In an interview with Vicente Beltrán, The Undertaker commented on the storyline with Roman Reigns and Jey Uso:
“That’s a good question. I think athletes today are exactly that, amazing athletes in terms of what they can do physically, but what I think is that the disconnection or the problem is that they rely too much on their athletic ability and the things they can do in the ring instead of trying to develop the layers of their characters. I talked to Bruce Prichard on the phone a couple of days ago, and I told him how much I like the rivalry between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso because it’s an old-fashioned kind of rivalry.
It is very easy to understand, especially if you are familiar with the Samoan heritage and linage and how proud Samoans are of family status, especially in this world of professional wrestling. Understanding that and having two cousins who grew up together and are now fighting… there are so many layers to this story that I think it’s the closest thing to old school we’ve done in a long time, and obviously, they did a great job and it was an amazing match too. But I think the big difference is that you don’t have those rich characters to believe in.
A lot of people used to tell me, ‘I don’t understand, were you dead or were you alive?’ They were so committed to the character, and I think that’s the most important thing, the story and the character development. I think they all have twisted their priorities in what they are doing in the sense that they are so athletic, and they have these amazing matches, that they should, but it’s always about storytelling, the good vs. the evil… that’s what’s really important, and that’s what makes people invested in what you do. It’s always about the story.”
(quote courtesy of WrestlingInc.com)
