Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by
the ring name “The Undertaker”, is an American retired professional wrestler,
who is signed to WWE
Mark 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 then World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1990 and has
remained since, making him the company's longest tenured in-ring performer.
Calaway is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all
time.As The Undertaker, Calaway's gimmick was a horror-themed, macabre entity
who employed scare tactics and held links to the supernatural. The character
was reinvented as a biker during a period in the early 2000s before returning
to his previous gimmick in 2004. The Undertaker was the storyline older
half-brother of fellow WWE wrestler Kane, with whom he has alternately feuded
and teamed with as The Brothers of Destruction. The Undertaker has been
involved in various pivotal storylines and matches within WWE history.
The Undertaker was known for The Streak, an unprecedented
run of 21 straight victories at WWE's leading pay-per-view, WrestleMania
(including main event matches at WrestleMania 13, WrestleMania XXIV,
WrestleMania XXVI and WrestleMania 33); he sustained his first loss at
WrestleMania XXX to Brock Lesnar.[11] Prior to his WWF/WWE career he also held
the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship once and since unseating Hulk
Hogan as WWF Champion in 1991, he has won the WWF/WWE Championship four times
and the WWE's World Heavyweight Championship three times. He also won the 2007
Royal Rumble.
Early life
Calaway was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Frank Compton
Calaway (died July 22, 2003) and Betty Catherine Truby. He has four older
brothers: David, Michael, Paul, and Timothy. Calaway attended Waltrip High
School, where he was a member of the football and basketball teams. He
graduated in 1983 and began studying at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas on a
basketball scholarship. In 1985, he enrolled in Texas Wesleyan University in
Fort Worth, Texas, where he majored in sport management and played basketball
for the Rams in the 1985–1986 season as a center. In 1986, Calaway dropped out
of university to focus on a career in sports, and he briefly considered playing
professional basketball in Europe before deciding to focus on professional
wrestling.
Early career (1984–1990)
Calaway made his debut in 1984 for World Class Championship
Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name Texas Red.His first match was a loss
against Bruiser Brody.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 WCCW and merged the two
organizations into one), wrestling under several gimmicks.
On February 2, 1989, managed by Dutch Mantel, he debuted as
The Master of Pain, a character fresh out of the United States Penitentiary,
Atlanta 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 by challenging USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion Jerry
Lawler to an impromptu match. The Master of Pain easily dominated Lawler until
Mantel entered the ring and called him off. Lawler agreed to a title match, and
on April 1, The Master of Pain won his first professional wrestling
championship. 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, when
Eric Embry forfeited the title.
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.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. Callous was
promptly drafted into The Skyscrapers tag team to replace a legitimate injured
Sid Vicious, and he made his debut on January 3, 1990 in a match later
televised against Agent Steel and Randy Harris.The new team gained some
notoriety at Clash of the Champions X when they beat down The Road Warriors
after their match.However, Callous' partner Dan Spivey left WCW days before
their Chicago Street Fight against The Road Warriors at WrestleWar. Callous and
a replacement masked Skyscraper were defeated in the street fight, and the team
broke up soon afterwards.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 XI: Coastal Crush in singles competition. In July 1990,
he wrestled against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Heavyweight
Championship at The Great American Bash, but was pinned by Luger. According to
an interview with Bruce Prichard on "Something to Wrestle with Bruce
Prichard, Episode 14", feelers had already been sent out to the WWF that
month for Calaway by Paul Heyman. Calaway wrestled the match with a dislocated
hip knowing that he was being watched by Vince McMahon.McMahon initially did
not express interest, but Prichard encouraged him to speak with Calaway when
WCW traveled to New Jersey for a house show in the Meadowlands on August 24.
The meeting between the two went well, and he gave notice to WCW on August 27.His
final match was on September 7 at a WorldWide taping in Amarillo, Texas in
which he defeated Dave Johnson.
