Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965),[7] better known by his ring name The Undertaker, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he has worked since 1990, making him the company's longest-tenured in-ring performer.
Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling(WCCW) in 1984. After wrestling for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as"Mean" Mark Callous from 1989 to 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1990. As The Undertaker, his gimmick is ahorror-themed, dynamically dark, macabre entity who employs scare tacticsand holds links to the supernatural. He won the Wrestling Observer Newsletterbest gimmick award a record five times (more times than any other professional wrestler), all of which he won continuously.[citation needed] The Undertaker is the storyline half-brother of fellow WWE wrestler Kane, with whom he has alternately feuded and teamed with as The Brothers of Destruction. Since unseating Hulk Hogan as WWF Champion in 1991, The Undertaker has been involved in numerous pivotal storylines within WWE history.[5]
The Undertaker is well known for The Streak, an unprecedented run of 21 straight victories at WWE's leading pay-per-view (PPV), WrestleMania(including main event bouts at WrestleMania 13, WrestleMania XXIV, andWrestleMania XXVI); he sustained his first loss at WrestleMania XXX to Brock Lesnar.[8] He was also winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble. Among other championship accolades, Calaway is an eight-time world champion, having held the WWF/E Championship four times, the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship once. He has cultivated a legacy within pro wrestling, being highly regarded by fellow veteran WWE personnel and fans alike as he is considered to be one of the best professional wrestlers of all time.
Early career (1984–1989)
Mark Calaway made his debut in 1984 for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name Texas Red.[6] He wrestled and lost his first match against Bruiser Brody.[6] In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left and joined the Continental Wrestling Association (which became part of the United States Wrestling Association after Jerry Jarrett bought World Class Championship Wrestling and merged the two organizations into one), wrestling under severalgimmicks.
On February 2, 1989, managed by Dutch Mantell, he debuted as The Master of Pain, a character fresh out of the Atlanta State Penitentiary after serving five years (much in solitary confinement) for killing two men in a fight.[citation needed] After his second match the next week, he stayed in the ring, challenging USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lawlerto an impromptu match. The Master of Pain easily dominated Lawler until Mantell entered the ring and called him off, saying they'd done what they'd wanted. Lawler agreed to a title match, and on April 1, The Master of Pain won the title. He held it for just over three weeks before Lawler became the first man to pin him, winning it back.
While performing as The Punisher, Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989, whenEric Embry forfeited the title.[14]
World Championship Wrestling (1989–1990)
In 1989, Calaway joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as a villain and adopted the ring name Mean Mark Callous, a name devised for him by Terry Funk.[15] He was portrayed as a morbid character; he wore predominantly black ring attire, and was described by announcer Jim Ross as having a fondness for pet snakes, and the music of Ozzy Osbourne.[16] Callous was promptly drafted into The Skyscrapers tag team to replace an injured Sid Vicious, and made his debut on January 3, 1990 in a match later televised against Agent Steel & Randy Harris.[17] The new team gained some notoriety at Clash of the Champions X when they beat down The Road Warriors after their match.[18] However Callous' partner Dan Spivey left WCW days before their Chicago Street Fight against the Warriors at WrestleWar 1990. Callous anda replacement masked Skyscraper went down in defeat in the Street Fight and the team broke up soon afterwards.[19] As he went into singles competition, Callous took on the guidance of Paul E. Dangerously and defeated Johnny Ace at Capital Combat and defeated Brian Pillman at the Clash of the Champions. In July 1990, he wrestled against Lex Luger for theNWA United States Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash, but was pinned by Luger. Callous then facedBrian Pillman, Paul Orndorff, and Doug Furnas on the house show circuit before giving notice to WCW on August 27.[17] His final match was on September 7 at a WCW Worldwide taping in Amarillo, TX where he defeated Dave Johnson.
