The Undertaker Discusses Why He Wanted To Change His Character For Boneyard Match With AJ Styles, His Reaction To The Match

In a recent interview on the My Mom’s Basement podcast, The Undertaker discussed his Boneyard Match with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, why he felt the need to change his character, and much more. You can view his comments below.

The Undertaker on changing his character for his WrestleMania 36 match with AJ Styles: “Once I left American Badass, I think everyone was really content with the hybrid version of The Undertaker. My style had changed where I kept a lot of the elements of my in-ring work kind of geared towards that American Badass character and then I brought the origins and the mystique of The Undertaker was kind of the outward look. It didn’t come up until this year. And it just dawned on me with the type of promos AJ was cutting, there’s really no way I can bring the original Undertaker to this. It’s become too personal and it’s crossed too many lines. I mean, you’re gonna have to get American Badass all grown up and he’s still got that evil side to him, but it’s gonna have to be a much more personal approach to delivering that match. So that’s how we ended up with American Badass 2.0.”

On his reaction to the match: “It was fun. You know, I hadn’t made that decision if I was gonna work, and man it really felt good. I was like ‘Man, I’ve got a run here if I really want it.’ And it was cool. We were out as they were setting up and doing the lighting and everything, and I was taking that bike up and down the road. People in the neighborhood – their lights were coming on and I was like ‘Man, this is fun.’ And it was. Regardless of what I do on-camera moving forward, I’m pretty sure that’s the persona that I’ll continue to move forward with.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit My Mom’s Basement with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.