The Undertaker Announces Retirement: Throwback! When This Akshay Kumar Film Fooled Us Into Thinking the WWE Star Made His Way to Bollywood!
Having begun his career in 1987, The Undertaker finally announced his retirement from professional wrestling on June 22, 2020, thus marking an end to a glorious chapter in wrestling.
Mark William Calaway - the name sounds unfamiliar? Well, how about The Undertaker then? That one sounds known, right? Having begun his career in 1987, The Undertaker finally announced his retirement from professional wrestling on June 22, 2020, thus marking an end to a glorious chapter in wrestling. Even if you are a person who is a fan of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), will have heard of this popular wrestler, whose brutal takedowns of opponents and his gothic, 'dead'ly antics make him a standout in this field. The Undertaker Announces Retirement: From Failing to Become WWE Grand Slam Champion to Choking Kurt Angle Almost to Death, Here Are 5 Lesser-Known Facts About The Deadman.
And if you are a Bollywood fan who has grown up on the on-the-face pulpiness of the '90s, you might also remember the time when The 'Undertaker' made his Bollywood debut in 1996! Yup, I am talking the Akshay Kumar-starrer Khiladiyon Ke Khiladi, that pulled off the biggest con in Hindi cinema, there is!
The movie, directed by Umesh Mehra, starred Rekha and Raveena Tandon, along with Akshay. While it mostly talked about recently for the erotic song sequence picturised on Rekha and Akshay, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi was promoted based on the fact that it brought 'Undertaker' to Bollywood. At that time, WWE was WWF, and The Undertaker was one of the most popular wrestlers in India. So needless to day, this was a talking point among the kids. The Undertaker Funny Memes and Best Fight Videos To Remember WWE Legend After He Announces Retirement From Professional Wrestling.
So did the film really manage to bring Undertaker to Bollywood? There was an 'Undertaker' in the film, but the WWF fans realised that there is something wrong. This Undertaker isn't the one they saw on the show. True that! For this 'Undertaker' wasn't Mark William Calaway but professional wrestler Brian Lee.
Interestingly, Lee used to be a close friend of Calaway, and had even become a fake 'Undertaker' in WWF, during 1994. And it is this Brian Lee that the makers of Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi tries to blow dust in our eyes. BTW, this whole switcheroo reportedly was done without the approval of the wrestling federation, but at that time, who cared?
So what if The Undertaker wasn't really there in the movie? Another (lesser) popular WWF star of the '90s, the late Brian Adams aka 'Crush', did appear in the film.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 22, 2020 02:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).