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Mark William Calaway (also spelled incorrectly as
either Callaway or Calloway) is an American professional wrestler better known
by his ring name, The Undertaker (often unofficially shortened as just Taker).
Calaway is currently performing on the SmackDown! brand of WWE.
As The Undertaker, Calaway has experienced
considerable success. In addition to several title reigns, he is undefeated at
the flagship WWE pay-per-view event, WrestleMania, having achieved 14 victories.
Calaway is generally seen as a company loyalist and prominent "ambassador" for
WWE; he is one of the company's longest serving wrestlers, having wrestled for
WWE for sixteen years.
****
Ring name(s) Texas Red
The Commando
The Master of Pain
The Punisher
Punisher Dice Morgan
"Mean" Mark Callous
Kane the Undertaker
The Undertaker
Height 6 ft 8 in (203 cm)
Weight 285 lb (130 kg)
Born March 24, 1965
Houston, Texas
Billed from Death Valley
Trained by Don Jardine
Debut 1984
****
Early
career
He began his wrestling career in 1984 by training
and wrestling at the Dallas Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas with Fritz Von Erich's
World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). Calaway would later go on to wrestle
in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), winning the USWA Unified
World Heavyweight Championship and USWA Texas Heavyweight Championship. During
the mid to late 1980s, he used several ring names: The Deadman, The Commando,
The Punisher, Texas Red, The Master of Pain, Punisher Dice Morgan.
Mark Calaway had a short stint from late 1989 until
late 1990 in the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Jim Crockett Promotions.
The NWA became World Championship Wrestling (WCW) during Calaway's time with
them. While there, he was known as "Mean" Mark Callous and wrestled as part of
the Skyscrapers tag team along with "Dangerous" Dan Spivey and later as a
singles wrestler. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the NWA
United States Title (Mid-Atlantic version) at the 1990 Great American Bash,
which he lost when Luger pinned him after a clothesline. At the end of 1990, WCW
declined to renew Calaway's contract, and he signed with Vince McMahon's World
Wrestling Federation (WWF).
World
Wrestling Entertainment
1990-1994
Calaway debuted in the World Wrestling Federation
as The Undertaker (A character based on a Chicago area independent wrestler
named Clyde.) on November 22, 1990 at Survivor Series 1990. Before Callaway
debuted, he appeared as Kane The Undertaker in different house shows but the
"Kane" was soon dropped, ironically, later becoming the name of his storyline
half-brother, Kane. Between December 1991 and September 1993, the Undertaker did
not lose a single match.
Early in 1992, he fell out with his ally Jake "The
Snake" Roberts, thus turning face. He defeated Roberts at Wrestlemania VIII and
became the first man to kick out of Roberts' patented DDT. He feuded extensively
with wrestlers managed by Harvey Whippleman, most notably Kamala and the Giant
Gonzales.
In January 1994, he challenged then WWF Champion
Yokozuna and met him in two of the best known casket matches in WWF history at
the 1994 Royal Rumble and Survivor Series 1994. It was at around this time that
the Undertaker began to really develop his supernatural character and was able
to do such things as turning on lights through the uplifting of his arms,
playing mind games with his opponents, speaking to his opponents while absent,
etc. At the Royal Rumble in 1994, thanks to interference by over a dozen
wrestlers, Yokozuna sealed Undertaker in the casket. The Undertaker's "spirit"
appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, warning that he would
return, and then rising from behind the TitanTron. This began Undertaker's first
hiatus. In reality, he had a back injury that was getting worse and he needed
time off. An Undertaker "clone" appeared after WrestleMania X, led by Ted
DiBiase and played by Brian Lee. This led to the resurrection of the real
Undertaker and an epic battle at SummerSlam 1994, where the real Undertaker was
victorious.
1995-1996
With his popularity rising, Undertaker battled such
villains as Irwin R. Schyster, Goldust, Vader, Mankind, and King Kong Bundy on
and off from 1995 to 1997. During 1995, Kama Mustafa stole the Undertaker's
source of power, the urn, and disrespected Taker by turning it into a big gold
necklace. He also cost the Undertaker a chance at being crowned the 1995 King of
the Ring. The Undertaker faced Kama in a casket match as a result at SummerSlam
1995. After putting on a great match versus the Supreme Fighting Machine, the
Undertaker finally came out on top, closing the lid on Kama. Several weeks
later, Taker was assaulted by Yokozuna and King Mabel, which led to an injury of
the eye orbital bone which forced The Undertaker into a period of absence for
surgery.
