The Undertaker is considered one of the most iconic figures in professional wrestling history. Over more than three decades, The Deadman not only collected multiple championships but also served as a respected locker room leader. His influence helped shape modern stars like John Cena, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns. Recently, however, the seven-time World Champion expressed disappointment with a growing trend he sees among today’s WWE talent.
On his Six Feet Under podcast with his wife Michelle McCool and former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, Mark Callaway—the man behind The Undertaker—voiced frustration over wrestlers focusing more on social media than honing their craft. He criticized how many spend their backstage time filming TikTok videos instead of watching matches to improve their skills.
Since The Undertaker has recently spent significant time at the WWE Performance Center filming the LFG reality series, his remarks may have been directed at certain talent there. Studying matches from legends like The Undertaker—who delivered some of the greatest bouts in history, including his iconic WrestleMania 25 showdown with Shawn Michaels—offered invaluable lessons.
“For me, I’m a notoriously old-school dude. It’s disheartening sometimes when I go to the shows, and if you can even find talent backstage watching matches, like most of ‘em are filming TikToks, doing all this other [stuff]. Even when I was on the road full time, if you weren’t sitting there watching the monitor, it was gonna be a bad day for you.”
The Undertaker via Six Feet Under podcast
Even in his late 40s, between 2009 and 2013, the veteran put together an incredible run that solidified his legacy. When Mark Callaway speaks, it’s worth paying attention. Interestingly, his remarks align with recent comments from Drew McIntyre, who pointed out that many younger wrestlers rarely seek guidance from veterans—a habit he believed ultimately harms the business.
The Undertaker Credits Gunther’s In-Ring Style and Work Ethic
The Undertaker seems to view one current WWE star as standing above the rest—a wrestler he believes is genuinely committed to perfecting his craft. That star is Gunther, who appeared with him on a recent episode of the Six Feet Under podcast. Callaway praised the Austrian powerhouse for his dedication and in-ring skill, saying it was refreshing to see a top talent still going the extra mile.
The Deadman addressed what he viewed as a rising issue in modern wrestling—complacency. He stated that the lack of focus often resulted in mistakes and sloppy execution that fans could quickly notice. The WWE Hall of Famer’s respect for Gunther was so strong that he admitted the former World Champion was the only wrestler he would even consider coming out of retirement to face.
For context, Callaway’s last match took place at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, where he defeated AJ Styles in the cinematic Boneyard Match. This wasn’t the first time The Undertaker had expressed admiration for The Ring General. On Booker T’s Hall of Fame podcast last year, he called Gunther a “throwback wrestler” and even referred to him as “my guy,” praising his style as both hard-hitting and believable.