During his time in WCW, Calaway briefly wrestled in New
Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) 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 (1990–1991)
Calaway made his WWF debut as Kane the Undertaker at a
taping of Superstars on November 19, 1990. The original Deadman character
depicted him as a western mortician dressed 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 villainous character when he was the mystery partner
of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Team.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, omitting the name 'Kane', which was
dropped shortly after the event (and seven years later was given to another
wrestler who eventually became Undertaker's younger brother of the same name).
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. Undertaker placed his defeated opponents (almost
always jobbers) in a bodybag and carried them to the back.Throughout the end of
1990, The Undertaker mostly picked up squash victories against jobbers on Superstars
of Wrestling and Wrestling Challenge tapings. He was a participant in the 1991
Royal Rumble match which was won by Hulk Hogan. He continued picking up
victories in squash matches leading up to his first feud in the WWF with
"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.
WWF Champion (1991–1994)
On March 15, he defeated Tugboat by pinfall after a
tombstone piledriver on the much larger man. He made his WrestleMania debut at
WrestleMania VII, quickly defeating "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.He began
his first major feud with The Ultimate Warrior, when he attacked Warrior and
locked him in an airtight casket on the set of Paul Bearer's Funeral Parlor
interview segment. He would later lose to Warrior in the first ever body bag
challenge in WWF history. At King of the Ring 1991, Undertaker defeated Animal
in a qualifying match before fighting Sid Vicious to a double disqualification
in the Semi-Final, which saw both men eliminated from the King of the Ring
tournament. At his next pay-per-view appearance, The Undertaker defeated Jim
Duggan. Shortly after, he was announced as the number one contender for the WWF
World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker defeated Hulk 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 at WrestleMania IX.[26] WWF President Jack Tunney
ordered a rematch for This Tuesday in Texas six days later, where he lost the
title back to Hogan.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 "Macho Man" Randy Savage's
manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when Undertaker stopped him,
becoming a fan favorite for the first time. The turn was solidified on the
February 29 episode of Superstars, when 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 Undertaker to stand his ground and run Roberts off. The
Undertaker defeated Roberts at WrestleMania VIII. He then feuded extensively
with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, such as
Kamala and Giant González. Also in this time, he headlined the first episode of
Monday Night Raw on January 11, 1993 with a victory over Damien Demento.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 Royal Rumble
in January 1994. 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.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.
In February 1992, The Undertaker's ally Jake "The
Snake" Roberts tried to attack "Macho Man" Randy Savage's
manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when Undertaker stopped him,
becoming a fan favorite for the first time. The turn was solidified on the
February 29 episode of Superstars, when 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 Undertaker to stand his ground and run Roberts off. The
Undertaker defeated Roberts at WrestleMania VIII. He then feuded extensively
with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, such as
Kamala and Giant González. Also in this time, he headlined the first episode of
Monday Night Raw on January 11, 1993 with a victory over Damien Demento.[27] 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 Royal Rumble
in January 1994. 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.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.
The Original Deadman Era (1994–1996)
Paul Bearer betrayed Undertaker by hitting him with the urn
he is seen carrying here
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 Calaway's real life cousin, 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.[28] At Survivor Series, The Undertaker defeated Yokozuna in a
casket match rematch. Throughout most of 1995, Undertaker feuded with members
of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. At WrestleMania XI, while The
Undertaker was facing King Kong Bundy, Kama stole the urn and antagonized him
by melting it into a large gold necklace.[28] In August, Undertaker defeated
Kama in a casket match at SummerSlam.[28] Several weeks later, Undertaker
injured his orbital bone near his eye, forcing a period of absence for surgery,
until his return at Survivor Series.
The Undertaker returned in November at Survivor Series,
wearing a Phantom of the Opera-like, grey upper-face mask. In the main event of
the Royal Rumble in January 1996, The Undertaker was unmasked in a WWF
Championship match against Bret Hart, but Diesel interfered during the match,
costing The Undertaker the championship. A rematch for the title on the
February 5 episode of Raw saw similar interference.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. After several weeks of more tit for tat between Diesel and The
Undertaker, the feud culminated in a singles match between the two at
WrestleMania XII, where Undertaker was victorious.
