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The Undertaker
The Undertaker Statistics Ring name(s) (The) Undertaker[1] Cain the Undertaker[2] The Punisher[3] "Mean" Mark Callous[2] Texas Red[2] Billed height 6 ft 10.5 in (2.10 m)[1] Billed weight 299 lb (136 kg)[1] Born March 24, 1965 (1965-03-24) (age 44)[4] Houston, Texas Resides Austin, Texas Billed from Death Valley[1] (1990–1999, 2004–present) Houston, Texas (1984–1990, 2000–2003) Trained by Don Jardine[2] Debut 1984[2] Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965)[4] is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), currently wrestling on the SmackDown brand, although he is currently inactive.

Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Mean" Mark Callous in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract in 1990, he joined the World Wrestling Federation (which later became World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002) as The Undertaker in November of that year. Having remained with that company ever since, Calaway is currently one of the senior performers in the WWE.

The Undertaker has two contrasting gimmicks which are the Deadman and the American Bad Ass. The Undertaker's half-brother is Kane, whom he has teamed up with as the Brothers of Destruction. The Undertaker is undefeated at WrestleMania with a 17–0 record and is a six time world champion (four time WWE Champion and two time World Heavyweight Champion). He was also the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble in which he became the first man to win the Rumble at number 30.

Contents [hide] 1 Professional wrestling career 1.1 Early career (1984–1990) 1.2 World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment 1.2.1 Debut (1990–1994) 1.2.2 Return; feud with Mankind (1994–1997) 1.2.3 Hell in a Cell; Brothers of Destruction (1997–1998) 1.2.4 Ministry of Darkness (1999) 1.2.5 American Bad Ass/Big Evil (2000–2003) 1.2.6 Return of the Deadman (2004–2006) 1.2.7 Brothers of Destruction reunion (2006–2007) 1.2.8 World Heavyweight Champion (2007–2008) 1.2.9 Return (2008–present) 2 Other media 3 Personal life 4 In wrestling 5 Championships and accomplishments 6 References 7 External links

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1984–1990) Calaway made his debut in 1984 in the Dallas, Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name "Texas Red".[5] He wrestled and lost his first match against Bruiser Brody.[5] In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left and joined the CWA (which became the USWA after Jerry Jarrett merged CWA with WCCW), wrestling under several gimmicks. On April 1, 1989, he was booked to win his first professional wrestling title, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Jerry "The King" Lawler, under the stage name "The Master of Pain". While performing as the "The Punisher", Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989 when Eric Embry forfeited the title.[6]

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 managed by Teddy Long.[7] During his time in the Skyscrapers, he and Spivey were involved in a feud with the Road Warriors,[8] 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. During this time, he wrestled against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship at The Great American Bash, but lost when Luger pinned him after a clothesline. WCW declined to renew Calaway's contract, after losing his last match to Sting on September 1, 1990 at a house show. Calaway then briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Punisher Dice Morgan and in October 1990, he signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). 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.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Debut (1990–1994) Calaway made his WWF debut as "Cain The Undertaker" at a taping of WWF Superstars on November 19, 1990.[9] The appearance of The Undertaker's first Deadman persona was modeled after a mortician from old Western movies, wearing a trench coat and black hat with grey gloves and boot covers. Under this Deadman persona, he was impervious to pain, something accomplished by Calaway no selling (or refusing to react to) 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, where he was simply called The Undertaker.[10] Approximately one minute into the match, Undertaker eliminated Koko B. Ware with his signature maneuver, the Tombstone Piledriver. He also eliminated Dusty Rhodes before being counted out. Shortly after Survivor Series, "Cain" was dropped from his name, and he was called simply The Undertaker. It was at this time that The Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer — a histrionic, ghostly character, almost always seen bearing an urn from which The Undertaker drew mystical power from, reviving his strength during his matches.

