The Undertaker Recounts the Time He Was Accidentally Set on Fire During His WWE Entrance

WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet, sharing a harrowing experience from the 2010 Elimination Chamber PPV event when he was accidentally set on fire during his entrance.

“Yeah, that was pretty hairy and potentially could have been far worse than what it actually was. A lot of things happened just by chance that night. Two weeks prior, I had Kevin Dunn and the lead Pyro guy out on the stage. I told them, ‘These Pyro balls, when I stop at the edge of the stage right before I hit the ramp, are too close. I’m getting a lot of heat. I want my entrance to be as scary and as cool as possible, but these need to be backed out a little bit.’ The guy said, ‘No, I think there’s just a draft in the building.’ I didn’t care; I said, ‘I’m telling you, these Pyro bursts are too hot, too close.’ Kevin Dunn told them to back them up.

Fast forward two weeks to the Elimination Chamber in St. Louis. I’m the champion, and we’re setting up for my match with Shawn. Originally, I had on one of my Hellraiser jackets, but since it covered the belt, I switched last minute to the duster and hat so the belt would be visible. That decision turned out to be crucial.

I was the last one to enter the pod, thinking my hair would dry out and obstruct my vision, so I drenched myself with extra water. When my music hit, I was soaking wet, which was critical. I made my entrance and stopped at my usual spot, head down. The Pyro ball on my left side went off, and it was so hot. I turned to my right to escape it, but another burst went off, and I was engulfed in a propane Pyro ball. The only safe place to go was forward. I ran out of the fireball, with everyone freaking out and trying to cover for me. I could see my hat and right sleeve on fire. If I hadn’t switched coats, my arm would have been trashed. The water on me was also essential; my eyebrows were singed, my face burnt, and I had a big burn around my singlet.

In the pod, I saw my chest skin blistering and got angrier. Ring crew guys handed me water bottles through the grates, and I poured water on myself. They asked if I wanted to stop, but I said no, I had to drop the belt to Jericho. After another 20 minutes with Jericho, who put me in the Walls of Jericho with my burnt chest on the mat, Shawn finally came up through the ring, gave me the Super Kick, and I got out.

I had warned them that if the Pyro guy was backstage, I’d kill him. When I got back, it was a ghost town. Everyone was behind me, trying to tend to my wounds, but I was furious. I had severe burns on my chest and had to go to the burn center the next day. That night, I went into shock after showering and cleaning up. That was pretty scary; it could have been avoided.”