The Undertaker's next feud started the next night on Raw,
when Mankind made his debut and interfered in Undertaker's match against Justin
"Hawk" Bradshaw. For the next few months, Mankind ambushed and cost
The Undertaker several matches. 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 WWF Intercontinental
Heavyweight 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. 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 11: Buried Alive, where The Undertaker won the match after a
chokeslam into the open grave. However, after interference from The
Executioner, as well as the help of several other wrestlers, The Undertaker was
ultimately "buried alive".
Lord of Darkness (1996–1998)
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 Undertaker's clutches. 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 then-budding, more
adult-oriented Attitude Era. In this form, he proclaimed himself as "The
Lord of Darkness".[citation needed] Following Survivor Series, The
Undertaker briefly turned his attentions to The Executioner, who had been
interfering in on his matches since his arrival. At In Your House 12: It's
Time, The Undertaker defeated The Executioner in an Armageddon rules match.He
then moved on to feud with Vader, whom he faced in January 1997 at the Royal
Rumble in a singles match, which Undertaker lost after Bearer interfered on
behalf of his new protégé. 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 faced 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.However, the following month, The Undertaker managed to
win the title for the second time by defeating Sycho Sid at WrestleMania 13.
In May 1997, Paul Bearer attempted to rejoin The Undertaker,
using the ultimatum of revealing The Undertaker's "deepest, darkest
secret" to the world. Bearer accused The Undertaker of having burned down
the family funeral home business when he was a child, 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.
Return of the Deadman (2004–2007)
In the storyline leading up to WrestleMania XX, Kane was
haunted by vignettes proclaiming The Undertaker's return. The first was during
the Royal Rumble when The Undertaker's bells tolled, distracting Kane and
allowing Booker T to eliminate him.Accompanied by Paul Bearer, The Undertaker
returned as a hybrid version of The Deadman at WrestleMania XX and defeated
Kane.At Judgment Day, The Undertaker defeated Booker T. Three months later,
Paul Heyman ordered The Dudley Boyz to kidnap Bearer.Thus, Heyman "took
control" of Undertaker. At The Great American Bash, Undertaker fought a
handicap match against The Dudley Boyz, with the stipulation that if he did not
lay down and purposely lose, Heyman would bury Paul Bearer in cement. The
Undertaker won and stopped Heyman from burying Bearer, but after claiming
Bearer was merely a liability he had no use for, buried him himself.
The Undertaker began a feud with then WWE Champion John
Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) by challenging to a title match at SummerSlam, which
The Undertaker lost by disqualification. At No Mercy, The Undertaker and JBL
competed in the first ever Last Ride match, although The Undertaker lost after
Heidenreich interfered.After defeating Heidenreich in a match at Survivor
Series,The Undertaker turned his focus to the WWE Championship once again.
Along with Eddie Guerrero and Booker T, he challenged JBL to a championship
rematch at Armageddon in a fatal four-way match, in which The Undertaker was
unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference.[71] The feud culminated
in a casket match between The Undertaker and Heidenreich at the Royal Rumble,
where Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory.
Soon after, Randy Orton challenged The Undertaker to a match
at WrestleMania 21, and claimed that he would end his WrestleMania winning
streak. Even with help from his father, Orton lost and The Undertaker improved
his WrestleMania record to 13–0.After a two-month hiatus, Undertaker returned
on the June 16 episode of SmackDown!, but lost to JBL after an interference
from Randy Orton.
In one of the most controversial moments in the WWE, on the
episode of SmackDown! taped on July 4, 2005, the SmackDown! General Manager
Theodore Long put Muhammad Hassan in a match against Undertaker at The Great
American Bash, and placed Daivari in a match that night against The Undertaker,
who quickly defeated Daivari. After the match, Hassan began to "pray"
on the ramp, summoning five masked men, dressed in black shirts, ski-masks, and
camouflage pants. Armed with clubs and a piano wire, the masked men beat and
choked The Undertaker, and Hassan put The Undertaker in a camel clutch.
Afterward, the masked men lifted Daivari above their heads and carried him
away. Three days later, the London bombings took place.The footage aired
unedited on UPN in the United States and on The Score in Canada with an
advisory warning shown several times during the broadcast. It was removed from
the Australian and European (including in the United Kingdom) broadcasts.
