More than a decade ago, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar added a soap opera-style twist to WWE television when they introduced Traci Dali, who claimed to have had an affair with The Undertaker.
The Undertaker made a surprise appearance on WWE RAW during Netflix’s premiere and joined Rhea Ripley in celebrating her victory as the WWE Women’s World Champion.
Highlights
- Back in 2002, Traci Dali, introduced by Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, claimed she had an affair with The Undertaker.
- The writer, Brian Gewirtz, described how Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar were responsible for adding a soap opera-style twist to the storyline.
- Tracy slapped The Undertaker and even called him by his real name, “Mark,” a full eighteen years before it became a popular move for wrestlers to break kayfabe.
The moment came after Ripley defeated Liv Morgan to reclaim the title. Following the win, Ripley hit Dominik Mysterio with a Riptide, grabbed the belt, and started heading up the ramp to celebrate.
The lights went out, and Ripley couldn’t help but smile as The Undertaker’s “American Badass” theme played.
The legendary wrestler rode out on his bike, circling the ring before pulling up beside Ripley. Together, they posed in celebration as she basked in her championship victory.
The Undertaker’s Scandalous Affair Was Only A Part Of The Script
In 2002, Brock Lesnar was the WWE Undisputed Champion on SmackDown, and The Undertaker earned the chance to challenge him for the title by winning a number one contender’s match.
This storyline occurs when The Undertaker is in his “American Badass” phase, so he is portrayed as a more realistic, rugged character.
What did you all think of the alleged affair storyline between The Undertaker and a woman called Tracy Dali that happened in 2002?
byu/JoshuaTV20 inSquaredCircle
It wasn’t a long feud, lasting only about two weeks.
The story revolves around a woman, Traci Dali, introduced by Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, who claimed she had an affair with The Undertaker while he was married to his wife, Sara.
Tracy said she didn’t know the Undertaker was married or pregnant with his child.
At first, The Undertaker denied knowing her, but after she slapped him, he admitted he did know her, though he hadn’t seen her in seven years.
The storyline ended at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, where Stephanie McMahon manipulated Tracy into revealing that she had lied about the affair.
As Tracy was exposed as a liar, The Undertaker, who had been hiding behind a door, called her a “lying b*tch.”
Trish Stratus and The Undertaker backstage way back in the day 🙌 pic.twitter.com/aSGxIibh9q
— WrestlingWorldCC (@WrestlingWCC) February 26, 2024
Brian Gewirtz, a former WWE writer, shared his thoughts on a strange and controversial storyline that took place between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker.
In his book, “There’s Just One Problem…: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE“, Gewirtz mentioned that Tracy referred to The Undertaker by his real name, something AJ Styles would later do in 2020, breaking kayfabe.
The storyline took a dramatic turn when Tracy slapped The Undertaker and even called him by his real name, “Mark,” a full eighteen years before it became a popular move for wrestlers to break kayfabe in this way on TV.
“Also tasked with embedding a shocking soap opera–style twist, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar introduced the world to ‘Tracy,’ a woman who claimed to have had a three-month affair with The Undertaker while he was married. She slapped him and even called him ‘Mark,’ eighteen years before doing that on TV was cool.”
Brian Gewirtz
People quickly criticized Paul Heyman for repeatedly using cheating husband/wife storylines, claiming it was becoming a predictable and tiresome trope in his booking.
Heyman loves a cheating husband/wife storyline.
Reddit User
Additional Information
- Considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, The Undertaker spent most of his career with WWE and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022.
- He started his wrestling career in 1987, working for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) and other promotions under different personas.
- In 1989, he briefly joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing with WWF (now WWE) in 1990, where he became a wrestling legend.
