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Mark Calaway United States
Born (1965-03-24) March 24, 1965 (age 59)
Houston, Texas
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)(The) Undertaker
Kane The Undertaker
The Punisher[1]
"Mean" Mark Callous
Texas Red
The Commando
Punisher Dice Morgan
Billed height6 ft 10.5 in (2.10 m)[2]
Billed weight299 lb (136 kg)[2]
Billed fromDeath Valley (1990-1999, 2004-present)
Houston, Texas (1984-1990, 2000-2003)
Trained byDon Jardine
Debut1984

Mark William Calaway[citation needed] (born March 24, 1965)[3][4] is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), wrestling on its SmackDown! brand.

As of 2007, Calaway is one of the senior performers in WWE, having joined in 1990. He is one of only two wrestlers to have appeared on the very first episode of RAW who are still with the company today. The other is Shawn Michaels.[5]

Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract at the end of 1990, he joined the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in November of that year.

He is undefeated at WrestleMania with a 17-0 record, and is a five-time world champion (four-time WWE Champion and two-time World Heavyweight Champion).[6][7] He was also the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble.[8]

Career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Mark Calaway made his debut in 1984 in Dallas, Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name Texas Red. He wrestled his first match against Bruiser Brody. In 1988, he left WCCW and wrestled for several territories under several gimmicks including the United States Wrestling Association where he won the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, his first professional wrestling title on April 1, 1989 from Jerry "The King" Lawler.

World Championship Wrestling (1989–1990)

[edit]

His first mainstream exposure was in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). While there, he was known as "Mean" Mark Callous and wrestled as part of the Skyscrapers tag team along with "Dangerous" Dan Spivey and later as a singles wrestler. During his time in the Skyscrapers, he and Spivey were involved in a feud with the Road Warriors, but Spivey left before the feud came to an end. Calaway then took on the guidance of Paul E. Dangerously and muscled his way through Brian Pillman and Johnny Ace. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship at 1990 Great American Bash, which he lost when Luger pinned him after a clothesline. Despite his strong showing against Lex Luger, WCW declined to renew Calaway's contract, and he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in late October 1990. During that time, he also toured New Japan Pro Wrestling.

World Wrestling Federation/ Entertainment (1990–present)

[edit]

1990–1994

[edit]

Calaway made his WWE debut on November 22, 1990 at Survivor Series 1990 as the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar team.[9] At the event, he was announced as The Undertaker to the fans, about one minute into the match, Undertaker eliminated Koko B. Ware with his finisher, called the Tombstone Piledriver. After Survivor Series, Calaway was called Kane the Undertaker at several shows until "Kane" was dropped from his name, and he reverted to simply "The Undertaker". The appearance of Undertaker was modeled after a mortician from old Western movies, with the character being supposedly impervious to pain and possessing supernatural powers, such as teleportation and manipulation of flames and lightning. It was at this time that the Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer.

In 1991, the Undertaker's popularity grew rapidly and the Undertaker was not booked to lose a single match between December 1991 and September 1993. He made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII, squashing WWE Hall of Famer "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.[10] After a year of B-main events with Ultimate Warrior in body bag matches, Randy Savage,[9] and Hulk Hogan, he was booked to defeat Hogan to win his first WWF Championship at Survivor Series 1991.[11] However, due to interference from Ric Flair during the match, WWF President Jack Tunney ordered a rematch for Tuesday in Texas six days later, where Undertaker dropped the title back to Hogan.[11] Early in 1992, he had a kayfabe falling out with ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts. After Roberts lost a match on Saturday Night's Main Event to Randy Savage,[12] Roberts tried to attack Savage's manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair. Undertaker stopped Roberts, thus turning face. He went on to defeat Roberts at WrestleMania VIII.[10] He feuded extensively in storylines with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, most notably Kamala,[11][13] whom he faced and defeated in the first televised casket match in WWF history at Survivor Series 1992, and Giant Gonzales, whom he defeated by disqualification at WrestleMania IX[10] and by pinfall at SummerSlam 1993.[13]

In January 1994, he was booked to challenge then-WWF Champion Yokozuna, facing him in a casket match at the 1994 Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna sealed Undertaker in the casket with the assistance of several other heel wrestlers, winning the match. The Undertaker's "spirit" appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, warning that he would return.[14] This began Undertaker's first hiatus. In reality, he had a back injury that was getting worse and needed time off. An Undertaker "clone", dubbed "Underfaker" by the fans, appeared after WrestleMania X, played by Brian Lee and led by Ted DiBiase. This led to the resurrection of the real Undertaker and a battle at SummerSlam 1994 between the two, where the real Undertaker won the match after three Tombstone Piledrivers.[14] At Survivor Series (1994), Undertaker had a rematch against Yokozuna once again in a casket match. Due to the interference in the casket match at the Royal Rumble (1994), they appointed Chuck Norris as a special guest enforcer to keep anyone from interfering in the match. Despite interference from King Kong Bundy, Bam Bam Bigelow, even Irwin R. Schyster putting Undertaker in a sleeper hold, the Undertaker managed to win the match by delivering a running big boot to Yokozuna which pushed Yokozuna into the casket and then closing the lid.