The angle elicited national attention in the New York Post,
TV Guide, Variety, and other major media outlets. In response to the criticism,
UPN decided that it would monitor the storyline closely and that it did not
want the Hassan character on its network that week. Hassan later delivered a
promo to the live crowd for the July 14, 2005 airing episode of SmackDown!, but
when UPN announced that the segment would be edited, WWE decided to host the
video of the segment on its official website. In the segment, Hassan reiterates
that he is an Arab-American and that the American people automatically and
unfairly assume that he is a terrorist. Despite being in character, he referred
to the real-world media coverage of the storyline, singling out the New York
Post's Don Kaplan by name, and denouncing his description of the events on
SmackDown!, such as Kaplan's comment of the masked men being "Arabs in ski
masks". On the July 14, 2005 episode of SmackDown!, Hassan's absence was
explained by a statement delivered by his lawyer Thomas Whitney, which said
that Hassan refused to appear on the show until The Great American Bash due to
the way he had been treated by the media and WWE fans.
It was revealed in late July 2005 that UPN had pressured WWE
to keep Hassan off of their network, effectively removing him from SmackDown!.
Undertaker defeated Hassan at The Great American Bash to become the number one
contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. After the match, the
Undertaker delivered a Last Ride through an open stage ramp onto a concrete
floor to Hassan after the match. It was reported that Hassan sustained serious
injuries and had to be rushed to a nearby medical facility, writing Hassan off
of television.Several days later, WWE.com hosted a video of a kayfabe
announcement from Theodore Long, where he reiterates the stipulation that
Hassan would no longer appear on SmackDown!. It was revealed that Hassan was
going to receive a major push, eventually winning the World Heavyweight
Championship from Batista at SummerSlam, thus breaking Randy Orton's record of
being the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history.
On the following episode of SmackDown!, The Undertaker lost
to JBL in a #1 contender's match, once again due to interference from Orton.With
this, The Undertaker resumed his feud with Orton. At SummerSlam, Orton defeated
The Undertaker in a WrestleMania rematch.The storyline intensified as the two
taunted each other with caskets, leading to a handicap casket match at No
Mercy, in which The Undertaker lost to Randy and his father "Cowboy"
Bob Orton.After the match, the Ortons poured gasoline on the casket and set it
on fire. When the charred casket was opened, however, The Undertaker had once
again vanished. He returned at the Survivor Series, emerging from a burning
casket.The Undertaker returned on SmackDown! in early December to haunt
Orton and set up a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.After winning the match,Calaway
took a brief hiatus from professional wrestling.
The Undertaker retaining his undefeated streak at
WrestleMania 22
In January 2006 at the Royal Rumble, The Undertaker returned
during Kurt Angle's celebration of his World Heavyweight Championship defense
against Mark Henry on a horse-drawn cart, signaling for a title shot. As part
of their storyline feud, The Undertaker lost his match with Angle at No Way Out
after a thirty-minute match. Undertaker cornered Angle after the match and told
him he was not finished with him; however, during a rematch on SmackDown!,
Henry attacked The Undertaker from behind, costing him the title. This led to
The Undertaker challenging Henry to a casket match at WrestleMania 22, and
Henry – like Orton a year before – vowed to end Undertaker's WrestleMania
winning streak. The Undertaker defeated Henry to become 14–0 at WrestleMania.
During a rematch on the next episode of SmackDown!, The Great Khali made his
debut and assaulted The Undertaker to transition into a new storyline.
The Undertaker was not heard from until the May 5 episode of
SmackDown!, as Theodore Long delivered a challenge from The Undertaker to Khali
for a match at Judgment Day. The Undertaker lost to Khali,and he did not appear
again until the July 4 episode of SmackDown!, when he accepted Khali's
challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash. However, Khali
was removed from the match and was not medically fit and was replaced by then
ECW World 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 The Undertaker shortly before the match. Khali was then challenged to
a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam after interfering in The Undertaker's
match with then World Heavyweight Champion King Booker.Khali refused the
challenge for SummerSlam, though Long made the match official for the August 18
episode of SmackDown! instead. The Undertaker won the match by striking Khali
with the steel stairs, delivering several chair shots, and finishing him with a
chokeslam.
