The Undertaker is pushing back on the idea that Wrestlers Court was just a backstage bullying tactic in WWE and explained why it was necessary.
While speaking on Six Feet Under, R-Truth first explained that Wrestlers Court was part comedy, part locker-room discipline. He said Jack Daniel’s was often involved, but the message behind the whole thing was still serious.
“The court cases was like Jack Daniel was one of the main thing that was needed at the court cases. If you want to have your — it was fun. It was the boys, and it was the way of Taker handling and controlling the locker room in a playful way. But the damn hammer was down. It was no games. You knew.”
Undertaker then explained that Wrestlers Court was meant to correct problems without turning every issue into a major confrontation. He said it gave people a chance to understand they were messing up while also testing how they handled criticism.
“It was a way of sending a message without having to be ultra heavy and like, dude, you’re screwing up here. Like, so we have — you have an option, and that’s a test as well as like how you receive this.”
He added that WWE’s old road schedule created tension, and Wrestlers Court gave the locker room some levity while still keeping people in line. Undertaker said the point was not to bark orders at people, but to remind everyone that there was a standard of respect and professionalism backstage.
“Back then we were on the road, worked all the time. People get a little short and they get a little high-strung sometimes. So you needed a little bit of levity sometimes in keeping everybody on the right plane. It wouldn’t be like, hey, you got to do this, you got to do that. But there is a decorum to what we do. Time is important, and respecting these guys in the locker room.”
He also addressed the bullying criticism directly, saying people have heard so many stories about Wrestlers Court that they may misunderstand what it was supposed to be. He made it clear that the process was also a warning. If someone did not fix the issue after Wrestlers Court, the next conversation might not be as light.
“I think a lot of people hear — so many guys have talked about Wrestlers Court — and they think, oh man, it was a bullying thing. And it was like, no, it’s a way to let you know that you’re screwing up a little bit, and we’re just going to bring it to you in this manner. But you might want to get your shit together, because the next time we got to talk about this, it’s probably not going to be as pleasant. That’s it, right?”
He admitted that some cases could get tense when personal issues were involved, but said the main goal was always to handle problems before they became bigger issues.
“Some of the Wrestlers Courts, because there’s a lot, sometimes there was personal beefs in there and they could get a little tense. But the overall objective to Wrestlers Court was to handle an issue but not make it an issue.”
Wrestlers Court has long been one of WWE’s most debated backstage traditions, with some seeing it as old-school locker-room culture and others viewing it as something that would not fly today. Undertaker’s explanation makes it clear he still sees it as a tool that kept order during a very different era.
Do you think Wrestlers Court was a useful locker-room tradition, or was it better left in WWE’s past? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
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