Fueding with The Million Dollar Team, WWE Championship focus

[edit]

Throughout most of 1995, the Undertaker feuded with members of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation, including IRS[15] and King Kong Bundy. At WrestleMania XI, while Undertaker was facing Bundy, Kama Mustafa stole the Undertaker's source of kayfabe power, the urn, and disrespected the Undertaker by converting it into a large gold necklace.[15] The two faced each other in a casket match at SummerSlam, which the Undertaker won.[16] Several weeks later, the Undertaker was assaulted in a storyline by Yokozuna and King Mabel,[17] which led to a legitimate injury of his eye orbital bone, forcing Undertaker into a period of absence for surgery. The Undertaker returned a while later wearing a Phantom-like ghostly Grey upper facemask and went over all of his competition.[16]

At the 1996 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was unmasked in a WWF Championship match against Bret Hart. In the storyline, Diesel interfered in the match to cost the Undertaker the championship,[18] and one month later, while Diesel was facing Hart in a steel cage match, Undertaker came up from under the ring to drag Diesel underneath, allowing Hart the victory.[18] This feud culminated in a match between the duo at WrestleMania XII, in which the Undertaker was victorious.[10]

His next feud commenced the very next night, when Mankind made his debut, interfering in the Undertaker's match with Justin Hawk Bradshaw.[19] For the next few months, Mankind ambushed and cost the Undertaker several matches.[18] The Undertaker was booked to face Mankind for the first time at the 1996 King of the Ring, which Mankind won.[18] The Undertaker's storyline with Mankind grew more intense, and they began taking their battles into crowds, backstage areas, and in the boiler rooms of different arenas. As a result, the first ever Boiler Room Brawl match was booked between the two at SummerSlam 1996. Undertaker nearly won the match in a spot that saw him use the ropes to fling Mankind off the edge of the ring apron. However, when Undertaker reached for the urn, Bearer hit him with it, turning on the Undertaker and allowing Mankind to "incapacitate" the Undertaker with the Mandible Claw, giving him the win.[18]

After Paul Bearer's betrayal, the Undertaker took his storyline rivalry with Mankind to a new level again, resulting in a Buried Alive match at In Your House: Buried Alive. Undertaker won the match after a Chokeslam into the open grave, but after interference from The Executioner, as well as the help of several other superstars, The Undertaker was ultimately "Buried Alive".[18] As a result, a match was booked at the upcoming Survivor Series, again pitting the Undertaker against Mankind, with a unique stipulation. Hanging 20 ft above the ring was Paul Bearer, enclosed in a steel cage. If Undertaker won the match, he would be able to get his hands on Paul Bearer. Even though Undertaker won the match, interference from The Executioner enabled Paul Bearer to escape the Undertaker's clutches.[20]

The Undertaker then shifted feuds and briefly turned his attention to The Executioner, who, in storylines, had become a thorn in his side since his arrival. At the following Pay-Per-View, the Undertaker went over the masked Executioner.[20] Towards the end of 1996, the Undertaker began feuding with another of Paul Bearer's minions, Vader, culminating in a job to Vader at the Royal Rumble after interference from Paul Bearer.[20] After this loss, the Undertaker's character began to focus his attention on the WWF Championship.

1997–1999

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See also: Hell in a Cell, Brothers of Destruction, and Ministry of Darkness

In 1997, the night before WrestleMania 13, The Undertaker won three awards at the WWF Slammy Awards: Best Tattoo, Best Entrance Music, and Highest Magnitude. At WrestleMania 13, The Undertaker was booked to win his second WWF Championship from Sycho Sid in a No Disqualification match.[21] After the event, Paul Bearer attempted to rejoin with the Undertaker, using the threat of revealing 'Taker's "biggest secret" if he didn't. Bearer made the shocking announcement that Undertaker was a murderer, who as a child had burned down the family funeral home business (where Bearer worked), killing his parents and his younger brother. Undertaker claimed there was no way for Bearer to have that information, but Paul announced that he was told this by Undertaker's brother Kane who was still alive, although horribly burned and scarred. Bearer raised Kane after the fire, having him institutionalized, and that Kane was waiting for revenge after all these years. In defense, Undertaker responded that Kane, a pyromaniac, had been the one to set the fire and could not have possibly survived.

