The Undertaker’s Debut Match
The Undertaker‘s debut match in his career was against the legendary Bruiser Brody. The Undertaker vs Bruiser Brody took place at WCCW in 1977, although the Deadman went under the moniker “Texas Red”.
The Undertaker had been training for 8 months prior to the show, without wrestling his first match. Fritz Von Erich, the booker at the time, noticed his persistence and incredible size (standing at 6 feet 10 inches) and decided to finally book him in a match.
The Undertaker revealed on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that he was too rough and too excited during his debut match, and was forced to calm down by Brody, by any means necessary. He revealed that he struck Brody in the face, and after he had received a receipt from the legendary wrestler, the match went a lot more smoothly”
“The temperature in the room changed a little bit at that moment. So we tie up again, I’m about to shoot him across the ring. I’m yelling, I’m gonna hit him with a clothesline. So as I [throw Bruiser Brody] I’m like, ‘Clothesline!’ He comes off the ropes like a bullet, like a six-foot-five, 300-pound bullet, and he kicks me square in my f***ing jaw.” – The Undertaker on the Joe Rogan Experience.
“I deserved it. He was giving me a lesson that I needed to learn. Anyway, a couple of minutes later, boom, he pins me, and that was it.”
Bruiser Brody won the match, but the Undertaker learned a lot just stepping into the ring with a such a big star as Brody. While this was The Undertaker’s first match ever, his WWE debut would come 13 years later with a very different look for “Texas Red”.
The Undertaker’s Debut match in WWE
The Undertaker’s debut match in WWE was at a taping for WWF Superstars on November 10 1990. In his debut match, the Undertaker defeated Mario Mancini, an American jobber in the WWF, in dominant fashion in a short match. He was introduced as “Cain the Undertaker”, a name that was quickly dropped. The name Kane was later repurposed for his brother.
While this was the first time The Undertaker set foot inside a WWE ring, it was not technically his first WWE match. This is because the match, while taped three days prior to his debut at Survivor Series 1990, did not air until after the pay per view had aired. So, while it was physically his first match in WWE, canonically it was only his second WWE appearance.
The Undertaker’s first WWE match to be televised was at Survivor Series 1990. He was introduced by Brother Love as the final part of Ted Dibiase‘s Million Dollar Team. His size and aura was immediately noted, with commentator Roddy Piper famously quipping “look at the size of that ham hock!”
The Undertaker impressed in his first match, eliminating Koko B. Ware just one minute into his debut. He then eliminated Dusty Rhodes (father of Cody Rhodes), whilst also introducing his new finishing move – the Tombstone Piledriver. However, he’s ruthless streak would soon come to an end, as he was eliminated by count-out and removed from the match.
The Undertaker’s debut match in WWE was impressive and immediately introduced him as a force to be reckoned with. He would not take long to win the WWE Championship, when he defeated Hulk Hogan the following year for his first reign with the championship.
The Undertaker would have a long career and be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022. However, it was The Undertaker’s first match that would create the platform for the legend to build his incredible career upon.
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