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The Undertaker

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Mark Calaway
Born (1965-03-24) March 24, 1965 (age 59)
Houston, Texas
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)The Undertaker
Texas Red
The Commando
The Master of Pain
The Punisher
"Punisher" Dice Morgan
Mean Mark Callous
Kane the Undertaker
Billed height6 ft 10½ in (212 cm)
Billed weight305 lb (138 kg)
Billed fromDeath Valley
Trained byDon Jardine
Debut1984

Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965[1] in Houston, Texas) is an American professional wrestler, known to many as The Undertaker. He is currently performing on the SmackDown! brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

As of 2007, Calaway is one of the longest-performing wrestlers in WWE, having joined in 1990.[2]

Career

Early career

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 and later as a singles wrestler. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship 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 the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in late October 1990.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

1990-1994

Calaway debuted in the World Wrestling Federation as The Undertaker on November 22, 1990 at Survivor Series 1990 as the mystery partner to Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar faction. After Survivor Series, Calaway was also called Kane the Undertaker at several shows until "Kane" was dropped from his name, and he reverted back to simply "The Undertaker". Kane later became the name of his half brother.

The appearance of Undertaker was modelled on that of a mortician from old Western movies, with the character being supposedly impervious to pain and possessing supernatural powers, such as teleportation and manipulation of flames and lightning. It was also at this time that the Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer.

In 1991, the Undertaker's popularity grew rapidly. He made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania VII, defeating the legendary "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. After an undefeated year and high-profile feuds with Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan, he defeated Hogan at Survivor Series 1991 to win his first WWF Championship. However, due to interference from Ric Flair, the WWE President, Jack Tunney, ordered a rematch. He lost the title six days later to Hogan at Tuesday in Texas. Between December 1991 and September 1993, the Undertaker did not lose a single match.

Early in 1992, he had a falling out with ally Jake Roberts. After Roberts lost a match on Saturday Night's Main Event to Randy Savage, Roberts planned on attacking Savage and his manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair. Undertaker prevented this from occurring, thus turning face. He went on to defeat Roberts at WrestleMania VIII. He feuded extensively with wrestlers managed by Harvey Whippleman throughout 1992 and 1993, most notably Kamala and Giant Gonzales. He defeated Gonzales by disqualification at WrestleMania IX, then pinned Gonzales at SummerSlam 1993.

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. At the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna sealed Undertaker in the casket. The Undertaker's "spirit" appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, warning that he would return. 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, played by Brian Lee and led by Ted DiBiase. This led to the resurrection of the real Undertaker and an epic battle at SummerSlam 1994, where the real Undertaker was victorious.

1995-1996

Throughout most of 1995, the Undertaker was feuding with members of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation, including IRS and King Kong Bundy. At WrestleMania XI, while Undertaker was facing Bundy, Kama Mustafa stole the Undertaker's source of power, the urn, and disrespected Taker by converting it into a large gold necklace. The two faced each other in a casket match at SummerSlam. After putting on a great match, the Undertaker finally came out on top, closing the lid on Kama. Several weeks later, the Undertaker was assaulted by Yokozuna and King Mabel, which led to an injury of the eye orbital bone, forcing Undertaker into a period of absence for surgery. The Undertaker returned a while later wearing a Phantom-like ghostly grey upper facemask and defeated all of his competition.

The 1996 Royal Rumble saw the unmasking of the Undertaker in a WWF championship match against Bret Hart. Diesel interfered in the match costing the Undertaker the championship. 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. This led to a match between the two giants at WrestleMania XII, in which the Undertaker was victorious.

An even more notable feud involving the Undertaker 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 would ambush and cost the Undertaker several matches. The Undertaker faced Mankind for the very first time at the 1996 King of the Ring.

The Undertaker's feud with Mankind grew more intense. They began taking their battles into crowds and backstage areas. The two also fought in the boiler room areas of different arenas. As a result, these events lead up to the first ever Boiler Room Brawl match between the two at SummerSlam 1996. Undertaker nearly won the match by using the ropes to fling Mankind off the edge of the ring apron. However, when Undertaker reached for the urn, Bearer hit him with it, turning on the Undertaker and allowing Mankind to incapacitate the Undertaker with the Mandible Claw, giving him the win.

The Undertaker's feud continued with Mankind at In Your House: Buried Alive. This event marked the debut of the Buried Alive Match, in which Undertaker defeated Mankind. The match also introduced The Executioner who attacked Undertaker after the match. 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

File:Wm13taker.jpg
The Undertaker as the WWF Champion after WrestleMania 13.

In 1997, Undertaker won his 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, Paul Bearer revealed that the Undertaker had burned his family's house, killing everyone except his brother. He announced that Undertaker's brother was still alive, waiting for revenge all these years. In defense, Undertaker responded that Kane, a pyromaniac, had set the fire and that his brother could not have survived.