The Undertaker returned a while later wearing a
phantom like ghostly grey upper facemask. The 1996 Royal Rumble saw the
unmasking of the Undertaker in a championship match against Bret Hart. Diesel,
interfered in the match costing the Undertaker the championship. After Diesel
continually antagonized and cost the Undertaker matches, a vengeful Undertaker
dished out his own form of punishment; playing mind games with Diesel that had
never even been seen at the time such as bursting through ring aprons in clouds
of smoke and taking Diesel down under, disappearing from place to place, and
creating effigies of Diesel in actual coffins. At the 1996 Slammy Awards, Taker
won an award for Greatest Hit and once again informed Diesel that he would "Rest
In Peace." The very next next night, The Undertaker was victorious at
WrestleMania XII.
An even more notable feud involving the Undertaker
commenced the very next night when deranged superstar, Mankind, made his debut,
interfering in the Undertaker's match with Justin Hawk Bradshaw. For the next
couple of months, Mankind would ambush and cost The Undertaker several matches,
doing the following: closing casket lids on the Undertaker during interviews
while laying inside his coffin, pushing over the casket and hitting it with
weapons; hiding under the ring during Taker's RAW match versus the The British
Bulldog, then reaching out from under the ring to clutch Taker's ankle, causing
disqualification by count-outs. Mankind even came up from a casket to deliver
his Mandible Claw on the Undertaker, costing him an Intercontinental
Championship casket match with Goldust at the In Your House 8: "Beware Of Dog".
The Undertaker faced Mankind for the very first time at the 1996 King Of The
Ring. It was the first match Undertaker didn't make an entrance at, but instead
was on the top corner buckle when the lights reappeared to ambush Mankind with a
clothesline. However, Mankind won the encounter when Bearer inadvertently hit
the Undertaker with the urn.
The Undertaker's feud with Mankind grew more
intense. They began taking their battles into crowds and backstage areas, which
was much more unconventional at that time. Things got even more interesting and
out of hand when the two warred into the boiler room areas of different arenas.
As a result, it became a place of comfort for Mankind and he recognized boiler
rooms as his home. All these events would lead up to the first ever Boiler Room
Brawl match between the two at SummerSlam 1996. It was the most bizarre match
that the WWF had ever put on at that point in time. Taker nearly won the boiler
room brawl by using the ropes to fling Mankind off the edge of the ring apron.
However, when The Undertaker reached for the urn, Bearer hit him with it,
allowing Mankind to incapacitate the Undertaker with the Mandible Claw. Bearer
then handed the urn to Mankind, thus giving Mankind the win.
The Undertaker's feud continued with Mankind In
Your House: Buried Alive. This event debuted the Buried Alive Match, in which
Undertaker defeated Mankind. The match also introduced The Executioner who
attacked Undertaker after the buried alive match. Undertaker also defeated
Mankind later in 1996 at Survivor Series, but The Executioner beat Undertaker
down so he couldn't get hold of Bearer. The In Your House: It's Time event saw
the end of the feud with Mankind and The Executioner with a victory for The
Undertaker.
1997-1999
In 1997, Undertaker won a second WWF Championship
from Sycho Sid at WrestleMania 13. The previous night, Undertaker won 3 awards
at the Slammy Awards: Best Tattoo, Best Entrance Music, and Highest Magnitude.
After Wrestlemania 13: Heat, Paul Bearer revealed that The Undertaker had burned
his family's house, killing everyone inside but his brother. He said that
Undertaker's brother was still alive, waiting for revenge all these years.
Undertaker responded by saying that it wasn't his fault and that his brother
could not have survived. Meanwhile, a number of wrestlers pursued Undertaker's
title, including Bret Hart. At SummerSlam 1997, referee Shawn Michaels
accidentally hit Undertaker with a steel chair shot meant for Bret Hart, who
dodged it, thus costing The Undertaker his WWF Championship. Although the chair
shot seemed accidental, Michaels would repeat the action a couple more times
with added taunting in the oncoming weeks on RAW is WAR. This led to 2 well
received matches at In Your House: Ground Zero, and In Your House: Badd Blood,
where The Undertaker challenged Michaels to the first ever infamous Hell in a
Cell Match. During this match, Undertaker's "brother" Kane, made his debut,
ripping off the door to the cell and then giving Undertaker a tombstone
piledriver, Undertaker's trademark finisher. Shawn Michaels then covered
Undertaker for the pin. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels would be
in the return of the casket match at the 1998 Royal Rumble. The double-deep,
double-wide casket that hadn't been seen since its destruction by Diesel, was
brought back completely spray-painted with words and symbols having to do with
Shawn Michaels. Again, Kane would cost the Undertaker the win by trapping him in
the coffin. He even padlocked the casket lid and set it on fire afterward.
