The Undertaker understands the backlash surrounding his induction of Muhammad Ali into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this month.
The Dead Man played a pivotal role in this year’s WrestleMania and discussed the entire weekend in-depth on his Six Feet Under podcast. The Undertaker shocked fans by appearing in the Bloodline Rules main event to lay the smack down on The Rock one more time. The experienced provided him a sense of closure on his decades-long WWE career. However, the weekend was not without controversy.
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was a cultural icon and a highly controversial figure. Much of the conflict surrounded his unwillingness to conscript in the US Army during the Vietnam War back in 1967. The Undertaker says some people called him out and even questioned his patriotism for honoring Ali. He has a special message for those folks, as you can read below.
“I mean, my goodness!”
The Dead Man explained that even through he doesn’t agree with Ali’s decision to avoid serving in the US military when called upon, he is still able to recognize what Muhammad Ali accomplished as a boxer and humanitarian.
“I was there and I was so tickled to be there and be able to induct Muhammad Ali. I’m glad you brought that up. So I got a little heat from part of the veteran community. For people that don’t know, Muhammad Ali, I don’t know who wouldn’t know this, but Muhammad Ali refused to go into the army.
He didn’t want to go to Vietnam. He didn’t see why that he was gonna go 6000 miles away from home to fight somebody that had no….and he didn’t do it and he ended up losing everything. To be honest, for a large part of my life, I resented Ali over that.”
“But the thing when you look at everything that Muhammad did and not even the athletic end of it, not even the boxing side of it, but the things that he did as a humanitarian and everything. I don’t agree, I still don’t agree with not going. Your country asked you to go do something, you could do it.
That’s how I am and I wouldn’t, but when you think about the conviction that he must have had in the beliefs, such a strong belief in what he thought was right and what he thought wasn’t. He gave up everything.”
The Undertaker shares strong political opinions and knows that many people disagree with. However, he’s not going to stand for anybody hurling insults at him or questioning his loyalty to the United States of America.
“I think too it was like ‘I thought Undertaker was a patriot.’ Man, kiss my ass! Kiss my Patriot ass. It just rubbed me a little bit. There are a lot of reasons.. I get some of it but to give me hate over inducting Muhammed Ali. I mean, my goodness.”
Muhammad Ali registered for conscription in the US Army on his 18th birthday in 1962. As a result of his refusal to join the Army for the Vietnam War, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license.
The World Boxing Association then stripped him of his title and other boxing commissions followed suit. A case was also registered against Ali but his conviction was reversed by the Supreme Court in 1971.