Meanwhile, a number of wrestlers pursued Undertaker's title, including Vader,[21] Faarooq,[21] and Steve Austin.[21] His next major storyline began at SummerSlam 1997 when referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit Undertaker with a steel chair shot meant for Bret Hart, costing the Undertaker his WWF Championship.[21] Although the chair shot was accidental in the angle, Michaels repeated this with added taunting in the oncoming weeks on RAW is WAR.[22] This led to matches at In Your House: Ground Zero[21] and In Your House: Badd Blood, where the Undertaker was booked to challenge Michaels to the first ever Hell in a Cell Match. During this match, Undertaker's storyline brother Kane made his debut, ripping off the door to the cell and giving Undertaker a Tombstone Piledriver, Undertaker's trademark finisher, allowing Michaels to pin him.[21] During the next few weeks as the angle progressed, Paul Bearer and Kane challenged the Undertaker to fight his brother, but these challenges were refused consistently by the Undertaker. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels was in the return of the casket match at the 1998 Royal Rumble. In the climax of the angle, Kane cost the Undertaker the win by trapping him in the coffin. Kane then padlocked the casket lid and set it ablaze. However, The Undertaker had disappeared when the casket lid was reopened.[23]

After a two-month hiatus, Undertaker returned to challenge and was booked to successfully defeat Kane at WrestleMania XIV with three Tombstone Piledrivers.[23] The two had a rematch in the first ever Inferno match one month later at In Your House: Unforgiven, where the ring was surrounded by fire and the only way for a competitor to win was to set his opponent on fire. The Undertaker was booked to win by setting Kane's right arm on fire.[23] Undertaker's longtime feud with Mankind was renewed afterwards, on an episode of RAW, when Mankind cost the Undertaker a number one contenders match against Kane.[24] As a result, Undertaker and Mankind faced each other in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring 1998.

During the match, Undertaker legitimately threw Mankind off the roof of the sixteen foot cell onto the Spanish announcers' table below in a planned spot. He later chokeslammed Mankind through the roof of the cell into the ring and finally finished the match by back dropping and chokeslamming Mankind onto a pile of thumbtacks.[23] The Undertaker was able to compete in the match even while sporting a legitimate bone spur in the heel of one of his feet. (For more, see Hell in a Cell - Undertaker vs. Mankind).

In July 1998 at Fully Loaded, Undertaker and Steve Austin were booked to go over Kane and Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.[23] Despite this, there were growing suspicions in the angle that Undertaker was in cahoots with Kane. Undertaker and Austin did not work well as a team during the match, and their reign as tag champions lasted for only two weeks, as Kane and Mankind regained the titles on an episode of RAW.[24] Undertaker then became the #1 Contender for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1998, now held by Austin. However, shortly before SummerSlam, Undertaker revealed that he and Kane were together as brothers. This led many to believe that he would use Kane's interference to become champion. During the match, Undertaker told Kane that he wanted no help, and even though Undertaker was not booked to win the match, he handed Austin his belt back after the match in a show of respect.[23]

However, in September, Undertaker began to show heel characteristics, becoming a tweener, when he and Kane revealed the fact that they were in cahoots to rid Austin of his title for Vince McMahon. At Breakdown: In Your House, Undertaker was booked with both Austin and Kane for Austin's WWF title. Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin simultaneously after a double chokeslam,[23] so the title was vacated by Mr. McMahon, whose leg was then broken in kayfabe by the brothers. This led to a match at In Your House: Judgment Day between the two brothers for the title, with Stone Cold as the Special Guest Referee. Near the end of the match, Paul Bearer came to the ring and asked Kane if he could hit Undertaker with a steel chair, but as Kane had his back turned, Bearer hit Kane with the chair, which gave the Undertaker the opportunity to hit Kane in the head with that chair, foreshadowing a reunion between Undertaker and Bearer. Undertaker went for the pin, but Austin, in typical Stone Cold fashion, refused to count the fall, attacked the Undertaker, and counted out both brothers.[23] Finally, Undertaker turned heel the next night on RAW is WAR for the first time in over six years, reconciling with Paul Bearer and claiming that he and Bearer would unleash their Ministry of Darkness on the World Wrestling Federation. He also admitted that he had indeed set the kayfabe fire that killed his parents for which he had previously blamed Kane.[24] The Undertaker was booked to participate in The "Deadly Games" tournament at Survivor Series 1998. After receiving a bye in the first round, The Undertaker went over Kane in the quarterfinals. However, he was booked to lose in the semifinals by disqualification when Kane interfered by chokeslamming The Rock, who went on to win the tournament and his first WWF Title.[25]

After Survivor Series, Undertaker turned his attention back to a feud with Austin for costing him the title at Judgment Day, viciously hitting Austin in the head with a shovel during a title match with The Rock, returning the favor for what happened a month earlier. With this twist in the angle, Vince McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive match between Undertaker and Austin in December 1998 at In Your House: Rock Bottom. In the weeks leading up to Rock Bottom, the Undertaker character became increasingly demonic and satanic, attempting to embalm Austin alive, trying to have Kane committed to a mental asylum, and having his druids chain Austin to his symbol and raising it high into the arena.[24] However, Undertaker lost the match after Kane interfered.[25]

In January 1999, Undertaker returned, remaining a monster heel and forming the Ministry of Darkness, explaining that he was taking orders from a "Higher Power." Eventually, the Ministry merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation heel stable to form the Corporate Ministry.[26] During this time, The Undertaker was booked to defeat Austin for his third WWF Championship at Over the Edge 1999 with help from Shane McMahon, the special referee.[27] Two weeks later, it was revealed on RAW that Vince McMahon had been the Undertaker character's "Higher Power" all along. After Undertaker dropped the WWF title back to Austin one night after King of the Ring 1999 and a First Blood match at Fully Loaded 1999,[26][27] his relationship with the McMahon's dissolved, and the Corporate Ministry disbanded.

