Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965)[6] is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Undertaker. He is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), wrestling on its SmackDown brand.
Calaway began his wrestling career with World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984. He joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. When WCW did not renew Calaway's contract at the end of 1990, in November of that year he joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, which became WWE in 2002). Having remained with that company ever since, Calaway is currently one of the senior performers in WWE. He is one of only two wrestlers, the other being Shawn Michaels, to have appeared on the very first episode of Raw who are still with the company today.[7]
The Undertaker is also the originator of several speciality matches, those being; the coffin match, the Boiler Room Brawl match, the Buried Alive match, the Hell in a Cell match & the Inferno match.
He is undefeated at WrestleMania with a 16-0 record and is a six-time world champion (four-time WWE Champion and two-time World Heavyweight Champion).[8][9] He was also the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble.[10]
Mark Calaway made his debut in 1984 in the Dallas, Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) under the ring name "Texas Red".[11] He wrestled and lost his first match against Bruiser Brody.[11] In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left WCWA.
After leaving WCCW, Mark joined the CWA (which became the USWA after Jerry Jarrett merged CWA with WCCW) and wrestled 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 ring name "The Master of Pain". Under the ring name "The Punisher", Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989 when Eric Embry forfeited the title.[12]
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.[13] During his time in the Skyscrapers, he and Spivey were involved in a feud with the Road Warriors,[14] but Spivey left before the feud came to an end. Calaway then took on the guidance of Paul E. Dangerously and muscled his way through Brian Pillman and Johnny Ace. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship at The Great American Bash, which he 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 briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Punisher Dice Morgan. Calaway signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in late October 1990.
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 and WWF Championship (1990–1991)
Calaway made his WWF debut as Cain the Undertaker at a taping of WWF Superstars on November 19, 1990.[15] He made his official on-camera debut on November 22 at Survivor Series as the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar team, where he was simply called The Undertaker.[16] 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. The appearance of Undertaker was modeled after a mortician from old Western movies, with the gimmick that he was impervious to pain and possessed supernatural powers, such as teleportation and manipulation of flames and lightning. It was at this time that the Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer.
He made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII, squashing "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka.[17] The win was the first in his undefeated streak at the event. After a year of battles with the Ultimate Warrior in body bag matches, Randy Savage,[16] and Hulk Hogan, he defeated Hogan to win his first WWF Championship at Survivor Series.[18] WWF President Jack Tunney ordered a rematch for This Tuesday in Texas six days later, where Undertaker dropped the title back to Hogan.[18]
Early feuds (1992–1995)
After Undertaker's ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts lost a match to Randy Savage on Saturday Night's Main Event,[19] Roberts tried to attack Savage's manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when the Undertaker stopped him, turning him face. The Undertaker defeated Roberts at WrestleMania VIII.[17] He then feuded extensively with wrestlers managed by Harvey Wippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, most notably Kamala,[18][20] 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.[17][20] 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 heel wrestlers, winning the match. The Undertaker's "spirit" appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, warning that he would return.[21] This began Undertaker's first hiatus. In reality, he had a back injury that was getting worse and needed time off.
After WrestleMania X, Ted DiBiase introduced the Undertaker back to the WWF. This Undertaker, however, played by Brian Lee, was dubbed "Underfaker" later on by the fans and led to the return of the real Undertaker (this time appearing as a zombie version of his original persona, and now wearing purple gloves and boot covers), and a battle at SummerSlam between the two, where the real Undertaker won the match after three Tombstone Piledrivers.[21] At Survivor Series, Undertaker had a rematch against Yokozuna, once again in a casket match, with Chuck Norris as a special guest enforcer to keep anyone from interfering in the match. While King Kong Bundy and Bam Bam Bigelow distracted Norris, Irwin R. Schyster interfered in the match; despite this, the Undertaker won the match by delivering a running big boot to Yokozuna, which pushed Yokozuna into the casket, and then closed the lid.
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 Mustafa stole the Undertaker's source of storyline power, the urn, and disrespected the Undertaker by melting it into a large gold necklace.[21] As part of the angle, the two faced each other in a casket match at SummerSlam, which the Undertaker won.[21] Several weeks later, Undertaker injured his orbital bone near his eye, forcing a period of absence for surgery, until his return at Survivor Series
Lord of Darkness, Ministry of Darkness (1996–1999)
- See also: Hell in a Cell and Brothers of Destruction
The Undertaker at
WrestleMania XXIV, wearing a sleeveless leather overcoat similar to his attire during the mid-1990s.
