Shawn Michaels opens up about the growth and evolution of his relationship with The Undertaker, Mark Calaway.
The Undertaker, Mark Calaway, has always been known as a locker room leader in the WWE. Nowadays, he has a strong relationship with Shawn Michaels that is built upon mutual respect, but that wasn't always the case.
In the 90s, Shawn Michaels was known for being full of bravado and arrogant to the core, while The Undertaker was known as somebody who was always a pleasure to do business with and maintained a cool disposition no matter what.
Speaking with ESPN, Shawn Michaels spoke openly about how their relationship evolved over the years and how, through the wisdom that only comes with time, Shawn Michaels has grown an appreciation for The Undertaker's ability as a locker room leader.
"He never once raised his voice or hit somebody. It bugged me the wrong way. Because he didn't go and tape his fists. But he didn't go and make theatrics out of anything. Any time he'd do anything it was very calm, and actually a pleasant conversation. Which was diametrically opposed to the gimmick, so to speak, behind the scenes," Michaels said. "My immaturity at the time didn't allow me to grasp that he had it from a respect standpoint. He did it by example. That's the way it's supposed to be done. But as I've been apologizing for damn near 30 years for everything, I didn't have the ability to appreciate that when I was younger."
He continued, "When I came back in 2002, he was one of the first guys I went to just to apologize for all of my actions in the past. And he was good with it, but at the same time he made it pretty clear: 'We'll see.' I had a reputation. A lot of people weren't sure that [my change] was real. Then of course he recognized how [sorry] I very much was. When we got to do the WrestleMania stuff, the bond just got thicker and much deeper. We had both changed and grown in a lot of ways. And when we got in the ring, that chemistry was just so dynamic."
In his new WWE documentary series, Undertaker: The Last Ride, Mark Calaway admits that he is jealous of Shawn Michaels' retirement at WrestleMania 26 and how HBK was able to find peace following his last match. Learn more about that at this link.
