‘Scared To Death’: Five wrestling icons reflect on their first match
The Undertaker, Kazuchika Okada, Adam Copeland, The Great Muta, and Bryan Danielson all look back at the first time they stepped in the ring
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The Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath the surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
Contents for The Week in Wrestling:
My First Match: Volume I
An inside look at the past week in wrestling
Thoughts on John Cena and the Elimination Chamber
Tweet of the Week
My First Match: Before they were stars
The Undertaker. Kazuchika Okada. Adam Copeland. The Great Muta. Adam Copeland. Bryan Danielson.
All masters of the craft.
The Undertaker will forever be part of wrestling lore. Okada carried New Japan Pro-Wrestling for more than a decade before embarking on a new path in AEW. Copeland–who enjoyed a world-class run in WWE as Edge before taking his talents to AEW–headlines the Revolution pay-per-view on March 9 and looks to become a world champion in wrestling for the dozenth time. The Great Muta forged his legend in Japan, then cemented it in America. And Danielson may be the most talented to ever lace a pair of boots, creating enduring memories in the ring.
It is peculiar to think of any of them as a rookie. Yet all were.
“I remember it all,” said Danielson. “Wearing a mask, putting on my spandex tights. These were the long tights, and I was terrified that I was going to be half-naked in front of like 200 people.”
Danielson, as it turned out, would spend his career wearing even shorter tights. That is exactly what he was wearing during the most iconic moments of his career, both at WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans and All In this past summer in London. But back in 1999, the future great felt out of place.
And he shares some rather star-studded company in that regard.
The Undertaker’s first match took place in a venue befitting a star: the hallowed Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas. Except, in June of 1987, he wasn’t the draw. That distinction belonged to his opponent, Bruiser Brody, who was beloved by the rabid World Class Championship Wrestling crowd.
“That was my first match for a real wrestling company,” said Mark Calaway, who is best known as The Undertaker. “I’d done some outlaw stuff, which people might have later called backyard wrestling, so I’d had a few matches, but this was my first real match in a real company. And it was with Bruiser Brody. Boy did I learn a lot.”
Like Danielson a decade later, Calaway debuted under a mask. He wrestled as Texas Red, and he was even given a manager for the occasion: Percy Pringle III. In the you-cannot-make-this-up department, Pringle attained fame later in his career as… The Undertaker’s manager, Paul Bearer.
As for the match, it was designed solely for Brody’s benefit.
“Brody had this bigger-than-life persona,” said Calaway. “He was this big, tough guy, but I remember standing in the ring and looking at him, thinking, ‘Woah, I’m bigger than he is.’ I’m nervous, this is my first real professional match, and I got a little carried away.”
The two legends, one from the present and another of the future, locked up. Not quite ready for primetime, Calaway quickly made an error after backing Brody up into the corner.
“My shove ended up with my hand in Brody’s face,” said Calaway. “I remember him saying, ‘Alright kid, calm down.’ Then we locked up again in the middle of the ring, he grabbed me in an arm bar, I backed him up into the ropes and shot him off, then I called for a clothesline.”
That was Calaway’s final mistake of the match. In 1987, long before The Undertaker would stand tall over the wrestling industry, Calaway was an extra on Brody’s set, and there was no chance that Texas Red’s clothesline was going to connect.
“I went for the clothesline, and next thing I knew, there was Brody’s big furry boot in my face,” said Calaway with a laugh. “And it went downhill from there.”
Nerves are always an issue when a wrestler first steps into the ring. Even for Kazuchika Okada, who is one of the calmest, coolest personalities in all of wrestling. As Matt Jackson of The Young Bucks recalls, there was a specific moment involving Okada that he had a hard time processing.
“I once saw Okada yawn right before a Tokyo Dome match against Kenny Omega,” said Jackson, referring to the famed Okada-Omega bout from Wrestle Kingdom 11 in 2017. “He doesn’t bow to pressure. He excels when there’s more on the line.”
There is a reason for his nerves of steel. Okada explained that his confidence is a direct result of the way his career started.
“I had my first match in Mexico, but when you think about it, I’ve had a lot of debut matches,” said Okada, speaking through a translator. “In Mexico, yes, and then my Japanese debut, my NJPW debut. I remember being super nervous before my actual first match, but I think ever since then I have brought that energy–of wrestling as if it were a debut–with me, even though I am far from being a rookie.”
Adam Copeland is only a week-and-a-half from headlining another pay-per-view when he challenges Jon Moxley for the AEW world title at Revolution. Winning gold would add a new distinction to Copeland’s run in AEW–he last won a world title in WWE as Edge in 2011–and while there are nerves associated with each big match, those pale in comparison to the way he felt before making his career debut.
