A WWE Superstar Weekend

Last weekend, the WWE was in Chicago for their annual Survivor Series event, along with a whole four day weekend full of WWE activities. I had the pleasure of spending a little time with The Undertaker, one of the WWE's all time greatest, and Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, two of the greatest current WWE stars. Each event drew hundreds of fans, but thanks to the management of each, I was able to briefly talk to each superstar.

The Undertaker appeared at the Chicago Sports Spectacular in Rosemont on Saturday. This was a “must” for me, because he doesn't make many appearances and I had yet to meet him.

The Undertaker debuted in the WWE (then WWF) in November of 1990, but Mark Calaway (the man behind the character) first entered pro wrestling in 1986 with (the now defunct) World Class Championship Wrestling based in his native state of Texas. He has gone on to become a legend and a certain future Hall of Famer.

Originally Kane the Undertaker, his gimmick has morphed a lot over the years. Callaway has developed his character through periods as The (original) Deadman, The Lord of Darkness, The American Badass, Big Evil and a few other tweaks, before returning to the Deadman gimmick.

Callaway is known for his respect for the business, his character and the mystique. In the past, he has rarely spoken out of character, but he has softened that stance a bit in recent years. He admits he is still split 50/50 about all of the info out there, but admits it is just a sign of the times.

Explaining the character changes, Callaway talked about how people always wanted to know about the other side of The Undertaker. Sidelined with an injury, Callaway felt “it was time to freshen the Undertaker up and give the fans something they always wanted to see.” He went on to say, “It's the same Undertaker. He's just evolved.”

A noted fan of MMA, Callaway knows he is too old to actively compete stating “It's too late in the game to switch over” and the he is “just a fan,” although he joked (or stated?) “Undertaker would have been the baddest man on the planet.” He also mentioned that he might even manage a fighter some day.

Callaway doesn't care much for “outlandish” stunts in wrestling. He cautions that wrestlers should use “resource management.” In other words, wrestlers need to be carefull about their health and well being.

Despite rarely wrestling these days, the Undertaker is still a major attraction. The several hundred people at the Stephens Convention Center who were there to see him can attest to that.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of meeting WWE Superstars Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch at the WWE and the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. Making it a bit more interesting, as many know, the duo is actually a couple outside of the ring, which added to the interactions.

It was a bit of a homecoming for Rollins, as he was raised in Iowa, but trained in Oak Park. Rollins made his pro wrestling debut in 2005, but joined the WWE in 2010. He made his WWE main roster debut (woth Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as part of The Shield) in November of 2012 at the Survivors Series.

While The Shield was very popular and a major success, the goal was to establish all three stars and that goal was accomplished beyond hopes. Rollins has held a singles title seven times, along with winning Money in the Bank (2014) and the Men's Royal Rumble (2019). He has also held tag team gold five times.

Born and raised in Ireland, Becky Lynch credits wrestling with saving her from going down a bad path. Like Rollins, Lynch started in pro wrestling in 2005, but she made her WWE main roster debut in 2015. “The Man” has quickly proven to be a real “lasskicker,” winning four singles titles, including being the reigning WWE RAW Women's champ.

Rollins is a big fan of the Chicago Bears and Lynch is becoming quite a fan herself. I have seen the duo on the sidelines at Bears games, but had yet to meet them. My press credentials did not allow me the access they had, a fact that made both laugh when I mentioned it.

After greeting Rollins and Lynch, I opened with a little football talk. The Bears were facing the New York Giants later in the day and Rollins said, “They better beat the Giants. If they can't...,” dropping his sentence in intended bewilderment. New Bears fan Lynch assure me they would win.

About his Bears allegiance, Rollins said, “In Iowa, we had the pick of the litter. Green Bay Packers eeek. Minnesota Vikings eeek...but my family grew up as Bears fans.” He joked that in the 90s, he “may or may not have had a phase as a 49ers fan, but we don't want to talk about that.” Rollins called the Bears organization a family and compared it to the WWE family. He also said it was a “huge thrill” to be on the sidelines meeting current players and legends like Dan Hampton and Richard Dent.

I asked Rollins about bringing Lynch to the orange and blue side and he said she is starting to learn it all. Lynch quickly jumped in saying, “I know the game, the team, the terms. I know all about linebackers and quarterbacks.” I laughed and said I'm not going to argue with Lynch and Rollins called me a smart man and said he isn't disagreeing either.

When I asked about being “the Man” Lynch said it “takes gender out of the equation, I'm here to prove I am the best.” That big shiny belt on her shoulder states she is the best right now.

Rollins said it was a huge thrill to perform in Chicago and to meet the local fans. Lynch agreed saying the fans here are awesome. “Wrestling is 20% about the matches and 80% about how you engage with the people who care about you," according to Lynch. Events like this meet-and-greet only strengthen the engagement.

Speaking of engagements, I congratulated the pair on their engagement. Rollins proposed to Lynch earlier this year. Lynch called Rollins “her partner in crime for life.” I joked to Rollins it sounded like a great life sentence and he nodded agreement.

I thanked the pair for their time and we all said, “Go Bears.” The Bears did win the game, but my weekend was already made.

Thank you to the WWE, the Chicago Sports Spectacular, and the Hyatt Regency O'Hare for the hospitality. Thanks especially to The Undertaker, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch for their time and consideration.