Paul Wight learned the hard way that asking The Undertaker for advice didn’t always result in a pat on the back.
While speaking to TMZ’s Inside the Ring, the former Big Show was discussing the whole “paying your dues” mentality in wrestling and why he believes veterans should be helping younger talent instead of making their lives miserable simply because previous generations had it rough.
Wight made it clear that his willingness to help younger wrestlers has limits. He said he’ll give someone advice three times, but if they keep ignoring him, they’re on their own. That led Wight to remember a time when he was the younger wrestler looking for validation from The Undertaker.
Wight admitted he already knew he’d had a decent match and was basically fishing for Undertaker to tell him he did a good job. Instead, Undertaker gave him an answer he definitely wasn’t expecting. Wight then explained exactly what happened when he approached The Undertaker after the match.
“I will tell you something, give you advice three times. If you don’t listen to it, I’m done. I’m not going to waste my breath. You can figure it out yourself. I’m not going to tell you what you want to hear. I’m not going to pat you on the back and give you an ‘attaboy,’ because younger talent does that sometimes. I did that to Undertaker one time.”
“I went to him and said — I knew I had a pretty decent match, and I wanted an ‘attaboy,’ a pat on the back. I said, ‘Hey, do you have any advice? Is there anything I could do? Anything I could work on?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, you can take three weeks off and quit the business.’ And he walked off.”
Years later, Wight said he actually understands the mentality behind Undertaker’s response. He now sees things differently from the veteran side of the locker room and believes young wrestlers have to be willing to help themselves as well.
“It was good because Taker’s like — and I understand that from a senior position now — look, I’m here to help you as long as you help yourself, but I’m not going to wipe your nose and wipe your ass for you either. This is a business.”
Wight added that being successful means getting along with everyone behind the scenes, not just the wrestlers. He pointed to production workers, security, travel personnel and others who help make the entire operation possible.
The Undertaker’s response might have been brutal, but Wight clearly never forgot it. Decades later, he’s now in the veteran position himself and understands why sometimes the best advice isn’t necessarily what a young wrestler wants to hear.
What do you think of The Undertaker telling Paul Wight to take three weeks off and quit the business? Was that tough love or was it too harsh? Let us know what you think in the comments.
