The Undertaker Names His Mount Rushmore Of Pro Wrestlers

To be named one of the four greatest pro wrestlers in history by your peers is an honor shared by a select few. The Undertaker is in that exclusive club, having made the Mount Rushmore lists of Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, The Rock and Roman Reigns, among many others. 

During his recent appearance on "Ariel Helwani Meets," Taker himself participated in the debate surrounding pro wrestling immortality. 

"Andre. Flair," he began without hesitation. "And that's kinda where it gets cloudy [laughs]." 

At that point, Helwani implored Taker to not "straddle the fence" and be affirmative in his answer.

"Those two were easy," "The Deadman" said. "Most people don't realize what Andre meant to the business, because [his era] was before cable and all the places he had to go [to wrestle]. He was such an attraction."

Taker then described the relationship he shared with the late legend.

"Andre didn't really like big guys," Taker revealed. "But, for some reason, he loved me. When I came in [to the WWE], he was right at the end. He was working very little, his knees and back were really bad. One day, I walk into the locker room and he goes, 'One day, you and me, we make big money. I got an idea.'"

Taker added that Andre "wanted to do a huge angle" with him but never revealed the details due to his old-school beliefs of safeguarding ideas that had yet to materialize.

"He took it to the grave with him," Taker said. "I regret never being in the ring with him."

Returning his focus to his Mount Rushmore of pro wrestlers, Taker listed his final two names, clarifying that he was basing his choices on "effect on the industry" rather than in-ring prowess or any other metric.

"I'm gonna go Andre, Flair, [Steve] Austin ... and [Hulk] Hogan, probably."

Helwani pointed out that Taker wasn't as enthused about naming The Hulkster to his Mount Rushmore.

"You know why," Taker replied, implying that he wasn't a huge admirer of Terry Bollea, the person behind the Hogan persona.

"It is what it is," Taker continued. "In that '80s, that brother was the golden goose. It didn't get any bigger than Austin and Hogan — their impact on the industry was crazy."

For what it's worth, Taker picked Andre The Giant, Austin, The Rock, and Shawn Michaels when he was previously posed with the Mount Rushmore question. In fairness, he is not the first person to modify his list within the span of a few years. The Rock has done the same, keeping the fourth name fluid on his Mount Rushmore lists, with Austin, Flair, and Hogan remaining permanent fixtures.