“Other Issues That Were Going On”: WWE Legend Once Revealed Real Reason The Undertaker Was Burnt Alive By His Brother in 1998

The Undertaker was involved in some exciting storylines and rivalries during his sagacious stint in WWE. Perhaps one of the best storylines he was a part of was with his kayfabe brother, the diabolic Kane. After making his debut by attacking The Undertaker, Kane would again interfere in a world title match involving ‘The Deadman’.

At the 1998 Royal Rumble, The Undertaker took on Shawn Michaels in a casket match for the WWE Championship. Towards the end of the match, Kane entered and attacked Taker and padlocked him into the casket, while The Heartbreak Kid emerged victorious with the help of Triple H and Chyna. ‘The Big Red Monster’ then lit the casket on fire with ‘The Phenom’ apparently still inside.

The Undertaker was written off TV for a while after that but returned to face Kane at WrestleMania XIV. While it may seem they kept away Taker from WWE programming for storyline purposes, WWE veteran Bruce Prichard once revealed another reason behind the whole angle.

Prichard revealed The Undertaker wanted time off for a particular reason

It turns out The Undertaker needed some time off to deal with some personal matters. Talking on the ‘Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard’ podcast last year, Conrad Thompson asked Prichard about the casket burning angle with Kane and why it was done.

Prichard replied, “Well, it was also a way to keep Kane and Undertaker apart prior to WrestleMania. You add into all of that the other issues that were going on and his dad was not feeling well at the time. And Taker was looking to spend some time to help his mom out with his dad. So it was an optimum time.”

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The WWE veteran said that it was also essential to give Taker some time to rest, so he can be in perfect health.

“It gave you good reason, you know what? go heal up a little bit. Go take care of your business that you need to take care of. And when time’s right, we’ll bring you back for WrestleMania and people will be happy to see the Deadman again,” the legendary WWE booker added.

The former WWE Champion wanted time away from the ring to help his family in a time of need. As we can see, there is always something more than what meets the eye when it comes to WWE writing a wrestler off the TV.

It was also fitting that The Undertaker’s decision to attend to his family coincided with the storyline at that time. This allowed the hype around the match to be built perfectly. The Undertaker returned to face Kane at WrestleMania XIV in another iconic match, which The Phenom won.

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