He made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII, quickly defeating "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.[11] The win was the first in his undefeated streak at the event. 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 his manager, Paul Bearer's Funeral Parlour interview segment. After a year of battles with the Warrior {mostly in body bag matches), Randy Savage,[10], Sgt. Slaughter and Hulk Hogan, he defeated Hogan to win his first WWF Championship at Survivor Series.[12] WWF President Jack Tunney ordered a rematch for This Tuesday in Texas six days later, where Undertaker lost the title to Hogan.[12]

In February 1992, 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 babyface for the first time. Then, Undertaker defeated Roberts at WrestleMania VIII.[11] He then feuded extensively with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, including Kamala,[12][13] whom he faced and defeated in the first televised coffin match in WWF history at Survivor Series, and Giant Gonzales, whom he defeated by disqualification at WrestleMania IX and by pinfall at SummerSlam in a Rest in Peace match.[11][13] In November 1993, he challenged then WWF Champion Yokozuna to a casket match at the Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna sealed Undertaker in the casket with the assistance of several other villainous 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.

Return; feud with Mankind (1994–1997) 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 usual Undertaker at SummerSlam, appearing as a new version of his original Deadman persona. The Undertaker defeated the impostor after three Tombstone Piledrivers.[14] At Survivor Series, 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. At WrestleMania XI, while Undertaker was facing King Kong Bundy, Kama stole The Undertaker's urn, and antagonized him by melting it into a large gold necklace and attacking the Undertaker.[14] Later, The Undertaker faced and defeated Kama in a casket match at SummerSlam.[14] 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-like, grey upper mask.[14] At the Royal Rumble, The Undertaker was unmasked in a WWF Championship match against Bret Hart, when Diesel interfered in the match to cost the Undertaker the championship,[15] and one month later, while Diesel was facing Hart in a steel cage match, Undertaker came bursting through the ring apron from under the ring, dragging Diesel underneath, allowing Hart the victory.[15] This feud culminated in a match between Diesel and the Undertaker at WrestleMania XII, in which the latter was victorious.[11]

His next feud commenced the very next night, when Mankind made his debut, interfering in the Undertaker's match with Justin Hawk Bradshaw. For the next few months, Mankind ambushed and cost the Undertaker several matches.[15] The feud intensified, 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. During the match, when Undertaker reached for Paul Bearer's urn, Bearer hit him with it, betraying the Undertaker and allowing Mankind to "incapacitate" The Undertaker with the mandible claw, giving him the win.[15] After Bearer's betrayal, the Undertaker took his rivalry with Mankind to a new level, 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".[15] After being buried alive, the Undertaker returned at the Survivor Series again pitting him against Mankind, but 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 Bearer. Even though the Undertaker won the match, interference from The Executioner enabled Bearer to escape the Undertaker's clutches.[16] The Undertaker then briefly turned his attention to The Executioner, who had become a thorn in his side since his arrival. At In Your House: It's Time, the Undertaker defeated The Executioner in an Armageddon rules match.[16] By the end of 1996, the Undertaker began a feud with Vader, culminating in a loss to Vader at the Royal Rumble after Bearer interfered on behalf of his new protégé.[16] After this loss, the Undertaker began to focus his attention on the WWF Championship.

Hell in a Cell; Brothers of Destruction (1997–1998) See also: Hell in a Cell and Brothers of Destruction At WrestleMania 13, The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid for the WWF Championship, marking his second time as WWF Champion.[17] After the event, Paul Bearer attempted to rejoin with the Undertaker, using the threat of revealing 'Taker's "biggest secret". In the storyline, Bearer announced 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 half-brother. Undertaker claimed there was no way for Bearer to have that information, but Paul announced that he was told this by Undertaker's half-brother Kane, who was still alive but horribly burned and scarred. Bearer raised Kane after the fire, having him institutionalized. Now, 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.

His next major storyline began at SummerSlam in 1997 when referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit Undertaker with a steel chair shot meant for Bret Hart, costing the Undertaker his WWF Championship.[17] The feud culminated at In Your House: Badd Blood, where the Undertaker challenged Michaels to the first ever Hell in a Cell match. During this match, Undertaker's storyline half-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.[17] The match would get a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. As the storyline progressed, Kane, with Paul Bearer, challenged the Undertaker to fights, but the Undertaker consistently refused to fight his brother. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels was in the return of the casket match at the Royal Rumble, where Kane cost the Undertaker the win by trapping him in the coffin, padlocking the casket lid, and setting it ablaze. The Undertaker, however, had disappeared when the casket lid was reopened.[18] After a two month hiatus, Undertaker returned to continue the storyline and defeat Kane at WrestleMania XIV.[18] The two had a rematch, the first ever Inferno match, one month later at In Your House: Unforgiven, where The Undertaker won by setting Kane's right arm on fire.[18]

