'Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi' turns 25: Did WWE's The Undertaker really appear in Akshay Kumar's movie? Here's the truth

The flick revolved around what happens when the protagonist locks horns with a cruel don, played by Rekha

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar's popular movie Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, which turns 25 on June 14, is widely regarded as one of the most important releases of his career as it helped him consolidate his standing as an 'Action Hero'. The flick was the fourth instalment of the Khiladi franchise and revolved around what happens when the protagonist locks horns with a cruel don, played by Rekha, to save his bother.

One of the highlights of the biggie was the wrestling match featuring 'Akki' and The Undertaker, a popular character from the WWE (then known as the WWF). While sequence garnered a fair deal of attention with its effective presentation, the fact remains that Mark Calaway, the professional wrestler who essayed the 'The Phenom' on WWE TV for nearly three decades, wasn't really part of Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi.

Bollywood's version of the iconic character was played by Brian Lee, who appeared as the 'Fake Undertaker' during SummerSlam 1994 and locked horns with 'The Deadman'.

Akshay Kumar on Sunday acknowledged the same with a hilarious Twitter post

Lee's association with the company was short-lived as failed to make an impact after losing to The Undertaker at the Pay-Per-View event. Calaway, on the other hand, took the character to legendary heights, emerging as one of the mainstays of WWE's flagship event WrestleMania. He had a '21-0' undefeated streak at the the 'Showcase of the Immortals', which was eventually broken by Brock Lesnar in 2014. Roman Reigns later defeated him at WrestleMania 33, becoming only the second man to do so.

The Undertaker, who made his debut in 1990, called time on his career last year, shortly after beating A J Styles at WrestleMania 36.

Coming back to Akshay Kumar, he going through a busy phase on the work front and will soon be seen in the Rohit Shetty-helmed cop movie Sooryavanshi. It was to hit the screens last year but that did not happen due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He has several films, including Raksha Bandhan, Prithviraj, Atrangi Re and Bell Bottom, in his kitty. The mass hero is also set to make his OTT debut with a series titled The End.The star is reportedly being considered for Dostana 2, which garnered attention after Kartik Aaryan quit the project over 'creative differences'.