“My first-ever match was technically in 1991, but it’s tough to count it,” said Copeland. “I was wearing LA Raiders Zubaz, a pair of Converse white high tops, and it was a battle royal.”
Copeland’s first proper match took place on July 1, 1992 when he wrestled in a tag team bout.
“By that point I’d fully morphed into my Bret Hart phase,” said Copeland. “I was wearing a pair of lilac straps and my boots were very Shawn Michaels, with black soles that I dyed because I couldn’t find black soles anywhere. It looked sharp for about four matches.”
Even The Great Muta found himself tense when stepping into the ring.
“Yes, I remember” said Keiji Muto, speaking through a translator. “I don’t remember what I did, though. It was a singles match against Masahiro Chono and it took place at a gymnasium in Saitama Prefecture. And yes, I was nervous. That’s why I don’t remember what I did.”
There is something truly unique about a wrestler’s very first match. After years of dreaming about how it will unfold–the look, the moves, the cheers from the crowd–there instead exists a harsh reality, the type that makes one question how anyone in the world can seemingly captivate a crowd with ease.
Danielson knows the feeling. Hungry throughout his teen years to fulfill his destiny and become a wrestler, he was beyond ready to get in the ring. Until, that is, he did.
“It was Far West Rodeo on October 4, 1999,” said Danielson. “I have it on video tape, and nobody anywhere has ever seen it except for me and Spanky, who is Brian Kendrick. Our first match was against each other. We had somebody with one of those little handheld video recorders filming it.”
The match, which took place in San Antonio, Texas, ended in a 10-minute draw. Even if he wasn’t thrilled with the performance, Danielson decided he’d stick with it. Fortunately for the wrestling world, it only got better from there.
“I remember it all very, very distinctly,” said Danielson. “Most of all, I remember being scared to death.”
This past week…
The Seth Rollins-Cody Rhodes exchange on Raw was fantastic. My issue with The Rock wanting Rhodes’ soul is that Rhodes is already champion–why sell your soul for what you already possess? But Rollins helped add logic to it, and the next Rhodes-Rollins feud, whenever it happens, has the potential to be spectacular.
WWE’s new women’s tag champs are Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Will that hurt Morgan’s chances in the women’s Elimination Chamber match? If so, Bianca Belair suddenly becomes the favorite to win.
Unfortunately, a new report paints a less than lavish different picture for WWE employees.
Yes, those were the Hardys wrestling in NXT last night. With Jeff at 47 and Matt at 50, it is wild to think they are around the same age as Hulk Hogan when he returned to WWE in 2002 (Hogan was 48 at the time).
MJF vs. Hangman Page is building up to be appointment-viewing at next week’s Revolution pay-per-view.
I always enjoyed Elias in WWE; I’m hoping his run as Elijah in TNA is a success.
Thoughts on John Cena and the Elimination Chamber
John Cena is going to win the men’s Elimination Chamber match.
I cannot see this playing out any other way.
In theory, someone else could win. Logan Paul, for instance, could win at Elimination Chamber–and then lose his WrestleMania title match to Cena on an upcoming edition of Raw. But I don’t think WWE creative is headed that route.
Even if it is predictable, I see Cena walking away victorious on Saturday.
But what is anything but predictable are the opponents Cena has faced throughout his career in the Elimination Chamber match.
Cena’s first time in an Elimination Chamber match took place all the way back in 2006 at the New Year’s Revolution pay-per-view. He won, defeating Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Carlito, Chris Masters, and Kane. Of course, Carlito is also still on the active roster.
Other opponents Cena has faced in Elimination Chamber matches over the years include CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Triple H, Edge, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Cesaro, R-Truth, Christian, John Morrison, Baron Corbin, The Miz, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, and AJ Styles. Of course, there are also the more obscure opponents, too, like Ted DiBiase Jr. and Mike Knox.
This year’s field is strong, but it would have been that much better with Styles. Also missing in action is Roman Reigns. If you replaced Logan Paul and Damian Priest with Styles and Reigns, this would be one of the most loaded Elimination Chambers in WWE history.
Ultimately, it’s all about Cena.
This match is set up for him to punch his ticket to WrestleMania and have his match against Cody Rhodes. That is the right call for WWE, and now we’ll get to see how it plays out on Saturday night.
Tweet of the Week
If they’re coming out in the same order as they were elected, my final four are Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
During the match, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would eliminate each other, and Ronald Reagan (by the father-son Bush duo) would go out after dumping Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter over the top.
The closing sequence would be a scene reminiscent of the ’92 Rumble. Lincoln would toss Obama and Trump, then Adams would seize the victory by tossing a distracted Lincoln (maybe Trump was holding Lincoln’s arm, like Hogan and Sid) over the top rope.