Vince McMahon initially felt The Undertaker was ‘just a tall basketball player’ at WCW

Vince McMahon was initially disinterested in bringing The Undertaker to the WWE after The Deadman failed to have a lasting first impression on the WWE CEO back in 1990. This is according to WWE Senior Vice President Bruce Prichard, who recalled that Vince McMahon had cancelled a scheduled meeting with The Undertaker after watching him fight Lex Luger. Prichard claimed that Vince McMahon first thought of The Undertaker as 'just another tall basketball player with nothing special' when he first saw him wrestle at the Great American Bash in July 1990. 

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WWE news: Vince McMahon rejected the opportunity to meet with The Undertaker

While speaking on his Something to Wrestle podcast, WWE executive director Bruce Prichard disclosed that Vince McMahon had declined to meet with future WWE legend Undertaker in 1990. The 57-year old said: "Vince McMahon and myself had a meeting with the Undertaker (Mark Calaway) scheduled in July 1990. We had gone to watch him wrestle at the Great American Bash when he was supposed to take on Lex Luger. Although Mark had dislocated his hip prior to the match, he still opted to fight because he had a meeting with us the next day".

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However, upon viewing an injured Mark Calaway fight at WCW, Vince McMahon was left unimpressed with the six-foot-ten wrestler. In fact, the wrestling mogul even cancelled his meeting with The Phenom the next day as he felt The Undertaker was simply a "tall basketball player looking to make a name for himself with red hair". It then took plenty of convincing from Prichard for McMahon to re-organize a meeting with The Undertaker, "I begged with McMahon to at least meet with him once because I was able to see the talent in Mark and he could make it big in the WWE.", added Prichard. 

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McMahon eventually gave into Prichard's idea to give The Undertaker a shot in WWE and The Deadman made his debut in the industry in October 1990. Almost 30 years later, The Undertaker is widely renowned as one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time. The Undertaker went on to win seven WWE and World Heavyweight Championships during his WWE career.

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