However, the Undertaker had disappeared when the casket lid was opened.
After a short absence, The Undertaker returned to
tell Kane of the pain and suffering that Kane would soon experience. At
WrestleMania XIV, The Undertaker defeated Kane. The two would have a rematch in
the first ever Inferno Match, where the ring was surrounded by fire and the only
way to win was to set your opponent ablaze. Undertaker's longtime feud with
Mankind was rejuvenated when, on an episode of Monday Night RAW, Mankind cost
the Undertaker a match against Kane. As a result, Undertaker and Mankind faced
each other in a Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring 1998. In one of the
most memorable matches in professional wrestling history, Undertaker threw
Mankind off the roof of the sixteen foot cell onto the Spanish announcers' table
below. He then chokeslammed Mankind through the roof of the cell into the ring
and finally finished the match by back dropping and chokeslamming Mankind onto a
pile of thumbtacks. The Undertaker was able to compete in the match even while
sporting a legitimate broken foot. (For more, see Hell in a Cell - Undertaker
vs. Mankind.)
As 1998's end drew closer, fans started to slowly
see a darker Undertaker, as he began to prophesize a Ministry of Darkness whose
wrath would soon be unleashed on the World Wrestling Federation. The Undertaker
participated in The "Deadly Games" tournament at Survivor Series. The Undertaker
defeated Kane, but ultimately lost to the Rock by disqualification.
After Survivor Series, Undertaker turned his
attention to Austin for what happened at Judgment Day, bashing him in the head
with a shovel. Vince McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive Match between Undertaker
and Austin in December 1998 at In Your House: Rock Bottom. In the weeks leading
up to Rock Bottom, Undertaker attempted to embalm Austin alive and even
crucified him. Undertaker lost the match due to interference from Kane.
In 1999, Undertaker formed the Ministry of
Darkness, as The Undertaker stated that he was taking orders from a "Higher
Power." Eventually, the Ministry would merge with Shane McMahon's Corporation
heel stable to form the Corporate Ministry. During this time The Undertaker went
on to defeat Austin for his third WWF Championship at Over the Edge 1999, with
help from Shane McMahon, the special referee. Two weeks later, it was revealed
on Monday Night RAW that Vince McMahon, had been The Undertaker's "Higher Power"
all along. After Undertaker lost the title back to Austin and a brutal First
Blood Match at Fully Loaded 1999, however, his relationship with the McMahons
dissolved, and the Corporate Ministry disbanded.
Undertaker then started aiming for the WWF World
Tag Team Championship, teaming with The Big Show. The Undertaker was scheduled
to perform at Unforgiven 1999, contending for the WWF Championship. However, a
groin injury knocked him out of action for the remainder of the year.
2000
Undertaker's gimmick was modified when he returned
in 2000 at Judgment Day 2000, in line with wrestling's change to a more
realistic approach. His gimmick became that of an intimidating biker, first
referred to as the "American Bad Ass" due to his new entrance music the Kid Rock
song of the same name. He later changed his entrance to Limp Bizkit's song
"Rollin'." Unlike many gimmick changes with little to no explanation, this was
generally well-received by fans and by Undertaker as well, since it reflected
his real-life personality.
At Judgment Day 2000, the new Undertaker took out
all the members of The McMahon-Helmsley Faction. He went on to continue
targeting their leader, WWF Champion Triple H. At King of the Ring 2000,
Undertaker teamed with the Rock and Kane to defeat the team of Triple H, Shane
McMahon, and Mr. McMahon. Afterwards, he teamed with Kane to go for the WWF
World Tag Team Championship. They defeated Edge and Christian, earning the right
to face them the following week for the tag titles. However, Kurt Angle
interfered in the match to help Edge and Christian retain the titles. At Fully
Loaded 2000, Undertaker pinned Angle following his new finishing move the Last
Ride.
Kane turned on the Undertaker by giving him two
chokeslams following Undertaker's August 14, 2000 Monday Night RAW match against
Chris Benoit; Kane refused to explain his assault. At SummerSlam 2000,
Undertaker took off Kane's mask, but Kane managed to hide his face. Kane allied
with Chris Benoit for the next couple of weeks as Undertaker allied with the
Rock. At Unforgiven 2000, Undertaker was about to win the WWF Championship when
he performed a chokeslam on Benoit. However, Kane took Undertaker out, allowing
the Rock to score the pinfall victory over Benoit.