Undertaker was then booked to aim for the WWF Tag Team Championship. He teamed with the Big Show in a tag team known as The UnHoly Alliance, and they won the tag titles twice. He was scheduled to perform at Unforgiven 1999, contending for the WWF Championship. However, a groin injury knocked him out of action for the remainder of the year and part of the next. His absence was explained by The Undertaker's statement to Vince McMahon that he quit.

2000–2001

[edit]
"The American Bad Ass" Undertaker at WrestleMania XIX.

Undertaker was due to return to action for WrestleMania 2000, but a legitimate bicep injury in February 2000 delayed his return until May 2000. When he returned in May at Judgment Day 2000, Undertaker's gimmick was dramatically modified in line with wrestling's change to a more realistic approach. His gimmick became that of an intimidating biker. Along with the gimmick change, Undertaker also began using the Last Ride (Elevated Powerbomb) as his finishing move, as opposed to the Tombstone Piledriver, which had become synonymous with the Undertaker over the years. He was referred to as the American Bad Ass. After he "inadvertently" cost The Rock the WWF Championship in a storyline with Triple H[28], he took out all the members of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction, quickly turning face again. Undertaker then began targeting the leader, WWF Champion Triple H. At King of the Ring 2000, Undertaker teamed with the Rock and Kane to go over the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon.[28] Afterwards, he was booked to team with Kane to contend for the WWF Tag Team Championship. They defeated Edge and Christian, earning the right to face them the following week for the tag titles but Edge and Christian retained. Kane turned on The Undertaker by chokeslamming him twice on the August 14 Monday Night RAW.[29] This led to another match between the two at SummerSlam 2000, which ended in a no-contest as Kane ran from the ring area after The Undertaker removed Kane's mask.[28]

Undertaker was then booked to challenge Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series 2000.[30] Angle went over Undertaker following interference from Kurt's real life brother Eric Angle. Undertaker demanded and was awarded a spot in the Six-Man Hell in a Cell Match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon 2000. Undertaker was not booked to win, but highlighted the match in a spot that saw him throw Rikishi off the roof of the cell.[30]

In 2001, Undertaker reunited with Kane as the Brothers of Destruction in a storyline for the WWF Tag Team Championship once again. They received a shot at the Tag Titles at No Way Out 2001, facing Edge and Christian and then-champions the Dudley Boyz in a Tables Match. The Brothers of Destruction dominated almost the entire match but were not the winners.[30]

Undertaker was booked to go over Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven and improved his WrestleMania winning streak to 9-0.[10] He and Kane continued a storyline that focused on Triple H, who formed a "surprise alliance" with WWF Champion Steve Austin. After Austin and Triple H injured Kane's arm in kayfabe, the Brothers of Destruction were granted an opportunity to face Triple H and Austin. After Undertaker and Kane acquired the WWF Tag Titles from Edge & Christian,[31] Triple H pinned Kane after attacking him with a sledgehammer at Backlash 2001, and the Brothers of Destruction dropped the titles.[32] With Kane injured, Undertaker feuded briefly Steve Austin for his WWF Championship, but at Judgment Day 2001, Austin went over Undertaker to retain the title.[32]

As part of the 2001 Invasion angle, The Undertaker's next nemesis was Diamond Dallas Page, who was obsessively following The Undertaker's wife Sara.[32] At SummerSlam 2001, WCW Tag Team Champions Undertaker and Kane went over Page and his partner Chris Kanyon in a steel cage match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.[32] They were the first team booked to hold both the WCW and WWF tag team titles simultaneously.

At Survivor Series 2001, Undertaker began a storyline to take on The Alliance's Steve Austin, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon, and Kurt Angle while teaming up with Kane, the Rock, Chris Jericho, and the Big Show. Angle pinned the Undertaker due to interference by Austin.[32] After the Alliance was defeated, The Undertaker turned heel once again by forcing commentator Jim Ross to kiss Vince McMahon's ass.[33] This was the beginning of a new persona for the Undertaker, as he cut his long hair short and called himself Big Evil. At Vengeance 2001, the Undertaker went over Van Dam to capture the WWF Hardcore Championship.[34]

2002–2003

[edit]
The Undertaker during his "Big Evil" persona

Undertaker's next angle began at the 2002 Royal Rumble when Maven eliminated The Undertaker by dropkicking him from behind. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage.[34] On an episode of SmackDown!, The Rock mentioned The Undertaker's elimination at the Royal Rumble, angering The Undertaker. The Undertaker responded by costing The Rock the #1 contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship.[35] The storyline continued with The Rock costing The Undertaker his match with Maven for the Hardcore Championship.[36] The two faced off at No Way Out 2002, but The Undertaker was booked to lose due to interference from Ric Flair.[34] In a new storyline, Flair declined a challenge to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania X8,[37] and, as a result, Undertaker assaulted his son David Flair.[38] Ric Flair eventually accepted the match after the Undertaker threatened to inflict the same punishment on Flair's daughter.[39] A no disqualification stipulation was added to the match, and The Undertaker went over Flair, improving his WrestleMania record to 10-0.[10]