During his time in WCW, Calaway briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Punisher Dice Morgan. After leaving WCW, he briefly returned to the USWA to participate in a tournament to determine the new USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion; he defeated Bill Dundee in the first round, but lost to Jerry Lawler in the quarterfinals. In October 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE
Western Mortician (1990–1994)
Calaway made his WWF debut as Kane the Undertaker at a taping of WWF Superstars on November 19, 1990. His original version of the Deadman depicted him in a trench coat, gray-striped tie, and gray-ringed, black stetson hat with gray gloves and boot spats. He was portrayed as impervious to pain, something accomplished by Calaway not selling his opponents' attacks. Calaway made his official on-camera debut on November 22 at Survivor Series as a heel when he was the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar team.[20] Approximately one minute into the match, the Undertaker eliminated Koko B. Ware with his finisher, the Tombstone Piledriver. He also eliminated Dusty Rhodes before being counted out, however, his team won the match with DiBiase being the sole survivor. During the match, Calaway was referred to as the Undertaker, neglecting the Kane name, which was dropped shortly after the event. At the same time, the Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer — a histrionic, ghostly character, almost always seen bearing an urn, which he used to revive the Undertaker's strength whenever Undertaker fell victim to his antagonists. During his heel run, Undertaker placed his defeated opponents (almost always jobbers) in a bodybag and carried them to the back.[21]
He made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII, quickly defeating "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.[22] He began his first major feud with the Ultimate Warrior, when he attacked the Warrior and locked him in an airtight casket on the set of Paul Bearer's Funeral Parlor interview segment. After a year of battles with the Warrior, Randy Savage,[20] Sid Justice, Sgt. Slaughter, and Hulk Hogan, he defeated Hogan to win his first WWF Championship at Survivor Series with the help of Ric Flair, and thus became the youngest WWF Champion in history until having this record broken by Yokozuna in April 1993 atWrestleMania IX.[23] WWF President Jack Tunney ordered a rematch for This Tuesday in Texas six days later, where the Undertaker lost the title back to Hogan.[23] However, due to the controversial ends to the two title matches between the Undertaker and Hogan the title was vacated by Tunney. The title was awarded to Ric Flair as the winner of the 1992 Royal Rumble match.
In February 1992, the Undertaker's ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts tried to attack Randy Savage's manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when the Undertaker stopped him, becoming a fan favorite for the first time. The face turn was solidified on the February 29, 1992 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, where Roberts confronted the Undertaker on the "Funeral Parlor" set over that incident (aired on Saturday Night's Main Event). After demanding to know whose side the Undertaker was on and getting the reply "Not yours!", Roberts attacked both Bearer and the Undertaker, only for the Undertaker to stand his ground and run Roberts off. The Undertaker defeated Roberts at WrestleMania VIII.[22] He then feuded extensively with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, such as Kamala, Giant González and Yokozuna. Also in this time he headlined the first episode of Monday Night Raw on January 11, 1993 with a victory over Damien Demento.[24] He faced González at WrestleMania IX, which is notable as Undertaker's only disqualification win at WrestleMania after the use of chloroform. His rivalry with Yokozuna culminated in a WWF Championship casket match at the 1994 Royal Rumble. During the match, champion Yokozuna sealed the Undertaker in the casket with the assistance of several other villainous Wippleman-managed wrestlers to win the match. The Undertaker appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, representing his spirit, warning that he would return.[25] The Undertaker did not appear in the WWF for seven months after his loss to Yokozuna. In reality, he was given time off to allow a back injury to heal.[26]
The Phenom (1994–1997)
During his absence, the WWF promoted his return by showing video clips of people who claimed to have seen the Undertaker. After WrestleMania X, Ted DiBiase introduced an Undertaker back to the WWF. This Undertaker, however, played by Brian Lee, was an impostor Undertaker (dubbed the "Underfaker" by fans) and led to the return of the real Undertaker in the SummerSlam main event, appearing as a new version of his Deadman persona, represented now by cool colors and replacing grey with purple. The Undertaker defeated the impostor after three Tombstone Piledrivers.[25] At Survivor Series, the Undertaker defeated Yokozuna in a rematch, another casket match. Throughout most of 1995, the Undertaker feuded with members of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. AtWrestleMania XI, while the Undertaker was facing King Kong Bundy, Kama stole the urn, and antagonized him by melting it into a large gold necklace.[25] Later, the Undertaker defeated Kama in a casket match at SummerSlam.[25] Several weeks later, the Undertaker injured his orbital bone near his eye, forcing a period of absence for surgery, until his return at Survivor Series.