Undertaker took another hiatus but returned after a
few weeks to challenge Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series
2000. Undertaker gave Angle the Last Ride and thought that he had won the match,
but the referee recalled the match as the man whom he had pinned was not Kurt
Angle but rather his real-life look-alike brother Eric Angle. Kurt had been
hiding under the ring, and while Undertaker argued with the referee, Angle came
out from under the ring and rolled up the Undertaker for the win. Angle later
explained it all at the next night's episode of RAW. Undertaker demanded a
rematch and got it at Armageddon 2000 in a six-Man Hell in a Cell Match.
However, Undertaker was unable to win the match.
2001
In 2001, Undertaker reunited with Kane as the
Brothers of Destruction and contested for the WWF World Tag Team Championship
again. The successful duo defeated Rikishi and Haku in a brutal First Blood
Match. They would then get a shot at the Tag Titles at No Way Out 2001, facing
champions Dudley Boyz, Edge and Christian in a Tables Match. The Brothers of
Destruction dominated the entire match, and nearly had the match won until
Rikishi and Haku interfered.
After the feud with Rikishi and Haku ended,
Undertaker had a WWE Hardcore Championship match with Raven on SmackDown!.
However, WrestleMania X-Seven was approaching and Triple H did not have an
opponent for the event, WWE axed the idea of a match between Raven and The
Undertaker, and scheduled The Undertaker against Triple H. The Undertaker
defeated Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven. Afterwards, Undertaker and Kane
continued to focus on Intercontinental Champion Triple H, who would soon make a
surprise alliance with WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin. After the duo
injured Kane's arm in a Hardcore Match against Rhyno, the pair was granted an
opportunity to face Steve Austin and Triple H at Backlash 2001 if they first
defeated Edge and Christian in a no-disqualification Match. Despite interference
by Steve Austin and Triple H, Undertaker and Kane managed to win the WWF Tag
titles and the right to face The Two-Man Power Trip tag team of Austin and HHH.
At Backlash 2001, Triple H pinned Kane after using a sledgehammer, making
himself and Austin the new WWF Tag Team Champions.
With Kane injured, Undertaker began targeting Steve
Austin and his WWF Championship. On an episode of RAW, Undertaker was told by
police officers that his wife Sara had been involved in a car accident.
Undertaker arrived home, only to find out that it was all a set up by Austin. At
Judgment Day 2001, Undertaker lost to Austin after Triple H interfered with his
sledgehammer, allowing Austin to pin Undertaker and retain the championship.
As part of the infamous 2001 Invasion angle, the
Undertaker's next opponent was Diamond Dallas Page. Page, a former WCW champion,
was so eager to be a part of the Invasion that he allowed himself to be
portrayed as a lecherous stalker, obsessively following the Undertaker's wife
Sara (the modified voice used in the footage was later found to be Vince
McMahon). At SummerSlam 2001, Undertaker and Kane defeated Page and his partner
Chris Kanyon in a Steel Cage Match to unify the WCW Tag Team Championship and
WWF Tag Team Championship. They were the first team to hold both the WCW and WWF
tag team titles simultaneously.
At Survivor Series 2001, Undertaker was scheduled
to team up with Kane, The Rock, Jericho, and Kurt Angle to take on The
Alliance's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon, and
a surprise WWF defector, which turned out to be Kurt Angle. The Big Show was
chosen in place of Angle. At Survivor Series, The Undertaker helped eliminate
Shane McMahon and took out the four remaining members. However, Angle pinned the
Undertaker thanks to the interference of Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock would
win the match for Team WWF.
After the Alliance was defeated, The Undertaker
turned heel once again by forcing commentator Jim Ross to kiss Vince McMahon's
buttocks. This was the beginning of a new persona for The Undertaker, he cut his
famous long hair and now called himself Big Evil. At Vengeance 2001, The
Undertaker won a match against Van Dam to capture the WWF Hardcore Championship,
and ended the year with a feud with the Big Show.
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2002
At the 2002 Royal Rumble, rookie Maven eliminated
The Undertaker by dropkicking him from behind over the top rope. Undertaker did
not take this well and went on to beat Maven into a bloody pulp. The Rock then
poked fun about Undertaker's elimination at the Royal Rumble on an episode of
Smackdown!. The Dead Man then chokeslammed Rock during his match with Kurt
Angle, costing The Rock the Number 1 Contendership for the Undisputed WWE
Championship. Maven challenged Undertaker to a match for the Hardcore Title, but
Undertaker lost thanks to interference from The Rock, which led to him getting
tombstoned on a limo by The Dead Man. 10 Days Later, the two faced off at No Way
Out, which resulted into Undertaker losing due to interference from Ric Flair.
Afterwards, Undertaker challenged Ric Flair to a match at WrestleMania X8. When
Flair declined, Undertaker assaulted Flair's son David. Flair finally accepted
and Vince McMahon made the match a No Holds Barred match. Undertaker won with a
Tombstone Piledriver despite interference from Flair's long-time friend Arn
Anderson.
