Starrcast made a major announcement yesterday when they revealed that The Undertaker would be joining the guest list. While The Undertaker has done more out-of-character interviews over the last year, few thought he would show up to a convention being held in conjunction with AEW Double or Nothing.
Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Starrcast organizer Conrad Thompson recalled how he was able to secure The Deadman for Starrcast II.
"I was hanging out with Bruce (Prichard) in December and I said, 'I'm trying to figure out a way to make Starrcast II bigger. What about Undertaker?' Bruce shrugged it off and said, 'I don't know. He just turned down' insert insane amount of money here," said Thompson. "I said, 'Hypothetically, could I have his number and pitch it?' I sent him a text. A few days later, he got back to me and said, 'That's not the way I handle bookings, here you go.' He handed me off, we started a dialogue. And may my bank account rest in peace."
The Undertaker is reportedly charging $25,000 per hour for appearances or $60,000 for three hours.
With Starrcast running the same weekend as AEW Double or Nothing, many fans believe the two entities are affiliated and began speculating that Undertaker, or others set to appear at Starrcast, would be showing up at Double or Nothing. Conrad set the record straight on such speculation.
"There's no official agreement between us and AEW. Tony (Khan) is my friend and I've known him for a long time. He asked me to host the rally in Jacksonville, I guess that went okay, and he asked me back for Vegas. I don't work for AEW, I don't have any official arrangement or agreement," said Conrad. "I'm just doing my buddy a solid. Cody (Rhodes) believed in me enough last year to do Starrcast. That's where it ends. We're not the official convention of AEW. WrestleCon happens in the WrestleMania host city every year. That doesn't mean they're affiliated. Just because Ric Flair is going to be at Starrcast doesn't mean he's going to show up at AEW Double or Nothing."
Starrcast II is set to run from May 23 - 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can find more information on the event here.
And you can listen to Conrad talking all things Starrcast and more with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp in the video above.