Undertaker's longtime 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, Undertaker threw Mankind off the roof of the 16 foot 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 Mick Foley (Mankind) unconscious and finished the match by chokeslamming Mankind onto a pile of thumbtacks.[18]

The Undertaker has both feuded and teamed up with his half-brother Kane numerous times.In July at Fully Loaded, Undertaker and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin defeated Kane and Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.[18] Undertaker and Austin's reign as tag champions lasted for only two weeks, as Kane and Mankind regained the titles on an episode of Raw.[19] Undertaker then became the number one contender for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam, now held by Austin. Shortly before SummerSlam, however, Undertaker revealed that he and Kane were working together as brothers. Despite this revelation, Undertaker told Kane that he did not want him to interfere in the match with Austin, and even though Undertaker lost the match, he handed Austin his belt back after the match in a show of respect.[18] In September, the storyline continued, and Undertaker began to show some heel 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, Undertaker and Kane were booked in a Triple Threat match with Austin for his WWF title; McMahon stated that the brothers were not allowed to pin each other. Undertaker and Kane pinned Austin simultaneously after a double chokeslam,[18] 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 Stone Cold 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 Undertaker with, but as Kane had his back turned, both Bearer and Undertaker hit Kane with the chair. Undertaker went for the pin, but Austin refused to count the fall, attacked the Undertaker, and counted out both brothers.[18] Finally, Undertaker became a heel 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.[19]

After Survivor Series, Undertaker returned his attention back to his previous feud with Austin for having 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 storyline, McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive match between Undertaker and Austin in December 1998 at Rock Bottom: In Your House. In the weeks leading up to In Your House, 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 and raising it high into the arena.[19] Undertaker, however, lost the match after Kane interfered.[20]

Ministry of Darkness (1999) In January 1999, Undertaker returned and formed the Ministry of Darkness. He, however, was far more wicked than ever before, explaining that he was taking orders from a "Higher Power." He often appeared in a black robe and sat on a throne. With the help of his minions, he often performed sacrifices on various WWE superstars, which were meant to bring out the more evil side of superstars so as to recruit them into his Ministry. The Ministry eventually merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation alliance to form the Corporate Ministry.[21] During this time, The Undertaker was booked to defeat Austin for his third WWF Championship at Over the Edge with help from Shane McMahon, the special referee.[22] 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,[21] and lost a First Blood match at Fully Loaded, his relationship with the McMahons dissolved and the Corporate Ministry disbanded.

Undertaker then began a storyline where he teamed with The Big Show in a tag team known as The UnHoly Alliance, which held the WWF Tag Team Championship twice.

American Bad Ass/Big Evil (2000–2003) Undertaker as his "American Bad Ass" gimmick at WrestleMania XIX.The Undertaker took on a second persona during this portion of his WWE career. He abandoned the Gothic mortician-themed attire, his funeral dirge ring music, allusions to the supernatural, and the accompanying theatrics of his ring entrance. Undertaker now took on the personality of a biker, riding to the ring on a motorcycle, cutting his hair short, and wearing sunglasses and bandanas to the ring. His ring music was now replaced with popular rock songs of the time, like Limp Bizkit's "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" and Kid Rock's "American Bad Ass" (which is where the name of Undertaker's new gimmick originated from), though it was accompanied by the characteristic opening bell gong of Undertaker's original theme.

Upon his return in May 2000, his storyline called for him to take out all the members of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction, which caused him to once again be a face. He also targeted their leader, WWF Champion Triple H. At King of the Ring, Undertaker teamed with The Rock and Kane to defeat the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon.[23] 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 on the August 14 episode of Raw.[24] This incident led to another match between the two at SummerSlam, which ended in a no-contest as Kane ran from the ring area after The Undertaker removed Kane's mask.[23]

Undertaker was then booked to challenge Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series.[25] Angle, however, defeated 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. Undertaker did not win the match, but did perform a move where he threw Rikishi off the roof of the cell.[25]