The Undertaker's next match was with then United States
Champion Mr. Kennedy at No Mercy, but was disqualified in the match after he
hit Kennedy with the championship belt. On the November 3 episode of
SmackDown!, The Undertaker reunited with Kane to reform the Brothers of
Destruction for the first time in five years, defeating the reluctant
opposition team of Mr. Kennedy and Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), with whom
Kane was feuding with at the time. As part of the storyline, Kennedy defeated
The Undertaker in a First Blood match at Survivor Series after interference from
MVP,but finally defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match at Armageddon.The two
continued to feud into 2007 as Kennedy cost The Undertaker two World
Heavyweight Championship opportunities for a championship match at the Royal
Rumble.
World Heavyweight Champion (2007–2010)
The Undertaker won his first Royal Rumble match in 2007,in
doing so becoming the first man to enter the Rumble at number 30 and win the
match. He then began a storyline with Batista, whom he defeated at WrestleMania
23 to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. At Backlash in a Last Man
Standing match, they had a rematch that ended in a draw when neither man was
able to answer the ten-count, resulting in The Undertaker retaining the
championship. On the May 11 episode of SmackDown!, The Undertaker and Batista
fought in a steel cage match that ended in a draw when both men's feet touched
the floor at the same time. After the match, Mark Henry made his return and
assaulted an already exhausted Undertaker, after which Edge ran to the ring and
cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, forcing Undertaker into a second
title defense. Although he kicked out of two quick pin attempts, Undertaker was
pinned by Edge after a spear and lost the title.
Final years of the Streak (2011–2014)
The Undertaker vs Triple H
After the 2011 Royal Rumble, promotional videos began
airing, showing The Undertaker entering and standing within a Western-style old
house on a rainy desert. Each promo ended with the date 2–21–11 being
"burned into" the screen. On the February 21 episode of Raw, The
Undertaker returned, but before he could speak, Triple H also returned and
confronted him. The two challenged each other to a match at WrestleMania XXVII,
which was later made a No Holds Barred match and which The Undertaker won by
submission. However, he had to be carried away from the ring on a stretcher.
On the January 30, 2012 episode of Raw, The Undertaker
returned after a ten-month hiatus to confront Triple H.On the February 13
episode of Raw, Triple H refused The Undertaker's challenge for a WrestleMania
rematch.After The Undertaker accused Triple H of living in the shadow of Shawn
Michaels on the February 20 episode of Raw, Triple H accepted the challenge on
the condition that it would be a Hell in a Cell match; Michaels was later
inserted as special referee in the match. At WrestleMania XXVIII, The
Undertaker, while debuting his new look, a mohawk, defeated Triple H to extend
his streak to 20–0. After the match, Undertaker and Michaels carried Triple H
to the entrance stage, where the three embraced. Later in 2012, The Undertaker
appeared on the 1000th episode of Raw on July 23 to help Kane, who had been
confronted by Jinder Mahal, Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks, Hunico, Camacho, and Drew
McIntyre. The Brothers of Destruction overcame and dominated the six other
wrestlers.
The Undertaker's next TV appearance was on Old School Raw on
March 4, 2013, where he opened the show by performing his signature entrance.
CM Punk, Randy Orton, Big Show, and Sheamus fought in a fatal four-way match to
determine who would face him at WrestleMania 29, which Punk won. After the
real-life death of Paul Bearer on March 5, 2013, a storyline involving Punk
regularly spiting The Undertaker through displays of flippancy and disrespect
towards Bearer's death began.Punk interrupted The Undertaker's ceremony to
honor Bearer on Raw, stealing the trademark urn and later using it to attack
Kane, humiliate The Brothers of Destruction and mock Bearer.Undertaker defeated
Punk at WrestleMania 29 to extend his Streak to 21–0 and then took back the
urn.The following night on Raw, Undertaker came out to pay his respects to
Bearer, but was interrupted by The Shield, who attempted to attack Undertaker
before Kane and Daniel Bryan made the save. Undertaker wrestled his first Raw
match in three years on the April 22 episode, teaming with Kane and Bryan
against The Shield in a losing effort.Four days later, he wrestled his first
SmackDown match in three years, defeating Shield member Dean Ambrose by
submission. Afterward, Undertaker was attacked by Ambrose and the rest of The
Shield, who performed a triple powerbomb through the broadcast table on him.
