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When thinking of one of the most respected wrestlers in the business, one man that comes to mind is The Undertaker. Someone who's wrestled for over thirty years, The Undertaker has one of the most interesting storied careers in the industry. Since retiring, fans have enjoyed the stories Undertaker has told in the many interviews he's taken part in, especially considering Undertaker doing interviews out of character was rare before he retired. One story that's gotten attention was his debut match with the legendary Bruiser Brody before wrestling for the WWE. Making his official professional wrestling debut at WCCW in 1987, Undertaker worked in a stiffed contest at the hands of Bruiser Brody, as he stated he learned a lot from that bout.
RELATED: Why Did The Undertaker Never Work Well As A World Champion?
The Undertaker Grinded Before WWE
Undertaker wrestled for WWE since making his company debut at the Survivor Series 1990 PPV. And since then, he's long-established his character to where many fans may have a tough time seeing him in a different light. However, a few years before wrestling as "The Undertaker" persona in WWE, he's taken many ring names such as "Mean Mark" Callous and Texas Red. And speaking of "Texas Red," Undertaker wrestled his first match under that name against Bruiser Brody in his first professional wrestling contest.
Someone like Bruiser Brody is a brute opponent for anyone stepping in the ring with him, especially regarding his reputation as a hardcore wrestler. Someone even as physically intimidating as The Undertaker learned that the hard way.
Undertaker Was Stiffed By Bruiser Brody In His Debut
On June 26, 1987, Undertaker made his official professional wrestling debut at the Dallas Sportatorium. It's worth noting he even came to the ring alongside Percival "Percy" Pringle III, who was best known as the legendary Paul Bearer and would be closely associated with The Undertaker for many years. Furthermore, as the Undertaker finally locked up with Bruiser Brody after months of not getting booked, the match didn't go his way by any means.
Bruiser Brody gave him a stiff kick in the jaw as The Undertaker was riled up during the first few moments of the match, getting Bruiser Brody to the corner of the ring. As Undertaker was shooting up Bruiser Brody by even trying to control the bout, Undertaker got hit with stiff kicks to the head multiple times throughout the match. The Undertaker knew that getting aggressive on someone like Bruiser Brody wasn't the brightest idea in the world. He not only received a stiff kick to the head many times but also took a chair shot after getting thrown out of the ring. The match only lasted a few minutes as Bruiser Brody scored the pinfall victory when the Undertaker got tangled between the ropes taking kicks to the face.
RELATED: The Undertaker's 10 Best Matches As The American Badass, According To Cagematch.net
Undertaker Learned A Viable Lesson
Despite Bruiser Brody treating The Undertaker in such a rough fashion, The Undertaker took it as a positive. The Undertaker understood that Bruiser Brody stiffing him hard was a way to teach him an important lesson in the business: be careful with your opponent. Bruiser Brody's tactics may be controversial, but it's what he's heavily known for regarding his legendary reputation in wrestling.
The wrestling industry was much different in the late 80s when Undertaker started his career. It's hard to imagine someone like him getting stiffed in a match and having to learn a lesson as a rookie, especially someone who became one of the most respected legends in the industry. However, even someone like The Undertaker had to pay his dues to succeed in the wrestling industry. Like many other legendary wrestlers, the Undertaker went through many tribulations to garner the success that he earned.