Undertaker subsequently went over Steve Austin at Backlash 2002 to win the #1 contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship. Later that night, he entered an angle where he helped Hulk Hogan win his title match against Undisputed Champion Triple H.[34] The Undertaker was put over Hogan for his fourth world championship at Judgment Day 2002.[40]

Undertaker soon turned face after he went over Jeff Hardy in a Ladder match, raising Hardy's hand after the match as a sign of respect.[41] However, Undertaker dropped the title at Vengeance 2002 to The Rock in a Triple Threat match that also involved Kurt Angle, although he was not even pinned.[40] During a storyline where contracts were open during the end of the feud between McMahon and Flair, The Undertaker switched from RAW to SmackDown!, alongside former RAW talent Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero. After being put over Test at SummerSlam 2002,[40] Undertaker was booked to challenge Brock Lesnar in a title match at Unforgiven 2002 that inevitably ended in a double-DQ.[40] Their feud carried over to No Mercy 2002 in a Hell in a Cell Match. Undertaker worked the match with a legitimate broken hand and eventually lost to the champion.[40] Undertaker then suffered a kayfabe injury after the Big Show threw him off the stage in Memphis, sparking a feud.[42]

The Undertaker returned at the 2003 Royal Rumble drawing #30, but he was the last man eliminated by Brock Lesnar.[43] He then continued his feud with Big Show and defeated him via submission at No Way Out 2003. A-Train entered the angle and attempted to attack Taker after the match, but Nathan Jones came to The Undertaker's aid.[43] The storyline resumed as Undertaker began to train Jones to wrestle, and the two were scheduled to fight Big Show and A-Train in a tag team match at WrestleMania XIX.[10] However, Jones was removed prior to the match, making it a handicap match, which Undertaker was booked to win with the help of Jones, improving his WrestleMania record to 11-0.[43]

Undertaker went on to feud against the Full Blooded Italians, John Cena,[44] A-Train,[45] Brock Lesnar, and the Big Show.[46] He was booked with two WWE Championship opportunities over the course of the year. The first, on the September 4, 2003 SmackDown!, against Kurt Angle, ended in a no contest.[47] The second, at No Mercy 2003, was a Biker Chain Match between Undertaker and Lesnar. Lesnar was put over with the help of Vince McMahon, ,[45] making it his second straight successful No Mercy WWE Title match against Undertaker. At Survivor Series 2003, Undertaker lost a Buried Alive match in an angle against Vince McMahon when Kane interfered.[45] After The Undertaker disappeared for some time following the match, Kane claimed that he was dead and buried forever.[48]

2004–2005

[edit]

In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania XX, Kane was haunted by vignettes in a storyline proclaiming an Undertaker return. The first was during the Royal Rumble when Undertaker's bells tolled, distracting Kane and allowing Booker T to eliminate him.[45] At WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker finally returned, using the Deadman persona, again accompanied by Paul Bearer, and he defeated Kane.[49] This persona could be best described as a hybrid of the classic Undertaker and the American Bad Ass. Three months later, Paul Bearer was kidnapped by the Dudley Boyz at the direction of Paul Heyman,[50] who then took "control" of Undertaker in the storyline.[51] The angle added a new twist at The Great American Bash 2004 where Undertaker was forced to fight a handicap match against the Dudleys; and if he lost, Paul Heyman would bury Paul Bearer in cement. The Undertaker won but buried Bearer anyway, explaining that Bearer was merely a liability now and that he had no use for Bearer anymore.[49] Fans were later told that Bearer was "seriously injured," but in reality, he was simply removed from WWE programming due to health reasons. The Undertaker also remained a face.

After defeating the Dudley Boyz, Undertaker began a new feud and challenged WWE Champion John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) to a title match at SummerSlam 2004, which Undertaker lost when he disqualified himself.[49] At No Mercy 2004, Undertaker and JBL were booked to compete in the first ever "Last Ride" match, although Undertaker lost after Heidenreich interfered.[49] After a brief program with Heidenreich,[52] Undertaker turned his focus to the WWE Championship once again. Along with Eddie Guerrero and Booker T, he challenged Bradshaw to a championship rematch at Armageddon 2004 in a Fatal Four-Way, in which Undertaker was unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference.[52] This led to a Casket Match between Undertaker and Heidenreich at the 2005 Royal Rumble, where Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory to end the storyline.[52]

Soon afterward, Randy Orton challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 21, in an angle that saw Orton claiming that he would be the one to end The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak.[53] Even with help from his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Randy failed, and the Undertaker improved his WrestleMania record to 13-0.[52] Following WrestleMania, Undertaker took a two month hiatus from wrestling after the birth of his second daughter in late May 2005.