On the February 24, 2014 episode of Raw, The Undertaker
returned to confront Brock Lesnar and accepted his challenge for a match at
WrestleMania XXX. After 25 minutes and three F-5s, Lesnar won the match by
pinfall, ending The Undertaker's Streak in what was described as "the most
shocking result in WWE history".Following the match, Undertaker was
hospitalized with a severe concussion which he suffered in the first minutes of
the match.
In December 2014, in an out-of-character interview, Vince McMahon
confirmed that it was his final decision to have Lesnar end the Streak, and
that The Undertaker was initially shocked at the decision. McMahon's reasons
for making the decision were that it would significantly enhance Lesnar's
formidability to set up the next WrestleMania event and that there were no
other viable candidates to fill Lesnar's role.
Resurgence (2015–2016)
In February 2015, Bray Wyatt began a series of cryptic
promos which led to Fastlane, where Wyatt challenged Undertaker to a match at
WrestleMania 31, which Undertaker accepted. At the event on March 29,
Undertaker defeated Wyatt after two Tombstone Piledrivers.
At Battleground in July, Undertaker made his return by
attacking Brock Lesnar as Lesnar was on the verge of defeating Seth Rollins
during his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, which caused the match to
end in a disqualification win for Lesnar.The next night on Raw, Undertaker
explained his actions as revenge – not for Lesnar breaking the Streak, but
rather the constant taunting he allowed Paul Heyman to engage in. Later that
night, after Undertaker and Lesnar brawled throughout the arena and had to be
separated, a rematch was scheduled for SummerSlam in August, where Undertaker
defeated Lesnar in controversial fashion. Lesnar put Undertaker in a kimura
lock and the timekeeper rang the bell after seeing the Undertaker supposedly
indicating submission, but since the referee had not seen a submission and
never stopped the match, the match continued. The confusion allowed Undertaker
to surprise Lesnar with a low blow and apply Hell's Gate, in which Lesnar
passed out.At Hell in a Cell, The Undertaker was defeated by Lesnar in a Hell
in a Cell match after Lesnar hit him with a low blow and executed the third F-5
of the match.
While the crowd gave Undertaker an ovation after his loss to
Lesnar, he was attacked and captured by The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke
Harper, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman), who carried him away from the ring.After
ambushing and capturing Kane the next night on Raw, Wyatt explained that he had
claimed their souls and stole their demonic powers. The Brothers of Destruction
returned on the November 9 episode of Raw, and attacked The Wyatt Family,
setting up a tag team match at Survivor Series, which honored Undertaker's 25
years in WWE.At the event on November 22, The Brothers of Destruction defeated
Wyatt and Harper.
On the February 22, 2016 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon
placed his son Shane McMahon, who returned to WWE for the first time since
2009, in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 32 against The Undertaker with
the stipulation that had Shane won, he would have gained control of Raw.Vince
later decided that should The Undertaker lose the match against Shane, it would
be his final match at WrestleMania.After weeks of mind games and physical
confrontations between the pair, Undertaker defeated Shane McMahon at WrestleMania
32 on April 3.
After going undrafted in the 2016 WWE draft, The Undertaker
returned for SmackDown Live's 900th episode on November 15, interrupting Edge's
Cutting Edge segment, which featured the SmackDown Survivor Series team members
as guests, to warn them not to lose against Team Raw at Survivor Series. Men's
Team SmackDown would go on to win the match.
