The Undertaker says it was hard for him to accept protocols and trainers.
The wrestling business has changed quite a bit in the past three decades with more protocols and measures being made to protect the performers.
While the risks have remained, the evolution of the business has been for the better of the industry overall. However, not all legends agree with this change with one such star being The Undertaker at times in the past.
Speaking on his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker discussed how the business has changed and how he has had to accept that fact. He said:
“It’s amazing now, all the protocols that are in place. We’re treated, today, like NFL players, NBA players, Major League Baseball guys.”
“There are a list of protocols that you have to clear once you get injured before you get back in the ring. Back in the day, we didn’t have trainers that traveled with us.”
“If somebody had a roll of white athletic tape, that was the trainer because he had something that you could possibly use.”
On how many trainers and protocols have been introduced, Taker said:
“Nowadays, we have two or three trainers that travel, we have doctors that travel, concussion protocols.”
“I have to be honest, for me, it was hard to accept that at first because it was ‘ah man, everything is getting soft now.’ I appreciated that badge of honor, as silly as that sounds.”
“It was hard for me to accept that. ‘Man, our business is getting soft.’ It wasn’t getting soft. It was getting smarter.”
“I’m glad that I was part of the generation that led into that because, today, you see the referee and they throw the X up, you know something bad has happened.”
“You’re not going to get a bunch of blood in the ring. If someone is concussed or injured to a point, the match is going to stop and the athletes are going to be treated the way they need to be. Even with all that going on, the wear and tear and the risk of injury is crazy,”
Transcription via Fightful
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