He returned for the June 16 episode of SmackDown! but lost to JBL, thanks to interference from Randy Orton.[54] General Manager Theodore Long booked Muhammad Hassan in a match against Undertaker at The Great American Bash 2005, where he was put over Hassan[55] in Hassan's last match in WWE. As a result of the win, he became #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. However, JBL felt that he should be #1 contender. On the following SmackDown!, Undertaker lost a #1 contender match against JBL, once again due to interference from Randy Orton to resume the feud.[56] With this, Undertaker resumed his feud with Orton.

At SummerSlam 2005, Undertaker and Randy Orton had a WrestleMania rematch, which Orton won.[55] After weeks of their feud building up, Undertaker was booked to defeat Randy again on the second episode of SmackDown!.[57] The storyline intensified as the two taunted each other with caskets, leading to a casket match, in which Undertaker lost to Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, at No Mercy 2005.[55] After the match, the Ortons poured gasoline on the casket and set it afire, in a similar angle to Kane in 1998. When the charred casket was opened, however, Undertaker had once again vanished. He returned at the 2005 Survivor Series, emerging from a burning casket.[58]

Despite a controversial attack involving Eddie Guerrero's lowrider on the November 29, 2005 SmackDown! special,[59] Undertaker returned on SmackDown! to haunt Orton and set up a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon 2005.[60] After winning the Hell in a Cell match,[58] Calaway took a short hiatus from wrestling, presumably due to controversy associated with the match, as Bob Orton was diagnosed with hepatitis but was allowed to bleed during the match without Calaway knowing of his condition.[61]

2006–2008

[edit]
See also: Brothers of Destruction
The Undertaker making his entrance during an episode of SmackDown!.

At the 2006 Royal Rumble, Undertaker returned during Kurt Angle's celebration of his world title defense against Mark Henry. He entered on a horse drawn cart and made his intentions known by destroying the ring with lightning bolts.[58] Undertaker was booked to lose his match with Angle at No Way Out 2006 after a thirty minute bout. Undertaker cornered Angle after the match, and after a stare down, told Angle that he had his number and that he was not finished with him yet.[58]

The Undertaker had his No Way Out rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against Angle on SmackDown! when Mark Henry attacked Undertaker from behind, costing him the title.[62] Undertaker began an angle where he challenged Mark Henry to a Casket Match at WrestleMania 22, and Henry, like Orton a year before him, vowed to end Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak.[63] Undertaker was put over Mark Henry to become 14-0 at WrestleMania, keeping his undefeated streak alive.[10] During a rematch on the next edition of SmackDown!, The Great Khali made his debut and assaulted the Undertaker, starting a new storyline.[64]

The Undertaker was not heard from until the May 5 edition of SmackDown!, as Theodore Long delivered a challenge from Undertaker to Khali for a match at Judgment Day 2006.[65] Undertaker was booked to convincingly put Khali over[66] and did not appear again until the July 4 edition of SmackDown! to accept Khali's challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash.[67] Khali was removed from the match, due to elevated liver enzymes, and replaced by ECW Champion Big Show, over whom The Undertaker gained the victory. In the storyline, Teddy Long replaced Khali with Big Show as punishment for an attack on Undertaker shortly before the match.[66] Khali was then challenged to a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam 2006 after interfering in Undertaker's match with World Heavyweight Champion King Booker.[68] In the angle, Khali refused the challenge for SummerSlam, though Teddy Long made the match official for the August 18 episode of SmackDown! instead. Undertaker was booked to win the match by striking Khali with the steel stairs, delivering several chair shots, and finishing him with a chokeslam.[69] After his victory, Undertaker was not seen for several weeks.

The Undertaker returned in an angle with United States Champion Mr. Kennedy at No Mercy 2006 but was disqualified in a match after he hit Kennedy with the championship belt.[70] On the November 3 edition of SmackDown!, Undertaker reunited with Kane to form the Brothers of Destruction for the first time in five years, defeating the reluctant opposition team of Mr. Kennedy and MVP, with whom Kane was feuding with at the time.[71] Undertaker put over Mr. Kennedy in a First Blood match at Survivor Series after interference from MVP,[70] but finally defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match at Armageddon 2006[70] by delivering a chokeslam and Tombstone on the roof of the hearse, sticking him in the back, and driving the hearse out of the ring.

Undertaker retaining his undefeated streak at WrestleMania 22.

