WWE Hall Of Famer The Undertaker Discusses Deadman & American Badass Gimmicks

WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker has opened up about the "American Badass" character that he debuted in 2000, and shared why he needed to step away from "The Deadman" persona during that time. "The American Badass" was featured on WWE television for nearly four years, before Undertaker resurrected "The Phenom" in 2004 at WrestleMania 20 against his brother Kane. He also captured the Undisputed WWE Championship as well as multiple World Tag Team Titles during his time as a biker.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on "Insight," Undertaker explained that his "Deadman" persona will always be his legacy, but really enjoyed his time as "The American Badass" because it allowed him to cut different promos, tell more creative stories and ultimately have a fresh start after 10 years of being the "Demon from Death Valley." "I think I had to do that just for the sake of staying relevant during that time period, again you go back to the promos that everyone's cutting and the content that we were getting away with at the time, as great as that Undertaker character was, it was kind of shackled to where you're in a box ... so it allowed me to cut promos with the likes of what Rock was cutting and what Austin was cutting and Triple H and everybody was cutting ... it freed my work up to where I could really get into what I enjoy most is storytelling."

Undertaker also mentioned that one of the key differences between "The American Badass" and "The Deadman" was the ability to have no parameters and the creative freedom to say whatever he wanted on live television. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.