Chuck Norris' legacy: The night the famed actor protected Undertaker at WWE Survivor Series 1994

Legendary actor and martial artist Chuck Norris passed away at the age of 86, his family announced on Friday. Norris, who got his break in acting alongside Bruce Lee in 1972's “The Way of the Dragon” followed by a slew of 1980s martial arts films, rose to further fame in the 1990s as star of the TV drama “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

That rise also led to Norris’ lone appearance in WWE, as the “special troubleshooting referee” in a main-event Casket Match between WWE Hall of Famers Yokozuna and The Undertaker at Survivor Series in 1994.

Although the match likely doesn’t stick out in many peoples’ memories 32 years later, watching it back offers a glimpse into just how different WWE was from the multi-billion dollar behemoth it is today, as well as highlighting just how big of a star Norris was thanks to his status as an action-film icon and early “Walker, Texas Ranger” run.

In many ways, it was unsurprising that Norris was arguably the biggest draw for this match, which was the culmination of a year-long feud between Undertaker and Yokozuna. Even then, WWE had a longstanding history of intertwining pop culture and professional wrestling, particularly for significant moments and shows like WrestleMania.

Norris made his way to the ring before either Yokozuna or The Undertaker, drawing a strong reaction from the San Antonio crowd. Norris even got some pyro as he stood in the center of the ring, donned in a black cowboy hat and wool-lined denim jacket. His presence was required because earlier in the year, at January's Royal Rumble, Yokozuna defeated Undertaker in a Casket Match thanks to heavy outside interference. Norris was there to ensure any inevitable run-ins wouldn’t derail the sequel's outcome.

As far as Undertaker and Yokozuna, they were undeniably two of WWE’s top names at the time.

Despite Undertaker not truly being The Undertaker as we’ve come to know him today — he was still very much working as a character in this era of WWE — he was still a massive rising star, purple gloves and boot covers included. During the match you can see flashes of the athleticism and charisma that came to define Undertaker over the course of the next 25 years.

Yokozuna, on the other hand, was at the tail end of his main-event WWE run, having been WWE Champion earlier in the year and now wrapping up his program with Undertaker at November's Survivor Series. He was working alongside heel managers Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette, both of whom factored into this match.

More of a spectacle than a technical match, the majority of the action was focused on heavy strikes from the big men, with the occasional high-impact move — a Samoan Drop and Uranage from Yokozuna, and a flying clothesline or what became known as “Old School” from Undertaker. Aside from a few teases with both men in the casket, the fans inside San Antonio's Freeman Coliseum were just waiting for outside interference and Norris to get involved.

Naturally, as the match entered its closing stages, those run-ins came.

First, it was King Kong Bundy marching down the entrance ramp, only to be stopped by two referees as the ever-stoic Norris looked on. Bam Bam Bigelow followed suit, drawing the same resulting reaction from Norris. If WWE wanted to present Norris as a dangerous enforcer, they did just that as he stared daggers through — and scared off — two men who were roughly double his size.

While Norris was distracted, the villainous heel I.R.S. emerged from the crowd and attacked Undertaker before running off.

Norris then finally got physical with the fourth outside entity to get involved: Jeff Jarrett.

Jarrett was quickly met with a kick from Norris — which drew a big pop from the crowd.

Jarrett recalled the spot in a 2021 interview with Cageside Seats:

“Chuck Norris is from Texas. Survivor Series was in San Antonio. Somehow, someway — I’m not sure if I volunteered or if I got the short straw and was the young guy on the team. I’ve always taken it with a badge of honor and maybe I was an idiot at times. I had no problem doing it. He obviously knows how to throw a kick and he put it right in there.”

Undertaker rallied shortly thereafter and closed the casket on Yokozuna, winning the match and scoring his redemption — and earning an approving nod from Norris in the process.

Norris ultimately made a brief appearance in WCW a few years later, celebrating a Goldberg win alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme, Brett Hull and Herschel Walker. But on that night in Texas in 1994, with no words and just one kick, Norris played a small — but memorable — part in WWE history.