The two continued to feud into 2007 as Kennedy cost Undertaker two World Heavyweight Championship opportunities for a championship match at the 2007 Royal Rumble.[72][73] Undertaker was booked to win his first Royal Rumble match in a spot where Shawn Michaels attempted Sweet Chin Music and Undertaker ducked and lifted Michaels over the top rope for the victory.[73] He became the first man to enter the Rumble at number 30 and go on to win the match.[74] He was then booked to begin an angle with Batista where he challenged and defeated Batista at WrestleMania 23 to win his first World Heavyweight Championship, ten years after he defeated Sycho Sid for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 13. By defeating Batista, Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania advanced to 15-0. On the next SmackDown!, Batista entered the ring and declared to The Undertaker that he wanted a rematch, which was a Last Man Standing match at Backlash 2007. The rematch ended in a draw when neither man was able to answer the ten-count after Batista speared Undertaker off the entrance stage, causing the steel pillars to fall on top of the two men. The draw resulted in Undertaker retaining the title.

On the May 11 SmackDown! taping in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Undertaker was booked in a steel cage match with Batista that resulted in a draw when both men's feet touched the floor at the same time. After the match, Mark Henry returned and assaulted the defenseless Undertaker. Immediately after the assault, Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot and Undertaker dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Edge. As Undertaker laid in the ring, druids appeared and carried him to the backstage area. In reality, Calaway had suffered an arm injury that required surgery, but the WWE did not want to break the Undertaker's character by having him forfeit the title.

During Calaway's rehabilitation, Mark Henry began squashing local jobbers and bragging about his assault on Undertaker until vignettes began playing promoting Undertaker's return. He returned at Unforgiven, successfully defeating Henry with a Last Ride from the corner and again on SmackDown! two weeks later with a Chokeslam.[75] Batista and Undertaker re-ignited their feud at Cyber Sunday where the fans chose Guest Referee "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, but Batista retained the world title after two Batista Bombs.[76] They battled again inside Hell in a Cell at Survivor Series where Edge returned and interfered by giving Undertaker a con-chair-to and pulling an unconscious Batista on top of Undertaker for the pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[77] In response to this, Undertaker delivered a tombstone to General Manager Vickie Guerrero on the next SmackDown!, sending her kayfabe to the hospital. During that period of time, he continued to fued with Edge. At WrestleMania XXIV, The Undertaker defeated Edge to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. They fueded intil finally, at One Night Stand 2008, Edge retired Undertaker by winning back the title in a TLC match.

In wrestling

[edit]
The Undertaker gives The Tombstone Piledriver to Ric Flair at WrestleMania X8
The Undertaker performs Old School (an arm twist ropewalk chop) on Heidenreich.

Gimmicks

[edit]

Over the seventeen years that Mark Calaway has been wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly the World Wrestling Federation), his "Undertaker" character has gone through a number of personality changes with different nicknames, theme songs, and signature taunts.

Championships and accomplishments

[edit]

Personal life

[edit]

Mark Calaway is the son of Frank and Catherine Calaway and is one of five brothers with David, Michael, Paul and Timothy.[78] He graduated from Waltrip High School in 1983, where he was a member of the basketball team. [3] Calaway first married Jodi Lynn in 1989, and they had a son Gunner, born in 1993, before the marriage ended in 1999.[78] Calaway met his second and current wife, Sara, at a WWF autograph signing in San Diego, California.[79] He eventually married her in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21 2000. Mark and Sara currently have two daughters together: Chasey, born in 2002, and Gracie, born in 2005.[78]

As a wedding gift to Sara, Calaway had his wife's name tattooed onto his throat and has said this is the most painful tattoo he has ever had. In 2007, this tattoo started being removed from all WWE photos showing Undertaker's throat, most notably on the cover of the November issue of WWE Magazine and in pictures throughout. Undertaker has several other tattoos: a gravedigger, which he refers to as "Original Deadman", skulls, a castle, and a wizard. When talking about his body art, he has said that there is kind of a medieval thing going-on on his arms. He also has a dancing skeleton on the back of his neck. He also has a tattoo on his stomach that says BSK Pride.[80]

Aside from wrestling, Calaway has many hobbies and interests. He collects Harley-Davidson and West Coast Choppers motorcycles and purchased his first brand new motorcycle after defeating Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. Calaway has also had a custom motorcycle built for him by Jesse James, the founder of West Coast Choppers.[81] He is a massive fan of Nick Cave and all his musical endeavors (The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds). He also enjoys listening to bands like ZZ Top, AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Label Society. Calaway also enjoys country music and blues music.[citation needed]

As an avid boxing fan, Calaway was also the person who carried the Flag of the United States while leading Team Pacquiao to the ring during Pacquiao vs. Velázquez fight in 2005.[82] This was also confirmed by another WWE Superstar, Batista, who revealed this during a televised interview in the Philippines called TV Patrol World in ABS-CBN while promoting an upcoming WWE SmackDown! Survivor Series 2006 Tour which was set to be shown in the country.[83]

Calaway also an avid MMA fan and has attended several UFC shows. [84]

As The Undertaker had been absent from the WWE due to his 2007 arm injury, Calaway began getting into real estate with his partner Scott Everhart. Calaway and Everhart finished construction on a 2.7 million dollar building in Loveland, Colorado. The building, filled with upscale office space, is named the "The Calahart", a portmanteau of their last names. Calaway has said that being a TV star certainly helps him in the real estate business, and he was quoted saying "by no means does it seal the deal, but people do want to sit down and talk with you. It helps us get to meet a lot of people and know what we’re trying to get accomplished."[85]

Other media

[edit]

Calaway appeared as a guest star in the 1991 film Suburban Commando. He also appeared on episodes of Poltergeist: The Legacy and Celebrity Deathmatch in 1999.