In 2001, Undertaker reunited with Kane as the Brothers of Destruction, challenging for the WWF Tag Team Championship once again. As part of the storyline, they received a shot at the title at No Way Out, 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.[25] Undertaker was then booked to defeat Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven, where he improved his WrestleMania winning streak to 9–0.[11] He and Kane continued a storyline that focused on Triple H, who formed a "surprise alliance" with WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Brothers of Destruction were granted an opportunity to face Triple H and Austin for their titles. After Undertaker and Kane acquired the WWF Tag Title from Edge and Christian,[26] Triple H pinned Kane after attacking him with a sledgehammer at Backlash, where the Brothers of Destruction dropped the title.[27] With Kane injured, Undertaker feuded briefly Steve Austin for his WWF Championship, but at Judgment Day, Austin retained his title against the Undertaker.[27]

As part of the 2001 Invasion storyline, The Undertaker's next nemesis was Diamond Dallas Page, who was obsessively following The Undertaker's wife Sara.[27] At SummerSlam, WCW Tag Team Champions Undertaker and Kane defeated Page and his partner Chris Kanyon in a steel cage match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.[27] At Survivor Series, Undertaker began a storyline where he took 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.[27] After the Alliance was defeated, The Undertaker became a heel once again by forcing commentator Jim Ross to kiss Vince McMahon's ass.[28] 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, the Undertaker was booked to defeat Van Dam to capture the WWF Hardcore Championship.[29]

The Undertaker during his "Big Evil" personaUndertaker's next storyline began at the Royal Rumble in 2002 when Maven eliminated him by dropkicking him from behind. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage.[29] 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 number one contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship.[30] The storyline continued when The Rock cost The Undertaker his match with Maven for the Hardcore Championship.[31] The two faced off at No Way Out, where The Undertaker lost due to interference from Ric Flair.[29] This interference began a storyline with Flair, who declined a challenge to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania X8,[32] and, as a result, Undertaker assaulted his son David Flair.[33] Flair eventually accepted the match after The Undertaker threatened to inflict the same punishment on Flair's daughter.[33] A no disqualification stipulation was added to the match, and The Undertaker defeated Flair.[11]

After the storyline with Flair, Undertaker defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash to win the number one contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship. Later that night, his storyline called for him to help Hulk Hogan win his title match against the Undisputed Champion Triple H.[29] The Undertaker was then booked to defeat Hogan for his fourth world championship at Judgment Day.[34] On the July 2 edition of Raw, Undertaker would then soon turn face again after defeating Jeff Hardy in Ladder match and raising Hardy's hand as a show of respect. Undertaker, however, dropped the title at Vengeance to The Rock in a Triple Threat match that also involved Kurt Angle.[34] The Undertaker was then switched from Raw to SmackDown!, alongside former Raw talent Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero. Undertaker was booked to challenge Lesnar in a title match at Unforgiven that inevitably ended in a double-DQ.[34] Their feud carried over to No Mercy in a Hell in a Cell match. Undertaker performed in the match with a legitimate broken hand and eventually lost to the champion.[34]

Undertaker took a leave from wrestling after the Big Show threw him off the stage in Memphis, sparking a feud.[35] The Undertaker returned at the Royal Rumble in 2003.[36] He immediately continued his feud with Big Show and defeated him via submission at No Way Out with a triangle choke. A-Train entered the storyline by attempting to attack Undertaker after the match, but Nathan Jones came to his aid.[36] 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.[11] Jones, however, was removed prior to the match, making it a handicap match, which Undertaker won with the help of Jones.[36]

Over the remainder of the year, he was booked to have two WWE Championship opportunities. The first, on the September 4 SmackDown!, against Kurt Angle, ended in a no contest, due to interference from Brock Lesnar.[37] The second, at No Mercy, was a Biker Chain match between Undertaker and Lesnar, which Lesnar won with the help of Vince McMahon.[38] This match resulted in a storyline feud with McMahon, culminating at Survivor Series where Undertaker lost a Buried Alive match against McMahon when Kane interfered.[38] The Undertaker disappeared for some time following the match, with Kane claiming that he was "dead and buried forever."[39]

Return of the Deadman (2004–2006) In the storyline leading up to WrestleMania XX, Kane was haunted by vignettes 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.[38] At WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker, accompanied by Paul Bearer and in his "Deadman" persona, returned and defeated Kane.[40] Three months later, Bearer was kidnapped by the Dudley Boyz at the direction of Paul Heyman,[41] who then took "control" of Undertaker.[42] At The Great American Bash Undertaker fought a handicap match against the Dudleys, with the stipulation that if he lost, Heyman would bury 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 him anymore.[40]

