10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Aug 24)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. The Undertaker Was Supposed To Turn Heel Before SummerSlam 1998

WWE Championship SummerSlam The Undertaker SummerSlam 1998
WWE

Bruce Prichard would tell you that Vince McMahon isn't a massive fan of babyface vs. babyface pay-per-view main events. That's why the ex-creative team member and McMahon confidant was so surprised when Vince knocked back suggestions that The Undertaker turn heel before SummerSlam 1998.

McMahon agreed with 'Taker, and he didn't want to jeopardise the popularity of a beloved figure like 'The Deadman'.

On the latest 'Something To Wrestle With' (a treasure trove of WWE-related facts and previously-unknown information), Prichard said that he and Vince Russo had pitched a 'Taker heel run in the lead up to SummerSlam. Once The Undertaker himself repeated that he didn't fancy going rogue, that booking was pulled off the table.

The WWF decided to go with the idea that Austin and 'Taker were fighting for more than the title instead. They were warring over popularity, and the prestige of being the promotion's top dog. That twist is why the pay-per-view poster had both fighting for supremacy over Madison Square Garden.

What other big wrestling facts did you learn this week? Let us know down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.