The Undertaker returned at the 1995 Survivor Series, wearing a Phantom of the Opera-like, grey upper-face mask.[25] In the main event of the 1996 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was unmasked in a WWF Championship match against Bret Hart. Diesel interfered in this match, costing the Undertaker the championship.[27] A rematch for the title on the February 5 episode of Raw saw similar interference.[28] At that month's In Your House: Rage in the Cage, while Diesel was facing Hart in a steel cage match, the Undertaker delivered a surprise attack, emerging from a hole he had ripped through the ring canvas and dragging Diesel with him down under, allowing Hart the victory.[27] After several weeks of more tit for tat between Diesel and the Undertaker, the feud culminated in a match between the two atWrestleMania XII, to which Undertaker was victorious.[22]
His next feud commenced the very next night when Mankind made his debut and interfered in the Undertaker's match withJustin "Hawk" Bradshaw. For the next few months, Mankind ambushed and cost the Undertaker several matches.[27] The feud intensified, and they began taking their battles into crowds, backstage areas, and in the boiler rooms of different arenas. Mankind cost the Undertaker the Intercontinental Championship at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog, assisting champion Goldust to victory. As a result, the first ever Boiler Room Brawl was booked between the two at SummerSlam. During the match, when Undertaker reached for Paul Bearer's urn, Bearer hit him with it, betraying the Undertaker and allowing Mankind to "incapacitate" him with the Mandible claw, giving him the win.[27] After Bearer's betrayal, the Undertaker took his rivalry with Mankind to a new level, resulting in a Buried Alive match in the main event of In Your House: Buried Alive. The 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."[27]
After being buried alive, the Undertaker returned at the Survivor Series again pitting him against Mankind, but with a unique stipulation; hanging 20 ft (6.1 m) 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 Bearer. Even though the Undertaker won the match, interference from The Executioner enabled Bearer to escape the Undertaker's clutches.[29] It was also at this event that Undertaker had developed a more informal, casual Deadman incarnation than before. In this then-new form, he took on a Gothic, brash and rebelling persona (perhaps to better fit in with the Attitude Era that consisted of more adult-oriented programming content and that was budding at around the time). In this form, he proclaimed himself as "The Lord of Darkness." Following Survivor Series, the Undertaker briefly turned his attentions to The Executioner, who had been interfering in on his matches since his arrival and had months earlier helped bury the Undertaker alive at In Your House Buried Alive. At In Your House: It's Time, the Undertaker defeated The Executioner in an Armageddon rules match.[29] He then moved on to feud with Vader. They met at the 1997 Royal Rumble in a singles match, where Undertaker lost after Bearer interfered on behalf of his new protégé.[29]The two then clashed in the Royal Rumble match itself as they made it to the final moments of the match, but both were eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin, who had crept back into the match after his elimination was unseen. He met both Vader and Austin in a Four Corners Elimination match for the vacant WWF Championship at In Your House 13: Final Four, but Bret Hart won.[30] However, the following month the Undertaker managed to win the title for the second time by defeating Sycho Sid at WrestleMania 13.[31]
Lord of Darkness (1997–1998)
In May 1997, Paul Bearer attempted to rejoin the Undertaker, using the ultimatum of revealing the Undertaker's "deepest, darkest secret" to the world. In storyline, Bearer announced that the Undertaker was an arsonist/murderer, who as a child had burned down the family funeral home business (where he and his family lived and Bearer worked), killing his parents and ostensibly his younger half-brother as well. The Undertaker denied all this; however, Bearer claimed to having proof in the form of the Undertaker's alive and well half-brother Kane, who had survived though horribly scarred and burned. Bearer raised Kane after the fire, having him institutionalized from the date of the fire all the way into adulthood. Ever since the fire, Kane had been awaiting to exact vengeance on his older half-brother. In defense, Undertaker responded that Kane, a pyromaniac, had been the one to set the fire and could not have possibly even survived. Also during the period, Bearer had unintentionally admitted to Undertaker's mother having an affair with him. As a result, it was revealed to the Undertaker that Kane was actually his half-brother. Until that point, Undertaker spent his life (entirety of the father's life) under the impression that Kane was fully related to him and his family. It was during this time that the Undertaker also made an appearance in Michinoku Pro Wrestling, defeating Hakushi in a singles match.[32][33]