Meanwhile, a number of wrestlers pursued Undertaker's title, including Vader, Faarooq and Stone Cold Steve Austin. At SummerSlam 1997, referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit Undertaker with a steel chair shot meant for Bret Hart, costing the Undertaker his WWF Championship. Although the chair shot seemed accidental, Michaels repeated this with added taunting in the oncoming weeks on RAW is WAR. This led to two 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 kayfabe brother Kane, made his debut, ripping off the door to the cell and then giving Undertaker a Tombstone Piledriver, Undertaker's trademark finisher allowing Michaels to pin him. During the next few weeks, Paul Bearer and Kane often challenged The Undertaker to fight his brother but this was refused consistantly by The Undertaker. Leading up to the Royal Rumble, Kane and Paul Bearer had dug up Undertaker's parents and brought them to RAW. Undertaker was thrown into a casket with his mother's remains while his father's remains were set ablaze. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels was in the return of the casket match at the 1998 Royal Rumble. Again, Kane cost the Undertaker the win by trapping him in the coffin. Kane then went on to padlock the casket lid and set it ablaze. However, the Undertaker had disappeared when the casket lid was opened.

After a two-month hiatus, Undertaker returned to challenge and successfully defeat Kane at WrestleMania XIV with three Tombstone Piledrivers. The two would have a rematch in the first ever Inferno match one month later at In Your House: Unforgiven, where the ring was surrounded by fire and the only way to win was to set your opponent on fire. The Undertaker won by setting Kane's arm on fire. Undertaker's longtime feud with Mankind was renewed afterwards, on an episode of RAW, when 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 later 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).

In July 1998 at Fully Loaded, Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Kane and Mankind to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. Undertaker and Austin did not work well as a team during the match and their title defenses and their reign as tag champions lasted for two weeks, as Kane and Mankind regained the titles on an episode of RAW. Undertaker then became the #1 Contender for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1998, now held by Austin. However, shortly before SummerSlam, Undertaker revealed that he and Kane were together as brothers. During the match, Undertaker told Kane that he would defeat Austin on his own, and even though Undertaker didn't win the match, he handed Austin his belt back after the match in a show of respect.

However, in September, 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 In Your House: Breakdown, Undertaker faced both Austin and Kane for Austin's WWF title. Taker and Kane pinned Austin simultaneously, so the title was vacated. After Breakdown, Undertaker and Kane beat McMahon to a pulp for vacating the title. 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. Undertaker went for the pin, but Austin, in typical Stone Cold fashion, refused to count the fall, attacked the Undertaker and counted out both brothers. Finally, after several months of speculation, Undertaker turned heel the next night on RAW is WAR for the first time in over six years, reconciling with Bearer and claiming he and Bearer would unleash their Ministry of Darkness on the World Wrestling Federation. He also admitted that he had indeed set the fire that killed his parents for which he had previously blamed Kane. The Undertaker participated in The "Deadly Games" tournament at Survivor Series 1998. The Undertaker defeated Kane, but lost to the Rock by disqualification when Kane interfered by chokeslamming The Rock.

After Survivor Series, Undertaker turned his attention to Austin for costing him the title at Judgment Day, viciously clobbering Austin 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 became increasingly demonic and sadistic, attempting to embalm Austin alive and even tied Austin to his symbol (a crucifix) and had it raised high into the arena. However, Undertaker lost the match after Kane interfered. On December 6, 1998 The Undertaker went into London, England to fight in a 4-way match involving Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kane and Mankind.

In January 1999, Undertaker returned and remained a monster heel from the end of 1998, and formed 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. 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 RAW that Vince McMahon had been The Undertaker's "Higher Power" all along. After Undertaker lost the WWF title back to Austin one night after King of the Ring 1999 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 Tag Team Championship, teaming with The Big Show. He 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 and part of the next.

2000-2001

Undertaker's gimmick was dramatically 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. Along with the gimmick change, Undertaker also began using the Last Ride (Elevated Powerbomb) as his finishing move, as opposed to the Tombstone Piledriver which had become synonymous with the Undertaker over the years. He was referred to as the "American Bad Ass". Unlike many gimmick changes with little or no explanation, this was generally well-received by fans, since it reflected his real-life personality.

At Judgment Day 2000, Undertaker took out all the members of The McMahon-Helmsley Faction, quickly turning face. 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 contend for the WWF Tag Team Championship. They defeated Edge and Christian, earning the right to face them the following week for the tag titles. However, Edge and Christian retained the titles. Kane turned on the Undertaker by chokeslamming him twice on the August 14 Monday Night RAW, which led to another match between the two at SummerSlam 2000, which ended in a no-contest as Kane ran from the ring area after The Undertaker removed Kane's mask.

Undertaker challenged Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series 2000. Angle gained the win over Undertaker following interference from Kurt's real life brother, Eric Angle. Undertaker demanded and was awarded a spot in the 6 man Hell in a Cell Match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon 2000. Undertaker did not emerge victorious but highlighted the match by throwing one of the other competitors, Rikishi, off the roof of the cell.