The Undertaker returned at the 1995 Survivor Series, wearing a Phantom-like ghostly Grey upper facemask.[21] At the Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was unmasked in a WWF Championship match against Bret Hart. Diesel interfered in the match to cost the Undertaker the championship,[22] and one month later, while Diesel was facing Hart in a steel cage match, Undertaker came up from under the ring to drag Diesel underneath, allowing Hart the victory.[22] This feud culminated in a match between the duo at WrestleMania XII, in which the Undertaker was victorious.[17]
His next feud commenced the very next night, when Mankind made his debut, interfering in the Undertaker's match with Justin Hawk Bradshaw.[23] For the next few months, Mankind ambushed and cost the Undertaker several matches.[22] The Undertaker faced Mankind for the first time in a match at the King of the Ring, which Mankind won.[22] 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 his urn, Paul Bearer hit him with it, turning on the Undertaker and allowing Mankind to "incapacitate" The Undertaker with the Mandible claw, giving him the win.[22] 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".[22] As a result, a match was booked for the upcoming Survivor Series, again pitting The Undertaker against Mankind, with a unique stipulation. Hanging 20 ft above the ring was Paul Bearer, enclosed in a steel cage. If Undertaker won the match, he would be able to get his hands on Bearer. Even though Undertaker won the match, interference from The Executioner enabled Bearer to escape the Undertaker's clutches.[24] The Undertaker then shifted feuds and 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.[24] Towards the end of 1996, the Undertaker began feuding with Vader, culminating in a loss to Vader at the Royal Rumble after Bearer interfered on behalf of his new protégé.[24] After this loss, the Undertaker's character began to focus his attention on the WWF Championship.
At WrestleMania 13, The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid to win the WWF Championship for the second time in a No Disqualification match.[25] 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 brother. Undertaker claimed there was no way for Bearer to have that information, but Paul announced that he was told this by Undertaker's brother Kane, who was still alive 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.[25] Although the chair shot was accidental, Michaels taunted the Undertaker in the following weeks.[26] 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 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.[25] As the angle 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.[27] After a two-month hiatus, Undertaker returned to continue the angle and defeat Kane at WrestleMania XIV.[27] The two had a rematch, the first ever Inferno match, one month later at In Your House: Unforgiven, where The Undertaker was booked to win by setting Kane's right arm on fire.[27]
Undertaker's longtime feud with Mankind was renewed afterwards, when Mankind cost the Undertaker a number one contenders match against Kane.
[28] As a result, Undertaker and Mankind 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 sixteen foot cell onto the Spanish announcers' 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.
[27] The Undertaker was able to compete in the match even while sporting a
bone spur in the heel of one of his feet.
[citation needed]
In July at Fully Loaded, Undertaker and Steve Austin were booked to defeat Kane and Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.[27] 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.[28] Undertaker then became the #1 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.[27] In September, the storyline continued, and Undertaker began to show heel characteristics, becoming a tweener, when he and Kane revealed the fact that they were in cahoots to rid Austin of his title for Vince McMahon. At Breakdown: In Your House, Undertaker 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,[27] so the title was vacated by Mr. McMahon, whose leg was then kayfabe broken in response by the brothers. This led to a match at In Your House: Judgment Day between the two brothers for the title, with Stone Cold as the Special Guest Referee. Near the end of the match, Paul Bearer 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.[27] Finally, Undertaker turned heel the next night on Raw is WAR for the first time in over six years, reconciling with Paul Bearer and claiming that he and Bearer would unleash their Ministry of Darkness on the World Wrestling Federation. As part of this new angle, he admitted that he had indeed set the fire that killed his parents, for which he had previously blamed Kane.[28]
After Survivor Series, Undertaker turned his attention back to a feud with Austin for costing him the title at Judgment Day, viciously hitting Austin in the head with a shovel during a title match with The Rock, returning the favor for what happened a month earlier. With this twist in the angle, Vince McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive match between Undertaker and Austin in December 1998 at Rock Bottom: In Your House. In the weeks leading up to Rock Bottom, the Undertaker character became increasingly demonic and satanic, attempting to embalm Austin alive, trying to have Kane committed to a mental asylum, and having his druids chain Austin to his symbol and raising it high into the arena.[28] Undertaker, however, lost the match after Kane interfered.[29]
In January 1999, Undertaker returned, remaining a monster heel and forming the Ministry of Darkness, explaining that he was taking orders from a "Higher Power." Eventually, the Ministry merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation heel stable to form the Corporate Ministry.[30] 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.[31] 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,[30] 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. He was then scheduled to perform at Unforgiven, contending for the WWF Championship, but a groin injury knocked him out of action for the remainder of the year and part of the next. Onscreen, his absence was explained by The Undertaker quitting