Undertaker defeated Steve Austin at Backlash 2002
to win the #1 contender spot to the WWF Undisputed Championship, thanks to
referee Ric Flair. Later on the night he helped Hulk Hogan win his title match
against Undisputed Champion Triple H. This led to a feud between the Triple H
and Undertaker. At Insurrextion 2002, Triple H defeated The Undertaker. After
weeks of mind games which involved Undertaker's prized motorbike, Undertaker
defeated Hulk Hogan at Judgment Day 2002 after using a steel chair and
performing a second Chokeslam to win his fourth WWE Championship.
Undertaker renewed his feud with Triple H, which
involved Kurt Angle. At King of the Ring 2002, The Rock made his return. He was
planning to help Triple H, but accidentally caused Triple H's loss. The
Undertaker was a fighting champion. Unlike stereotypical heel champions, he
placed his title on the line, anytime and anywhere. One of his notable title
matches was on RAW, facing Jeff Hardy in Undertaker's first Ladder Match. After
the match, he raised Jeff's arm as a sign of respect, turning face once again.
Furthering the point of Taker being a fighting champion, he went on to defend
the title again that week, on SmackDown in a match against Kurt Angle. As Angle
had a triangle choke on Undertaker, Angle's shoulders wound up on the mat for a
three-count just when Taker tapped out. Due to the draw that occurred,
Undertaker retained. Undertaker would lose his title at Vengeance 2002 to The
Rock, who pinned Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat Match.
After pinning Test at SummerSlam 2002, The
Undertaker started going for the WWE Championship again, now held by Brock
Lesnar. The title match at Unforgiven 2002 ended in a double-DQ. The feud
carried over to No Mercy 2002. Undertaker decided the match would be inside Hell
in a Cell. His feud with Lesnar involved his wife Sara. Despite Taker entering
the ring with a broken arm and finishing the match a bloody mess, he managed to
overpower Lesnar, until Lesnar countered his Tombstone into the F-5. This was
seen as one of the rare examples of the Undertaker losing a match without his
opponent having to resort to cheating. Shortly after this match, the Big Show
attacked the Undertaker on an episode of Smackdown and threw him off the stage.
2003
The Undertaker returned at the Royal Rumble drawing
number 30, but was unable to win the match. He was eliminated by Brock Lesnar,
which he was the last person to be eliminated in The Royal Rumble. At No Way Out
2003 he faced the Big Show. Despite interference by A-Train, Undertaker managed
to win via submission. After the match ended, Show and A-Train proceeded on
beating The Undertaker. Nathan Jones would then come in Taker's aid, saving him
from assault by Big Show and A-Train. The Undertaker began to train Nathan Jones
to wrestle, and the two were due to fight Big Show and A-Train in a tag team
match at WrestleMania XIX. However, due to a lack of crowd response to Jones as
well as obviously lacking many of the basic wrestling skills, Jones was left out
of the match, leaving The Undertaker to defeat them alone, with minor assistance
from Jones at the end. Jones later quit WWE.
Undertaker would go on to feud against heel
characters such as the Full Blooded Italians (which then consisted of Nunzio,
Johhny Stamboli, Chuck Palumbo), John Cena, A-Train, Brock Lesnar, and Big Show.
He would have two WWE Championship opportunities during the year.
The first, on the September 4, 2003 SmackDown!, was
against Kurt Angle. Lesnar interfered and attacked both of them, so the match
would be a no contest. This led to next week's show, where Lesnar would beat
Angle for the title in an Iron Man match. The second was at No Mercy 2003,
between Taker and Lesnar in a biker chain match. Thanks to interference from the
FBI and light tricks by Vince McMahon, Lesnar won his second straight No Mercy
WWE Title match against Taker.
At Survivor Series 2003, Undertaker lost his Buried
Alive Match against Vince McMahon when Kane interfered. He was not seen for a
while after that, and Kane claimed that the Undertaker was dead and buried
forever.
2004
In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania XX, Kane
would be haunted by vignettes hinting towards an Undertaker return. The first
was during the Royal Rumble, during which Undertaker's gong rang, hinting
towards his return at #13. A distracted Kane (#12 entrant) was eliminated from
behind by Booker T. Spike Dudley then appeared as the real #13, but was
destroyed and in effect eliminated by Kane before even making it to the ring.
The eerie messages would continue on, pointing
further and further towards an Undertaker Deadman comeback to challenge Kane at
WrestleMania. At first, they were mere Titantron messages such as "It All Begins
Again", though the incidents soon consisted of examples such as rain from the
ceiling, the descent of two of the Undertaker's burning TX crosses, and the ring
rising a foot off the ground.
At WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker would finally
return in the Deadman gimmick, again accompanied by Paul Bearer, and defeated
Kane. This gimmick could be best described as a hybrid of the classic Undertaker
and American Bad Ass gimmicks. Three months later, Paul Bearer was kidnapped by
The Dudley Boyz at the direction of Paul Heyman, who then took "control" of
Undertaker in the storyline. At the June 2004 pay-per-view The Great American
Bash 2004, Undertaker buried Bearer in cement after winning a handicap match
against the Dudley Boyz, as a means of removing his "weakness" so that Heyman or
others could no longer control him. Fans were later told that Bearer was
"seriously injured", following which William Moody (Bearer) was taken off
television.
After defeating The Dudley Boyz, he challenged WWE
Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield to a championship match. After his
unsuccessful attempt at SummerSlam 2004, Undertaker chokeslammed Layfield
through the top of his limousine. At No Mercy 2004, Undertaker and Layfield
competed in a "Last Ride" match. Undertaker lost after Heidenreich interfered.
This led to a match against Heidenreich at Survivor Series 2004, which
Undertaker won.
After taking care of Heidenreich, Undertaker
focused on the WWE Championship once again. Along with Eddie Guerrero and Booker
T, he challenged Bradshaw to a championship rematch at Armageddon 2004. The
match turned into a Fatal Four Way, which Undertaker nearly won before
Heidenreich interfered once again.
2005
This led to the signing of a Casket Match between
Undertaker and Heidenreich at Royal Rumble 2005. Undertaker would taunt
Heidenreich with caskets, which Heidenreich was afraid of. In a SmackDown!
Handicap Match against Heidenreich and Paul Heyman, Undertaker sealed Heyman in
one of the caskets brought to the ring by Undertaker's druids. Despite
interference from Gene Snitsky (which was cancelled out by Kane, who was hiding
in the casket), Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory.
The Undertaker defeated Randy Orton at WrestleMania
21 after Orton challenged him on RAW, claiming that he would defeat Undertaker
and thus end his WrestleMania winning streak. It was billed as "Legend vs.
Legend Killer" and included interference from Orton's father, legendary wrestler
"Cowboy" Bob Orton. In actuality, Calaway is believed to have requested this
match due to his antipathy towards the original plans for him, which would have
seen him teaming with Kane to face Gene Snitsky and Heidenreich.
Following WrestleMania 21, Undertaker took a two
month hiatus from wrestling, linked to the birth of his second daughter with
wife Sara, Gracie Calaway, in late May 2005. He returned for the June 30 episode
of SmackDown! in the SmackDown! Championship six-way elimination match. However,
he was met by Muhammad Hassan, who tried to use a chair on him. He took the
chair and hit Hassan instead, getting disqualified. Hassan was counted out as he
ran to the back away from him. On the July 7 episode of SmackDown!, general
manager Theodore Long put Muhammad Hassan in a match against The Undertaker at
The Great American Bash 2005, and Hassan's manager Daivari in a match that night
against The Undertaker. Daivari was squashed easily, after which Hassan began to
pray on the ramp, summoning five masked men to the ring. The masked men beat up
the Undertaker into submission, choking him with a piano wire. Afterwards,
Hassan placed the helpless Undertaker in his Camel Clutch submission.
At The Great American Bash, The Undertaker defeated
Muhammad Hassan following a chokeslam, despite further interference from the
masked men. Following the match, The Undertaker fought off Daivari and the
masked men and chokeslammed Hassan onto the stage before removing a floor panel
and giving Hassan a Last Ride through the hole to the ground below. As a result
of the win, The Undertaker became #1 contender to the World Heavyweight
Championship, held by Batista. However as Batista lost his match against John
"Bradshaw" Layfield via disqualification on that same night JBL felt he should
remain #1 contender. On the following SmackDown!, Undertaker lost a #1 contender
match against JBL (The first pinfall loss Undertaker suffered since Brock Lesnar
at No Mercy 2003), due to interference from Randy Orton, who revealed he had
been drafted to the SmackDown! roster. With this, Undertaker resumed his feud
with Orton.
At SummerSlam 2005, Undertaker and Randy Orton had
a WrestleMania rematch, which Randy Orton won when Bob Orton distracted the
Undertaker. After weeks of buildup involving Undertaker and the Ortons taunting
each other with caskets, Undertaker lost to Randy Orton and "Cowboy" Bob Orton
in a Handicap Casket Match at No Mercy 2005. After the match the Ortons poured
gasoline on the casket and set it on fire. WWE.com reported that after the
charred casket was opened it was discovered that The Undertaker had vanished.
