Undertaker racistly revealed before his international opponents. The Betsy Ross flag, named for the woman who apocryphally designed the stars and stripes, features only thirteen stars arranged in a circle, each representing one of the Thirteen Colonies. In the two and a half centuries since its first recorded use, the flag has acquired troublesome connotations as a call sign for a return to 'traditionalist' - read, white - values.

Fitting though that'd be, it's probably not why WWE went with this particular version of the flag; it's more likely a nod to The Undertaker's gimmick of an old Western mortician, so suitably historic. But being a Texan, wouldn't a Confederate flag have made more sense - especially given the circumstances? After all, wrestling has never had any particular issue waving that symbol of hatred.