Concurrent to the deep, dark secret storyline directed by Bearer, Undertaker began a new rivalry at SummerSlam when guest referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit the Undertaker with a steel chair shot meant for Bret Hart, costing the Undertaker his WWF Championship.[31] After a double count-out draw during Ground Zero: In Your House, Undertaker challenged Michaels to the first Hell in a Cell match atBadd Blood: In Your House. During this match, the Undertaker's storyline half-brother Kane finally made his debut under the control of Paul Bearer, ripping off the door to the cell and giving the Undertaker a Tombstone Piledriver, Undertaker's trademark finisher, allowing Michaels to pin him.[31] As the storyline progressed Kane, through Bearer, challenged the Undertaker, but the Undertaker consistently refused to fight his brother. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels was in a casket match at the Royal Rumble. The week before, Kane had seemed to ally with his brother against Michaels' D-Generation X but at the PPV Kane trapped him in the coffin, padlocking the casket lid, and setting it ablaze which again gave Michaels the victory. The Undertaker, however, had disappeared when the casket lid was reopened.[34] After a two-month hiatus, the Undertaker returned and defeated Kane at WrestleMania XIV.[34] The two had a rematch, the first ever Inferno match, one month later at Unforgiven: In Your House, which the Undertaker won by setting Kane's right arm on fire.[34]
The Undertaker's feud with Mankind was renewed afterward, and they faced each other in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring. During the match, the Undertaker threw Mankind off the roof of the 16 ft (4.9 m) cell onto the Spanish announce table below, in what was a preplanned move. He later chokeslammed Mankind through the roof of the cell into the ring which legitimately knocked Mankind unconscious. Mankind also used thumbtacks in the match and was backdropped and chokeslammed onto them before Undertaker won the match with his Tombstone Piledriver.[34]
At Fully Loaded, the Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Kane and Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.[34] The Undertaker and Austin's reign as tag champions lasted for only two months, as Kane and Mankind regained the titles on an episode of Raw is War.[35] The Undertaker then became the number one contender for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam, now held by Austin. Shortly before SummerSlam, however, the Undertaker revealed that he and Kane were working together as brothers. Despite this revelation, the Undertaker told Kane that he did not want him to interfere in the match with Austin, and even though the Undertaker lost the match, he handed Austin his belt back after the match in a show of respect.[34] In September, the storyline continued, and the Undertaker began to show some villainous characteristics 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, the Undertaker and Kane were booked in a triple threat match with Austin for his WWF Championship; McMahon stated that the brothers were not allowed to pin each other. The Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin simultaneously after a double chokeslam,[34] so the title was vacated by McMahon. This event led to a match at Judgment Day: In Your House between the two brothers for the title, with Austin as the special guest referee. Near the end of the match, Paul Bearer seemed about to assist Kane by handing him a steel chair to hit the Undertaker with, but as Kane had his back turned, both Bearer and the Undertaker hit Kane with the chair. The Undertaker went for the pin, but Austin refused to count the fall, attacked the Undertaker, and counted out both brothers.[34] Finally, the Undertaker became a villain the next night on Raw is War for the first time in over six years, reconciling with Bearer and claiming that he and Bearer would unleash their "Ministry of Darkness" on the World Wrestling Federation. As part of this new storyline, he admitted that he had indeed set the fire that killed his parents, for which he had previously blamed Kane.[35]
After Survivor Series, the Undertaker returned his attention back to his previous feud with Austin for costing him the title at Judgment Day, 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 storyline, McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive match between the Undertaker and Austin at Rock Bottom: In Your House. In the weeks leading up to Rock Bottom, the Undertaker attempted to embalm Austin alive, tried to have Kane committed to a mental asylum, and had his druids chain Austin to his symbol, raising it high into the arena.[35] The Undertaker, however, lost the match after Kane interfered.[36]
The Ministry of Darkness (1999)