The Undertaker making his entrance during an episode of SmackDown!.After defeating the Dudley Boyz, Undertaker began a new storyline feud by challenging then WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) to a title match at SummerSlam, which Undertaker lost when he disqualified himself.[40] At No Mercy, Undertaker and JBL were booked to compete in the first ever "Last Ride" match, although Undertaker lost after Heidenreich interfered.[40] After a brief program with Heidenreich,[43] 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, in which Undertaker was unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference.[43] The feud culminated in a Casket match between Undertaker and Heidenreich at the Royal Rumble, where Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory to end the storyline.[43]

Soon afterward, Randy Orton challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 21, in a storyline where Orton claimed that he would end The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak.[44] Even with help from his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Randy failed, and the Undertaker improved his WrestleMania record to 13–0.[43] He returned for the June 16 episode of SmackDown! but lost to JBL, thanks to interference from Randy Orton.[45] After The Great American Bash, Undertaker became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, a position that JBL felt he should have. As part of the feud, on the following SmackDown!, Undertaker lost a number one contender match against JBL, once again due to interference from Orton.[46] With this, Undertaker resumed his feud with Orton. At SummerSlam, Orton defeated Undertaker in a WrestleMania rematch.[47] The storyline intensified as the two taunted each other with caskets, leading to a casket match at No Mercy, in which Undertaker lost to Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton.[47] After the match, the Ortons poured gasoline on the casket and set it afire. When the charred casket was opened, however, Undertaker had once again vanished. He returned at the Survivor Series, emerging from a burning casket.[48] Undertaker returned to SmackDown! in early December to haunt Orton and set up a Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.[49] After winning the match,[48] Calaway took a short hiatus from wrestling.

The Undertaker retaining his undefeated streak at WrestleMania 22.In early 2006 at the Royal Rumble, Undertaker returned during Kurt Angle's celebration of his world title defense against Mark Henry on a horse drawn cart, signaling for a title shot.[48] As part of their storyline feud, Undertaker lost his match with Angle at No Way Out 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.[48] The Undertaker had his No Way Out rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against Angle on SmackDown! when Henry attacked Undertaker from behind, costing him the title.[50] This event began a storyline between the duo, as Undertaker then challenged Henry to a Casket match at WrestleMania 22, and Henry, like Orton a year before him, vowed to end Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak.[51] Undertaker defeated Henry to become 14–0 at WrestleMania.[11] During a rematch on the next edition of SmackDown!, The Great Khali made his debut and assaulted the Undertaker, signaling the end of one storyline and the beginning of a new one.[52]

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.[53] Undertaker was booked to cleanly lose to Khali,[54][55] and he did not appear again until the July 4 edition of SmackDown!, when he accepted Khali's challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash.[56] Khali, however, was removed from the match and was replaced by ECW Champion The 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.[54] Khali was then challenged to a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam after interfering in Undertaker's match with World Heavyweight Champion King Booker.[57] Khali refused the challenge for SummerSlam, though Long made the match official for the August 18 episode of SmackDown! instead. Undertaker won the match by striking Khali with the steel stairs, delivering several chair shots, and finishing him with a chokeslam.[58]

Brothers of Destruction reunion (2006–2007) See also: Brothers of Destruction The Undertaker's next match was with WWE United States Champion Mr. Kennedy at No Mercy but was disqualified in the match after he hit Kennedy with the championship belt.[59] 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 Montel Vontavious Porter, with whom Kane was feuding with at the time.[60] As part of the storyline, Kennedy defeated Undertaker in a First Blood match at Survivor Series after interference from MVP,[59] but finally defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match at Armageddon.[59] The two continued to feud into 2007 as Kennedy cost Undertaker two World Heavyweight Championship opportunities for a championship match at the Royal Rumble.[61][62]