The Undertaker made a dramatic return at the 2005 Survivor Series, emerging from
a burning casket while Randy Orton was celebrating being the sole survivor of
the main event match.
Despite an attack involving Eddie Guerrero's
lowrider on the November 29, 2005 SmackDown! special, Undertaker returned on the
Friday SmackDown! show to haunt Orton and to set up a Hell in the Cell match
between Orton and the Undertaker at Armageddon 2005, which Undertaker won with a
Tombstone Piledriver. Calaway then took a short hiatus after the pay-per-view.
2006
At the 2006 Royal Rumble on January 29, 2006,
Undertaker returned during Kurt Angle's celebration of his title defence against
Mark Henry. He entered on a white horse and made his intentions known by
destroying the ring with lightning bolts. On the February 10 edition of
SmackDown!, Undertaker returned to the ring and fought Mark Henry. After a
chokeslam to the 400-pounder, the match ended with MNM attacking Undertaker and
with Kurt Angle making the save.
Undertaker lost his match with Kurt Angle at No Way
Out 2006 after a grueling thirty minute bout. It looked like Undertaker would
take away the gold with a triangle choke (a move that he tried to put Angle away
with three years prior in a match on SmackDown! that ended in a draw) but Angle
shifted his weight into a jackknife pin. Undertaker cornered Angle after the
match, and after a staredown, told Angle that he had his number and that he
wasn't finished with him yet.
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The Undertaker had his No Way Out rematch for the
World Heavyweight Championship against Angle on the March 3, 2006 edition of
SmackDown!. Undertaker had the match won until Mark Henry, along with Daivari,
attacked him from behind, costing him the title. Henry's attack concluded by
splashing the Undertaker through the announce table. Undertaker challenged Mark
Henry to a Casket Match at WrestleMania 22 on SmackDown! the following week. The
two made a confrontation at Saturday Night's Main Event, leading to the
Undertaker taking Henry out with a big boot and giving Daivari a chokeslam and
then a Tombstone on top of a casket.
At WrestleMania 22, Undertaker defeated Mark Henry
to become 14-0 at WrestleMania. During a rematch against Mark Henry on the April
7, 2006 edition of SmackDown! which resulted in a no contest, The Great Khali
made his SmackDown! debut, brought to the ring by Henry's manager Daivari and
began an assault on the Undertaker that left him out cold. The Undertaker was
not seen in person for several weeks after that. However, on the May 5, 2006
edition of SmackDown!, Teddy Long delivered a challenge from Undertaker to Khali
for a match at Judgment Day, Khali accepted. Undertaker lost the match after
receiving a series of blows that ended with a big boot to the head. Undertaker
was not heard from again until the July 14th edition of Smackdown accepting
Khali's challange to a Punjabi Prison Match at the Great American Bash.
WrestleMania winning streak
The Undertaker has won every match that he has
wrestled at WWE's flagship pay-per-view WrestleMania (he did not compete in the
1994 or 2000 shows). The streak has become so well-known that, prior to the last
two WrestleMania shows, part of the storyline was the opponent vowing to end the
streak, without success.
The
wrestlers who Undertaker has defeated during the streak:
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (WrestleMania VII in 1991)
Jake "The Snake" Roberts (WrestleMania VIII in
1992)
Giant Gonzales (WrestleMania IX in 1993) (by
disqualification)
King Kong Bundy (WrestleMania XI in 1995)
Diesel (WrestleMania XII in 1996)
Sycho Sid (WrestleMania 13 in 1997 for the WWF
Championship)
Kane (WrestleMania XIV in 1998)
Big Boss Man (WrestleMania XV in a Hell in a Cell
match in 1999)
Triple H (WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001)
Ric Flair (WrestleMania X8 in a no disqualification
match in 2002)
A-Train and Big Show (WrestleMania XIX in a
handicap match in 2003)
Kane (WrestleMania XX in 2004)
Randy Orton (WrestleMania 21 in 2005)
Mark Henry (WrestleMania 22 in a casket match in
2006)
In
wrestling
Finishing moves
Last Ride (Elevated powerbomb)
Tombstone Piledriver (Kneeling belly to belly
piledriver)
Chokeslam
Heart punch (in WCW)
Iron claw (pre-1995)
Signature moves
Old School (arm twist ropewalk club)
Takin' Care of Business (Dragon sleeper)
Choke (1990s)
Flying clothesline
Fujiwara armbar
Guillotine leg drop
Reverse STO
Running big boot
Running DDT
Running leg drop
Sidewalk slam
Snake eyes
Suicide dive
Triangle choke
Managers
General Skandor Akbar
Paul Bearer
Downtown Bruno
Paul E. Dangerously
Ted DiBiase
Mr. Fuji
Sylvia Fuller
Ronald Gossett
Theodore Long
Brother Love
"Dirty" Dutch Mantell
Sara
Nicknames
The Advance Man for the Grim Reaper
The American Bad Ass
Big Evil
Booger Red
The Deadman
Deadman, Inc.