After building up to his second heel run in the latter part of 1998, the Undertaker introduced an updated version of his Deadman identity by January 1999—the dark priest who in the initial period of this persona reigned over a stable known asThe Ministry of Darkness. In this form, he took on a wicked, demonic presence, much more so than ever before. He often claimed to be invoking and taking orders from a "Higher Power". Moreover, he often appeared in a hooded black robe and sat on a throne that was specially designed into his character symbol. With the help of his minions, he often performed sacrifices on select WWE superstars, using various incantations and magic words with intent to extract out the dark side of the superstars in question so as to recruit them into his Ministry. The completed Ministry of Darkness consisted of The Brood (Edge, Christian and Gangrel), The Acolytes (Bradshaw and Faarooq), Mideon, and Viscera. Calaway himself did not wrestle for a period having undergone a hip replacement. As part of the angle, Undertaker expressed a desire to take control of the World Wrestling Federation, displacing its owner, Vince McMahon. These ambitions culminated into a rivalry between The Ministry and The Corporation, ultimately resulting in a match between Undertaker and Corporation enforcer the Big Boss Man. The two faced off in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania XV, which Undertaker won.[37] At Backlash, Undertaker defeated Corporation member Ken Shamrock after interference from Ministry member Bradshaw.[38]
Thereafter, the Undertaker kidnapped Stephanie McMahon, forcing Vince McMahon to enter into a reluctant alliance with his longtime nemesis Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Undertaker attempted to marry Stephanie in an eldritch ceremony conducted by Paul Bearer, but Austin was able to rescue her.[39] At the Over the Edge pay-per-view, the Undertaker defeated Austin for his third WWF Championship with help from Shane McMahon, the special referee.[40] The Ministry eventually merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation alliance to form the Corporate Ministry. The Undertaker later revealed that Vince McMahon had been his "Higher Power" all along.[41] After the Undertaker dropped the WWF Championship back to Austin following King of the Ring,[41] and an additional loss to him in a First Blood match at Fully Loaded, his relationship with the McMahons dissolved and the Corporate Ministry disbanded.[42]
The Undertaker then began a storyline where he teamed with Big Show in a tag team known as the "Unholy Alliance", which held the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. After their victory at SummerSlam, the Undertaker suffered a groin tear and was seen limping in several matches. He avoided competing in wrestling matches in the following weeks, instead tyrannically ordering The Big Show to fight all his battles and oblige all his many wishes. To compensate for his lack of physical action, Undertaker became more vocal on the mic, often making smart-aleck remarks and performing commentary at the announcer's table. In an angle that occurred in September 1999 on SmackDown!, Mr. McMahon threatened that he would remove Undertaker from the Unforgiven main event if he refused to participate in a casket match against Triple H. Undertaker retorted that he did not care and maybe he would not be participating in anything, thus walking out of the WWF.[43] In actuality, Undertaker went on a hiatus from the WWF in order to treat his groin injury. While recuperating, he tore a pectoral muscle, thus taking almost eight months off from wrestling.[44] During his injury, WCW offered him a contract, but Undertaker declined it.[citation needed]
American Bad Ass/Big Evil (2000–2003)
By his return in May 2000, the Undertaker had taken on a drastically different identity from before. He abandoned the somber mortician-themed attires, his funeral dirge ring music, allusions to the supernatural, and the accompanying morbid theatrics. In place of this, he took on a biker identity, riding to the ring on a motorcycle, and wearing sunglasses and bandanas to the ring. His entrance music was replaced with popular rock songs of the time, like Limp Bizkit's "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" and Kid Rock's "American Bad Ass" (from which the name of the Undertaker's new gimmick originated), though it was accompanied by the characteristic opening bell of the Undertaker's original theme.
When Undertaker returned at Judgment Day, he took out all the members of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction, which caused him to once again be a fan favorite.[citation needed] He also targeted their leader, WWF Champion Triple H. At the King of the Ring pay-per-view, the Undertaker teamed with The Rock and Kane to defeat the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon.[45] Afterward, 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 title, which Edge and Christian retained. Kane betrayed the Undertaker by chokeslamming him twice, with the second one putting the Undertaker through the ring, on the August 14 episode of Raw.[46] This incident led to another match between the two at&