World Heavyweight Champion (2007–2008) The Undertaker making his entrance on Raw's 800th episode celebrationUndertaker won his first Royal Rumble match at the 2007 event,[62] becoming the first man to enter the Rumble at number 30 and win the match.[63] 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 SmackDown! taping, Undertaker and Batista participated 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 returned and assaulted the 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. During Calaway's rehabilitation, Henry quickly defeated local jobbers and bragged about his assault on Undertaker, until vignettes began playing promoting Undertaker's return. The Undertaker returned at Unforgiven, successfully defeating Henry and again on SmackDown! two weeks later.[64] Batista and Undertaker reignited their storyline feud at Cyber Sunday where the fans chose guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin, but Batista retained the world title.[65] They battled again inside a Hell in a Cell at Survivor Series where Edge returned and interfered to help Batista retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[66] In response to this, Undertaker delivered a Tombstone piledriver to General Manager Vickie Guerrero, on the next SmackDown!, in storyline, sending her to the hospital. Returning Assistant-GM Theodore Long declared a Triple Threat match for the title at Armageddon, which Edge won.

At No Way Out 2008, Undertaker defeated Batista, Finlay, The Great Khali, Montel Vontavious Porter, and Big Daddy V in a SmackDown/ECW Elimination Chamber, to become the number one contender for Edge's World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV. He defeated Edge at WrestleMania with his gogoplata submission hold, to win his second World Heavyweight title and elevate his undefeated streak at WrestleMania to 16–0.[67] In a WrestleMania rematch, The Undertaker defeated Edge once again at Backlash to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.[68] The Undertaker again battled Edge for the title at Judgment Day, which he won. However, Vickie Guerrero announced that the Untertaker's gogoplata was an illegal hold and stripped him of the title. Edge and The Undertaker faced each other again for the now-vacant championship at One Night Stand in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, which Undertaker lost after an interference from the La Familia. As a result of the storyline stipulation, Undertaker was banished from WWE.

Return (2008–present) The Undertaker, after defeating Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXVOn the July 25, 2008 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero announced that Edge would face the Undertaker at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell match,[69] which The Undertaker won. After the match, The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge from the top of a ladder and through the ring canvas.[70] Following this match, Guerrero tried to make a peace offering with the Undertaker on SmackDown by apologizing, but the Undertaker told her that he is not the forgiving kind. At Unforgiven, as the Undertaker approached the ring to "take Guerrero's soul" and take her in a casket, the Big Show, who appeared at first to aid the Undertaker, betrayed and assaulted him.[71] As a result of this altercation, the Undertaker and Big Show faced each other in a match at No Mercy, where the Big Show knocked the Undertaker out with a punch to the back of Undertaker's head.[72] At Cyber Sunday the Undertaker defeated the Big Show in a Last Man Standing match after applying Hell's Gate. The Undertaker then went on to defeat the Big Show at Survivor Series in a casket match, to end the feud.[73] They did meet again at the 2009 Royal Rumble, where The Undertaker eliminated The Big Show, who out of anger re-entered the ring and eliminated The Undertaker. The Undertaker qualified for the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out, by defeating Mark Henry. In the Elimination Chamber, he lasted until the final two before being eliminated by Triple H.

He then became embroiled in a feud with Shawn Michaels over his WrestleMania undefeated streak, which culminated in a match at WrestleMania XXV knowing that he never defeated Michaels in a singles match before. However, The Undertaker defeated Michaels for the first time to extend his WrestleMania streak to 17–0.[74]

Other media Calaway appeared in the 1991 film Suburban Commando.[75] He also appeared on episodes of Poltergeist: The Legacy[76] and Celebrity Deathmatch in 1999.

A number of spin-offs have covered The Undertaker's character. Chaos! Comics released an Undertaker comic.[77] 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.[78]

Personal life He graduated from Waltrip High School in 1983, where he was a member of the basketball team.[79] Calaway first married Jodi Lynn in 1989, and they had a son, Gunner, born in 1993, before the marriage ended in 1999. Calaway met his second wife, Sara, at a WWF autograph signing in San Diego, California.[80] He eventually married her in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 2000. Mark and Sara have two daughters together: Chasey, born in 2002, and Gracie, born in 2005.[2]

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, the tattoo was removed from all WWE photos showing Undertaker's throat. 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.[81]

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. 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. 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 the Pacquiao vs. Velázquez fight in 2005.[82] This was also confirmed by fellow wrestler Batista in a televised interview for the Philippine news program TV Patrol World. Calaway is also an avid Mixed Martial Arts fan and has attended several Ultimate Fighting Championship shows.

