Wrestlers The Undertaker Was Close To During His Career

There's an old notion in wrestling that says a performer is lucky if they walk away from the business with one true friend. Notoriously, the wrestling business has been a cutthroat, political jungle filled with backstabbing and double-crossing. During his 30-year career, The Undertaker had to carefully navigate those waters while sitting in an enviable position high atop the WWE card.

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Luckily for 'Taker, he had several good friends to offer him support throughout the years. Some friends were upper-echelon performers. Others were a bit lower on the card. Regardless, all accounts point to The Undertaker being a great friend to those he was close with.

10 The Undertaker Had A Close Friendship With Both The Godwinns During His Career

One Godwinn Was Even Part Of A Faction With Undertaker

The Undertaker Was Close With Both Henry And Phineas Godwinn
The Godwinns Were Members Of The Undertaker's Bone Street Krew
Mideon Would Join The Undertaker's Ministry Of Darkness In 1999

Some younger, casual fans might not even recognize The Godwinns. After all, they were only a prominent part of WWE programming for less than two years. During their run though, both Henry Godwinn and Phineas Godwinn were close friends with The Undertaker. Both men were members of The Undertaker's backstage group, The BSK.

While Henry Godwinn never had any on-air association with The Undertaker, Phineas did. In 1999, Phineas would be kayfabe sacrificed by "The Deadman" before being redubbed "Mideon" and joining The Ministry Of Darkness. Both Godwinns were in attendance for 'Taker's retirement at Survivor Series 2020, further reinforcing their close friendship with the legendary performer.

9 Bret Hart And The Undertaker Always Had Tons Of Respect For Each Other

Mutual Respect Eventually Blossomed Into A Friendship

Undertaker Debuted In A Survivor Series 1990 Match That Also Featured Bret Hart
The Two Would Feud On A Couple Of Occasions During The 1990s
Reports Say Undertaker Is The One Who Urged Vince McMahon To Go Talk To Bret After The Montreal Screwjob Took Place

Some friendships are formed from similarities with another person. Others are born out of respect. The friendship between The Undertaker and Bret Hart would fall in the latter. On paper, Undertaker and Bret Hart are two completely different individuals who likely wouldn't have crossed paths had it not been for their chosen profession.

Still, the two men had tremendous respect for each other's work ethic and love for the wrestling business. Bret even shared with Sports Illustrated that when he left WWE in 1997 he wrote The Undertaker a letter telling him he had to be the locker room leader in WWE now that he was gone. That speaks volumes about a friendship between two legends that's still intact today.

8 The Highway To Hell Led To A Friendship Between Steve Austin & The Undertaker

The Two Legends Were Great Rivals And Even Better Friends

Steve Austin And The Undertaker Became Rivals During The Attitude Era
The Undertaker Beat Austin For The WWE Championship
They Wrestled Their Last Match Together In 2002

Having a professional rivalry can sometimes lead to ill will between two people. Luckily, The Undertaker and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin didn't seem to have that issue. Much like Bret Hart and The Undertaker, Austin and "The Deadman" always had a ton of mutual respect for one another inside and outside the ring.

Unfortunately, that friendship and chemistry outside the ring never translated into great matches. Despite never having any truly classic matches against each other, Austin and The Undertaker both understood what it meant to be a leader in WWE during the wildly successful Attitude Era. That understanding has bonded the two legendary performers and kept them close for years.

7 The Undertaker Took The Big Show Under His Wing Early On

One Great Big Man Helped Mentor Another Great Big Man

The Undertaker Took Big Show Under His Wing When Big Show Debuted In 1999
The Pair Won The WWE Tag Team Championship Together In 1999
Big Show Credits The Undertaker With Helping Him Mature

In 1999, WWE landed a big-time free agent from WCW in the form of The Big Show. While Big Show was a huge signing, literally and figuratively, he would soon be exposed as not being ready for prime time. This is where The Undertaker would step in and take Big Show under his wing. As the locker room leader, Undertaker would begin to mentor Big Show.

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In 1999, The Undertaker and The Big Show joined forces in a short-lived but dominant WWE Attitude Era tag team known as The Unholy Alliance.

Thanks to his close friendship with 'Taker, Big Show would eventually mature into a bit of a locker room leader himself. "The World's Largest Athlete" credits a lot of that maturing to the tough love The Undertaker gave him during his early days. Today, the pair remains close and still consider each other to be great friends.

6 Brock Lesnar & The Undertaker Bond Over Bloodshed

Young Brock Earned Undertaker's Respect, Sparking A Friendship

In 2002, Brock Lesnar Became A Rising Star In WWE
In 2003, Lesnar Had His First Feud With The Undertaker
Lesnar Snapped Undertaker's WrestleMania Undefeated Streak At WrestleMania 30

In a world full of alpha males, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar might just be the biggest alphas ever. This might lead some fans to think that there would be long-lasting issues between the two but that couldn't be further from the truth. Both The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar hold each other in very high regard and consider themselves close friends.