A number of spin-offs have covered The Undertaker's character. Chaos! Comics released an Undertaker comic. In 2005, Pocket Books released a novel, Journey into Darkness, which dealt largely with Kane but also featured Undertaker as his brother, although they are not related in real life.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Stone Cold Truth (p.72)
  2. ^ a b "WWE Profile".
  3. ^ a b "Calaway's High School trivia page".
  4. ^ "The Undertaker's Fact File".
  5. ^ Michaels, Shawn. 2005, Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story, Pocket Books, New York. (p251)
  6. ^ "W.W.W.F./W.W.F./W.W.E. World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  7. ^ "World Heavyweight Title (W.W.E. Smackdown!)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  8. ^ "Royal Rumble 2007 Results". PWWEW.net. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  9. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.88-89)
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "WrestleMania Legacy". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  11. ^ a b c PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.89-90)
  12. ^ "Saturday Night's Main Event - February 8, 1992 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  13. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.90-91)
  14. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.92)
  15. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.93)
  16. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.94)
  17. ^ "RAW 1995 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  18. ^ a b c d e f PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.95)
  19. ^ "RAW 1996 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  20. ^ a b c PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.96-97)
  21. ^ a b c d e f g PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.98-99)
  22. ^ "RAW 1997 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.100-101)
  24. ^ a b c d "RAW 1998 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  25. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.102)
  26. ^ a b "RAW 1999 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  27. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.103)
  28. ^ a b c PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.106)
  29. ^ "RAW 2000 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  30. ^ a b c PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.107)
  31. ^ "SmackDown - April 19 2001 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  32. ^ a b c d e PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.108-109)
  33. ^ "RAW - November 26 2001 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  34. ^ a b c d PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.109-110)
  35. ^ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. p. 52.
  36. ^ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. p. 56.
  37. ^ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. pp. 79 & 80.
  38. ^ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. p. 81.
  39. ^ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. pp. 81 & 82.
  40. ^ a b c d e PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.110-111)
  41. ^ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. pp. 179–181.
  42. ^ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. p. 288.
  43. ^ a b c PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.112-113)
  44. ^ "SmackDown-April 10 2003 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  45. ^ a b c d PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.113-114)
  46. ^ "SmackDown-August 28 2003 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  47. ^ "SmackDown-September 4 2003 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  48. ^ "SmackDown-November 20 2003 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  49. ^ a b c d PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.115-116)
  50. ^ "SmackDown-May 27 2004 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  51. ^ "SmackDown-June 17 2004 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  52. ^ a b c d PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.116-117)
  53. ^ "RAW-March 7 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  54. ^ "SmackDown-June 16 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  55. ^ a b c PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.118)
  56. ^ "SmackDown-July 28 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  57. ^ "SmackDown-September 16 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  58. ^ a b c d PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.119)
  59. ^ "SmackDown Special-November 29 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  60. ^ "SmackDown-December 2 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  61. ^ "Undertaker Throws Fit Backstage, Orton involved, Hepatitis". Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  62. ^ "SmackDown-March 3 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  63. ^ "SmackDown-March 31 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  64. ^ "SmackDown-April 7 E2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  65. ^ "SmackDown-May 5 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  66. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.121)
  67. ^ "SmackDown-July 4 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  68. ^ "SmackDown-August 4 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  69. ^ "SmackDown-April 18 2007 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  70. ^ a b c PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.122)
  71. ^ "SmackDown-November 3 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  72. ^ "SmackDown-January 12 2007 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  73. ^ a b PWI Staff. 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. "Wrestling’s historical cards" (p.130)
  74. ^ Louie Dee (January 28, 2007). "A Phenom-enal Rumble". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  75. ^ "Unforgiven 2007 Results". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  76. ^ "Cyber Sunday 2007 Results". PWWEW.net. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  77. ^ Dee, Louie (November 18, 2007). "On the Edge of Hell". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
  78. ^ a b c NNDB Bio
  79. ^ Sara Calaway
  80. ^ Pictures of The Undertaker's tattoos.
  81. ^ West Coast Choppers lists Undertaker as a celebrity customer
  82. ^ The Undertaker to lead Pacquiao's entourage
  83. ^ Interview on ABS-CBN (Youtube video)
  84. ^ | Undertaker Backstage at UFC 42 (Youtube video)
  85. ^ "The Undertakr gets involved in real estate venture; his return to WWE". June 17, 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthdate= ignored (help)

References

[edit]
  • PWI Staff (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts". "Wrestling’s historical cards". Kappa Publishing.
  • Stone Cold Steve Austin and Jim Ross (2003). The Stone Cold Truth. Pocket Books. ISBN 0743477200.
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