Tracy Smothers Can't Stand The Undertaker After Brutal Betrayal

For many wrestling fans and wrestlers, WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker is a figure to be revered the way some Presidents are, thanks to his longevity, commitment to his character, and leadership qualities. But for others? The Undertaker is someone they couldn't have less respect for. Some of that has occurred over the last few years, as Taker has shed his gimmick for his real persona, causing controversy with some of his views on wrestling and politics. For others though, Taker was a guy they couldn't stand long before the "Deadman" mask slid off, both for his backstage politics and some of those leadership skills some revere.

That's at least the case for one Tracy Smothers. Though not a WWE Hall of Famer or household name the same way Taker is, the late Smothers was a beloved figure in his own right, as evident by the tributes he received from the likes of Taz, Christopher Daniels, CM Punk, Bully Ray, Frankie Kazarian, and others following his death in October 2020. That affection towards Smothers came from the idea that, regardless of whether he was wrestling in WWE, WCW, ECW, or an independent wrestling promotion, he was always ready to help, always professional, and always a joy to work with. As such, it makes sense why a persona like Smothers would perhaps not gel with Undertaker.

And yet, at least at first, the two got along. As many are prone to forget, Taker had a career before donning his famous persona, one that began wrestling for Fritz Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas in the mid-80s before moving on to Memphis' Continental Wrestling Association in 1988. It was there Taker first encountered Smothers, then a six-year veteran. As Smothers told it in an interview with "Hannibal TV," the two had no issues at the time, but that changed years later, when Smothers had two stints with WWE, first from 1996 to 1997 as Freddie Joe Floyd, and later from 1999-2000 under his real name. By then, Taker was an established star in WWE, and according to Smothers, was different from the man he first met in Memphis.

First, Smothers saw how Taker dealt with talent. He recalled an incident in the locker room when someone's phone went off, upsetting Taker, who was there at the time. Though the unnamed talent, who Smothers described as a developmental wrestler, tried to make amends for Taker, it didn't appear to work, with Smothers saying the talent was later fired. That's a fate Smothers met himself in 1997 and one that he attributes to both Taker and fellow top WWE star Shawn Michaels. Smothers believed that, instead of seeing him as a peer, Taker and Michaels saw Smothers and others at the time as a threat to their spots, attributing it to paranoia one gets when moving up the card. As a result, Smothers lost his job and gained animosity for Taker which lasted until the end of his life.