Undertaker even gave an interview where he said he advised a young Lesnar to step away from the business if he felt he needed to. This led to Lesnar leaving WWE in 2004. When Lesnar returned he'd eventually be the man who snapped Undertaker's WrestleMania Undefeated Streak. When 'Taker was injured during the match, Lesnar accompanied his friend to the ER as any good friend would.

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The Nature Boy Became A Victim Of The Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak

The Undertaker And Ric Flair Originally Worked Together In WCW
Flair Helped Undertaker Win His First WWE Championship Against Hulk Hogan
The Undertaker Defeated Flair At WrestleMania 18

In pro wrestling, much like in real life, tables turn and circumstances change. This is why it's important to treat everyone with decency and respect. In the early 90s, Ric Flair's status was well above the up-and-coming Undertaker's. Still, Flair respected Undertaker as a man and that respect would pay dividends down the line.

In 2002, when Flair returned to WWE as on-screen co-owner of WWE, he was admittedly going through self-doubt as a performer. When Undertaker handpicked Flair as his opponent for WrestleMania 18, it jumpstarted Flair's career. From then on, Flair and 'Taker have been great friends. The pair is so close that Undertaker was in attendance for Ric Flair's last match in 2022.

4 Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker Became Unlikely Friends Later In Their Careers

They Became Friends In Michaels' Second WWE Run

The Undertaker And Shawn Michaels Rose To Prominence In The Early 90s
Michaels Suffered A Serious Back Injury Against Undertaker In 1998
The Undertaker Retired Shawn Michaels At WrestleMania 26

Sometimes, the most immature people can be the most naturally talented. That was the case with Shawn Michaels during the 90s. The Undertaker has gone on record saying he wasn't Shawn's biggest fan back then. Undertaker reportedly issued a non-verbal threat to Shawn at WrestleMania 14 just in case HBK decided to go into business for himself.

By the late 2000s though, Shawn had changed his life and earned the respect of The Undertaker. That respect blossomed into a close friendship after the two worked two all-time great matches at WrestleMania 25 and 26. Since then, the pair have remained close. Shawn even came out of retirement in 2018 to work with Undertaker and Kane in Saudi Arabia, though that's a move he likely regrets.

3 Yokozuna & The Undertaker Were On-Screen Rivals But Close Friends Off-Screen

The Pair Co-Founded The BSK

Yokozuna Joined The Undertaker In WWE In Late 1992
The Pair Co-Founded The Bone Street Krew
The Two Had Two Marquee Casket Matches At Royal Rumble 1994 And Survivor Series 1994

There's an old saying "Birds of a feather flock together." Oddly enough, that saying applies to the friendship between The Undertaker and Yokozuna. It also applies to the formation of The BSK. Undertaker has said that the group's origins were just a bunch of like-minded individuals who spent their downtime playing dominoes and cards.

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Groups of friends will tell you that oftentimes, their best memories are of times when they just sat around and hung out together. That was The Undertaker and Yokozuna's friendship in a nutshell. The only exception was that when it was time for work, the pair were on-screen rivals. Still, 'Taker holds his friendship with the late great Yokozuna close to his heart saying, "There's not a day I don't think about him."

2 Charles Wright & The Undertaker Have Been Close Friends For Decades

BSK Pride Runs Deep For Both Wright & The Undertaker

The Friendship Between Undertaker & Charles Wright Dates Back To Before They Were In WWE
The Two Teamed Together As "Death Express" Early In Their Careers
Wright Claims He Suggested The Undertaker Start Getting Tattoos

The Undertaker and Charles Wright aka The Godfather had the unique experience of being friends before arriving in WWE and remaining close friends throughout their runs in the company.

Both men have gone on record saying that despite all their years working together in the wrestling business, their friendship extends well outside the wrestling business. The two first became friends in 1987 and have remained extremely close since. Wright even credits himself with suggesting The Undertaker start getting tattoos and riding motorcycles. Friendships like this are a rarity in the wrestling business.

1 Kane & The Undertaker Are As Close As Some Real Life Brothers

Kayfabe Sibling Rivalry Turned Into A Long-Lasting Friendship

Kane Debuted In 1997 As The Undertaker's Brother
The Pair Would Feud On And Off And Also Team Together
The Undertaker Has Faced Kane At WrestleMania Twice

As everyone knows, The Undertaker and Kane aren't real-life brothers. However, since Kane's debut in 1997, the two have been tied together in storyline and behind the scenes. Interestingly enough, Kane has admitted to idolizing The Undertaker much like a younger brother would with an older brother.

Likewise, The Undertaker has a special place in his heart for his kayfabe brother. Undertaker was even the one who broke the news to Kane that he was being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2021. A close relationship like theirs is something that doesn't come around often in the wrestling business.