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 $2.7m 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."[83] Calaway has also 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.[84]

In wrestling The Undertaker about to perform the Tombstone Piledriver on Ric Flair at WrestleMania X8.

The Undertaker performs Old School (an arm twist ropewalk chop) on Heidenreich.

The Undertaker locks Edge in the Hell's Gate.Finishing moves As The Undertaker Chokeslam[1][2] Hell's Gate / Devil's Triangle (Modified gogoplata)[85][86] – 2008–present Last Ride (Elevated powerbomb)[1][2] – 2000–present Tombstone Piledriver[1][2] Triangle choke – 2003–2008[2] As "Mean" Mark Callous Callous Clutch (Jaw clutch) Heart punch[2] Signature moves Corner clothesline[2] Fujiwara armbar[2] Guillotine leg drop onto the chest of an apron hung opponent[2] No–handed over the top rope suicide dive[87] Old School[88] (Arm twist ropewalk chop) Running corner body splash Running DDT[2] Running jumping leg drop[2] Running leaping clothesline[2] Sidewalk slam[2] Snake eyes followed by a running big boot[2] Takin' Care of Business (Standing dragon sleeper)[2] – 2002–2004 Wrist–lock hold followed by multiple shoulder blocks Managers General Skandor Akbar[5][89] Paul Bearer[5][89] Paul E. Dangerously[5][89] Theodore Long[5][89] Brother Love[5][89] Dutch Mantell[5][89] Downtown Bruno[5][89] Nicknames "The Phenom"[1][90] "The Deadman"[1][90] "The American Bad Ass"[90] "Booger Red"[90] "The Red Devil"[90] "Big Evil"[90] "The Lord of Darkness"[91] "The Demon from Death Valley"[92] "The Conscience of the WWE"[93] Theme music "Miracle Man" by Ozzy Osbourne (NJPW) "China White" by Scorpions (NWA / WCW) "The Grim Reaper" by Jim Johnston "Graveyard Symphony" by Jim Johnston "Dark Side" by Jim Johnston "Ministry" by Jim Johnston "American Bad Ass" by Kid Rock "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" by Limp Bizkit "Dead Man" by Jim Johnston "You're Gonna Pay" by Jim Johnston "Rest in Peace" by Jim Johnston

Championships and accomplishments Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI Feud of the Year (1991)[94] with The Ultimate Warrior PWI Match of the Year (1998)[95] vs. Mankind in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2002[96] United States Wrestling Association USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[2] World Class Wrestling Association WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[6] World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kane[97][98] WWF/E Championship (4 times)[99][100] WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)[101] WWF Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Steve Austin (1), The Big Show (2), The Rock (1) and Kane (2)[102] World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)[103] Royal Rumble (2007) Slammy Award for WWF's Greatest Hit (1996) Sucking Diesel into the abyss Slammy Award for Best Tattoo (1997) Slammy Award for Best Entrance Music (1997) Slammy Award for Star of the Highest Magnitude (1997) Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards Best Gimmick (1990-1994) Best Heel (1991) Feud of the Year (2007) vs. Batista Most Overrated (2001) Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler (2001) Worst Worked Match of the Year (2001) with Kane vs. KroniK at Unforgiven Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2004) Worst Feud of the Year (1993) vs. Giant González Wrestler WrestleMania Year Notes Jimmy Snuka VII 1991 [11] Jake Roberts VIII 1992 [11] Giant González IX 1993 Won via disqualification[11] King Kong Bundy XI 1995 [14] Diesel XII 1996 [11] Sycho Sid 13 1997 For the WWF Championship in a No Disqualification match[17] Kane XIV 1998 [18] The Big Boss Man XV 1999 Hell in a Cell match[104] Triple H X-Seven 2001 [11] Ric Flair X8 2002 No Disqualification match[11] The Big Show and A-Train XIX 2003 Handicap match[11] Kane XX 2004 [40] Randy Orton 21 2005 [43] Mark Henry 22 2006 Casket match[11] Batista 23 2007 For the World Heavyweight Championship[105] Edge XXIV 2008 For the World Heavyweight Championship[67] Shawn Michaels XXV 2009

References