Feud with Roman Reigns and retirement (2017)
The Undertaker made his return on the January 9, 2017
episode of Raw, where he annouced his participation in the Royal Rumble match.The
Undertaker appeared on the January 23 episode of Raw, confronting Brock Lesnar
and Goldberg.During the Royal Rumble on January 29, The Undertaker entered at
number 29, eliminating Goldberg, The Miz, Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn, before
being eliminated by the number 30 entrant, Roman Reigns.
Roman Reigns and The Undertaker
Undertaker would return on the March 6 episode of Raw after
Braun Strowman called out Reigns, who came out to confront Undertaker after
Strowman left the ring following a brief staredown with Undertaker, who
performed a chokeslam on Reigns. The following week WWE Hall of Famer Shawn
Michaels would warn Reigns of the power The Undertaker possesses at WrestleMania.
On the March 20 episode of Raw after a brief confrontation with Reigns and
Braun Strowman, where Undertaker would perform a chokeslam on Strowman, Reigns
would take advantage of this and hit Undertaker with a spear to end the show.
Over the following weeks, the two men would trade numerous verbal barbs. This led to a No Holds Barred match between
Undertaker and Reigns at WrestleMania 33 on April 2,where Undertaker lost to
Reigns after five spears in his fourth WrestleMania main event.After the match,
Undertaker left his gloves, coat, and hat in the center of the ring,
symbolizing his retirement after a nearly 27-year career in WWE. He then slowly
made his exit, walking over to his wife, Michelle McCool, and kissing her
before walking up the ramp and performing his signature arm-raised pose as
smoke surrounded him and he descended down into the ramp to the sound of his
music. After he disappeared, the lights went out and his signature gong sounded
off three times to end the show.
Legacy
The Undertaker was voted the greatest WWE wrestler ever in a
2013 Digital Spy poll.In naming him the second greatest wrestler ever, IGN
described The Undertaker as, "one of the most respected wrestlers, and
characters, in the business; treated with actual reverence. Like a cherished,
invaluable artifact". Luis Paez-Pumar of Complex wrote that The Undertaker
character is "easily the best gimmick in the history of professional
wrestling".Luke Winkie of Sports Illustrated listed The Undertaker as the
fifth greatest wrestler of all time.
The Big Show
Wrestler Big Show named The Undertaker as the greatest
professional wrestler of all time,while Mark Henry and WWE chairman Vince
McMahon have called him their favorite.WWE Hall of Famer and company executive,
Jim Ross, said: "Without question, The Undertaker is the greatest big man
in the history of wrestling... There is no greater WWE star ever than The Undertaker".
Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition mentioned Undertaker
as having the most consecutive victories at WrestleMania.
In November 2015, Telegraph journalist Tom Fordy called The
Undertaker "the world's greatest sportsman".
Personal life
Calaway married his first wife, Jodi Lynn, in 1989. They had
a son, Gunner Vincent (born 1993). The marriage ended in 1999. Calaway married
his second wife, Sara, in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 2000. In 2001,
Sara made televised appearances with the WWE (then known as the WWF) as part of
a feud between Calaway and Diamond Dallas Page, in which she was acknowledged
as being Calaway's wife. The couple had two daughters together: Chasey (born
November 21, 2002) and Gracie (born May 15, 2005). In 2007, he and Sara were
divorced, and he became romantically linked to former wrestler Michelle McCool,
whom he married on June 26, 2010 in Houston, Texas. The couple's first child,
Kaia Faith Calaway, was born on August 29, 2012.
In the 1990s, Calaway started his own posse that consisted
of fellow wrestlers Yokozuna, Savio Vega, Charles Wright, The Godwinns, and
Rikishi. The faction was called The Bone Street Krew and each member had the
initials of the faction tattooed onto themselves, with Undertaker's being
prominently shown on his stomach.
Calaway invests in real estate with business partner Scott
Everhart. Calaway and Everhart finished construction on a $2.7m building in
Loveland, Colorado, called "The Calahart" (a portmanteau of their
last names). Calaway and his ex-wife Sara established The Zeus Compton Calaway
Save the Animals fund at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine &
Biomedical Sciences to help pay for lifesaving treatments for large-breed dogs.
Culled from the Internet
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