Dead Man Walking
The Emissary of Death
The Lord of Darkness
The Man From The Dark Side
The Pale Destroyer
The Phenom
The Prince of Darkness
The Minister of Darkness
'Taker
The Master of Pain
Championships and accomplishments
United States Wrestling Association
1-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion
1-time USWA Texas Heavyweight Champion
World Championship Wrestling
1-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Kane)
World Wrestling Entertainment
4-time WWF/E Champion
1-time WWF/E Hardcore Champion
6-time World Tag Team Champion (1-time with "Stone
Cold" Steve Austin, 2-time with Big Show, 1-time with The Rock, 2-time with
Kane)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
1991 Feud of the Year against the Ultimate Warrior
1998 Match of the Year against Mankind
PWI ranked him # 2 in the PWI Top 500 in 2002 (his
highest ever ranking).
PWI ranked him # 21 of the 500 best singles
wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Hall of Fame (inducted in 2004)
1991 Best Heel
5-Star Match: vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF In Your
House: Badd Blood, October 5, 1997: Hell in a Cell)
2001 Most Overrated Wrestler
Championship succession
USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship
Preceded by:
Jerry Lawler First Followed by:
Jerry Lawler
USWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
Preceded by:
Eric Embry First Followed by:
Kerry Von Erich
WCW World Tag Team Championship
Preceded by:
Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire First, with Kane
Followed by:
Booker T and Test
WWF/E Championship
Preceded by:
Hulk Hogan First Followed by:
Hulk Hogan
Preceded by:
Sycho Sid Second Followed by:
Bret "Hit Man" Hart
Preceded by:
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin Third Followed by:
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Preceded by:
Hulk Hogan Fourth Followed by:
The Rock
WWF World Tag Team Championship
Preceded by:
Kane and Mankind First, with "Stone Cold" Steve
Austin Followed by:
Kane and Mankind
Preceded by:
Kane and X-Pac Second, with The Big Show Followed
by:
The Rock and
Mankind
Preceded by:
The Rock and Mankind Third, with The Big Show
Followed by:
The Rock and Mankind
Preceded by:
Edge and Christian Fourth, with The Rock Followed
by:
Edge and Christian
Preceded by:
Edge and Christian Fifth, with Kane Followed by:
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H
Preceded by:
Chris Kanyon and Diamond Dallas Page Sixth, with
Kane Followed by:
The Dudley Boyz
WWF/E Hardcore Championship
Preceded by:
Rob Van Dam First Followed by:
Maven
Personal life
Calaway is of Irish and Native American descent.
One of the five sons of Frank and Catherine Calaway, his four brothers are
David, Michael, Paul and Timothy. He graduated from Waltrip High School in 1983
in Houston, Texas, where he played for the school basketball team. He attended
the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas and later graduated from Angelina
College in Lufkin, Texas. He went on to study a degree in Sports Management at
Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was also a member of
the basketball team.
He married his first wife, Jodi Lynn, in 1989. The
couple had a son in 1994, before divorcing in 1999. Calaway met his second and
current wife, Sara, at a WWF autograph signing in San Diego, California, and
eventually married her in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21,
2000, in which his best man was friend and wrestler, Brian Lee, the same man
that posed as the fake Undertaker in 1994. As a wedding gift to Sara, Calaway
had his wife's name tattooed onto his throat and says this is the most painful
tattoo he has ever had. In November 2002, the couple's first daughter, Chasey
Chirie Calaway, was born. In May 2005, the couple had a second daughter, Gracie
Naomi Calaway. Calaway has since had his two daughters' names also tattooed onto
his neck. Calaway, Sara and their two daughters currently live on a ranch in
Bastrop, Texas.
Aside from wrestling, Calaway has many hobbies and
interests. He collects Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and purchased his first
brand new motorcycle after defeating Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Heavyweight
Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series. He enjoys listening to heavy metal
bands such as AC/DC,Black Sabbath,Guns N' Roses,and Metallica. His "American Bad
Ass" persona closely reflected these aspects of his personality, and was
partially inspired by them. Calaway also enjoys country music and blues music.
He is also a big fan of the Mixed Martial Arts, boxing and basketball.
* *
* *
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