The Undertaker Says Bray Wyatt Came Closest to Capturing His Legendary WWE Presence

The Undertaker recently weighed in on his WWE legacy and called the late Bray Wyatt as the closest modern embodiment of his aura.

The Undertaker Says Bray Wyatt Came Closest to Capturing His Legendary WWE Presence

The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt (via Imagn and WWE)

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For over three decades, The Undertaker stood as the face of fear in WWE. Debuting in 1990, the Hall of Famer set the gold standard for character work with his legendary Deadman persona. While the company introduced other dark, menacing figures like Kane and Mankind, Mark Callaway’s legacy always towered above the rest. In the modern era, however, Bray Wyatt emerged as the closest heir to that mystique. 

The late Windham Rotunda first introduced the chilling ‘Eater of Worlds’ gimmick, eventually clashing with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31 back in 2015. Though Wyatt fell short, he earned the Deadman’s respect. And with time, he carved out a legacy of his own. From the twisted creativity of the Firefly Funhouse to the terrifying presence of The Fiend, Wyatt became a visionary in his own right.  

Moreover, he captured both the WWE and Universal Championships along the way. Tragically, Wyatt passed away in 2023 at just 36 following a heart attack, leaving the wrestling world in mourning. Since then, tributes have poured in from across the industry, but perhaps the most meaningful came from The Undertaker himself. 

Recently, Taker spoke on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and acknowledged that Wyatt reminded him most of his own prime, calling him the closest anyone has ever come to replicating the aura of the Deadman. He admitted it is difficult to name anyone with a character like his, though he sees plenty of young talent with the potential to become stars.

Um, it’s hard. I mean, I see a lot of people coming up who have the potential to be stars. Whether their characters are similar to mine or not—it’s tough to say.

The Undertaker via Nightcap

He then rightfully cited Wyatt as the one he believes got the closest to his iconic aura with his multiple gimmicks between 2013 and 2023. 

I guess the closest within the past few years was obviously Bray Wyatt. Yeah, we lost him, but he was in that category of being Undertaker-esque. I don’t know that anybody else has really honed in there yet, but we have a lot of young talent coming up, and they’ll probably be debuting really soon because of the machine again.

The Undertaker via Nightcap

Before his passing, The Undertaker often expressed deep admiration for Wyatt, praising his creativity and always staying invested in whatever he brought to WWE television. Mark Callaway even narrated Wyatt’s documentary titled ‘Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal’, and later shared how proud he was that Wyatt’s family appreciated the finished work. 

One of their most memorable moments together came on the 24 January 2023 episode of Raw. During the segment, Taker assisted Wyatt in taking out LA Knight before leaning in to whisper something in Wyatt’s ear. Fans widely viewed it as a symbolic passing of the torch. Tragically, just seven months later, Wyatt passed away in August 2023. 

The Undertaker wishes his run with Kane as The Brothers of Destruction were longer

Now retired from active competition, The Undertaker has remained closely connected to WWE, even playing a role in the company’s growing partnership with AAA, something Triple H has credited him with being an important part of. Still, Mark Callaway often reflects on his in-ring career, including one major missed opportunity involving his on-screen half-brother, Kane.

Known as the Brothers of Destruction, The Undertaker and Kane were billed as siblings in WWE storylines and went on to form one of the most dominant tag teams in wrestling history. While they had memorable runs together, both men also thrived as singles stars, with Kane famously making his debut in 1997 during the first-ever Hell in a Cell match.

The Undertaker and Kane
The Undertaker and Kane (via WWE)

Speaking on Club 520, Callaway admitted he wished he and the real-life Glenn Jacobs had been able to team for longer. However, he explained why WWE didn’t fully commit to the idea.

I wish that we could have had a longer run together, but it just got to a point where it was too difficult to book anybody against us. It was just too difficult to put people against us. We made the Road Warriors look small, and those guys were bigger than life.

The Undertaker via Club 520

Taker also pointed out that the supernatural elements of their characters made booking them even more challenging, as most opponents would feel outnumbered and overwhelmed before a match even began.

The duo has shared the stage at two WrestleMania events, WrestleMania 14 and WrestleMania 20, and cemented themselves as one of the most dominant duos in WWE history. They also captured multiple tag team championships in 2001 during the memorable Invasion storyline. Their final televised match as a team came in 2018 at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, where they faced Triple H and Shawn Michaels. 

Interestingly, Saudi Arabia continues to play a major role in WWE’s future. The Undertaker was on hand when the company officially announced that WrestleMania 43 will take place in the Kingdom. It is a fitting stage, given how much The Deadman has defined the grandest event of them all throughout his career.

Reports have also suggested that an in-ring return could be pitched, as Saudi investors, committing nearly $250 million for the 2027 spectacle, are eager to feature WWE legends on the card.

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