In 2001, Undertaker reunited with Kane as the Brothers of Destruction and contested for the WWF Tag Team Championship once again. They then got a shot at the Tag Titles at No Way Out 2001, 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 victorious.

File:Brothers of destruction 2.jpg
The Brothers of Destruction (Kane & The Undertaker) in 2001 as the WWF and WCW Tag Team Champions.

After Undertaker defeated Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven, he and Kane continued to focus on Triple H, who formed a surprise alliance with WWF Champion Steve Austin. After they injured Kane's arm, the Brothers of Destruction were granted an opportunity to face Triple H and Austin. Undertaker and Kane managed to win the WWF Tag Titles from Edge & Christian and the right to face Triple H and Austin. At Backlash 2001, Triple H pinned Kane after attacking him with a sledgehammer, and the Brothers of Destruction lost the titles. With Kane injured, Undertaker began targeting Steve Austin and his WWF Championship. At Judgment Day 2001, Undertaker lost to Austin.

As part of the infamous 2001 Invasion angle, the Undertaker's next opponent was Diamond Dallas Page. Page was obsessively following the Undertaker's wife Sara. At SummerSlam 2001, 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. They were the first team to hold both the WCW and WWF tag team titles simultaneously. They went on to lose both championships.

At Survivor Series 2001, Undertaker teamed up with Kane, The Rock, Chris Jericho, and The Big Show to take on The Alliance's Steve Austin, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Shane McMahon, and Kurt Angle. Angle pinned the Undertaker due to interference by Austin. After the Alliance was defeated, The Undertaker turned heel once again by forcing commentator Jim Ross to kiss Vince McMahon's ass. This was the beginning of a new persona for The Undertaker, as he cut his famous long hair short and now called himself Big Evil. At Vengeance 2001, The Undertaker beat Van Dam to capture the WWF Hardcore Championship.

2002-2003

At the 2002 Royal Rumble, Maven eliminated The Undertaker by dropkicking him from behind. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage. On an episode of Smackdown!, The Rock mentioned the Undertaker's elimination at the Royal Rumble, angering The Undertaker, causing him to cost The Rock the #1 contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship. Their feud continued, with the Rock costing the Undertaker his match with Maven for the Hardcore Championship. The two faced off at No Way Out 2002, but the Undertaker lost due to interference from Ric Flair. Flair declined a challenge to wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania X8 and as a result, Undertaker assaulted his son David Flair on several occasions. Ric Flair eventually accepted the match after The Undertaker threatened to inflict the same punishment on his daughter. A No Disqualification stipulation added, and The Undertaker emerged with the win, improving his WrestleMania record to 10-0.

Undertaker defeated Steve Austin at Backlash 2002 to win the #1 contendership for the WWF Undisputed Championship. Later that night, he helped Hulk Hogan win his title match against Undisputed Champion Triple H. The Undertaker went on to defeat Hogan for his fourth and final world championship to date at Judgment Day 2002.

Undertaker soon turned face, after he faced Jeff Hardy in a Ladder Match, raising his hand after the match as a sign of respect. However, Undertaker lost his title at Vengeance 2002 to The Rock in a Triple Threat Match that also involved Kurt Angle. When contracts were open during the end of the feud between McMahon and Flair, The Undertaker switched from RAW to SmackDown!, alongside former RAW talent Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero. After defeating Test at SummerSlam 2002, Undertaker challenged Brock Lesnar in a title match at Unforgiven 2002, but it ended in a double-DQ after Lesnar started shoot fighting. Their feud carried over to No Mercy 2002 in a Hell in a Cell Match. Undertaker worked the match with a broken hand, and eventually lost to the champion after being overpowered. Undertaker would then suffer a kayfabe injury after the Big Show threw him off the stage.

The Undertaker returned at the 2003 Royal Rumble drawing #30, but was the last man eliminated by Brock Lesnar after being distracted by Batista. He would then start a feud with Big Show. After Nathan Jones came to the Undertaker's aid at No Way Out 2003, 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. However, Jones was removed prior to the match, making it a handicap match, which Undertaker won with the help of Jones, improving his WrestleMania record to 11-0.

Undertaker went on to feud against the Full Blooded Italians, John Cena, A-Train, Brock Lesnar, and Vince McMahon. He had two WWE Championship opportunities over the course of the year. The first, on the September 4, 2003 SmackDown!, against Kurt Angle, ended in a no contest. The second, at No Mercy 2003, was a Biker Chain Match between Undertaker and Lesnar. With the help of Vince McMahon, Lesnar won, making it his second straight successful No Mercy WWE Title match against Undertaker.

At Survivor Series 2003, Undertaker lost his Buried Alive Match against Vince McMahon when Kane interfered. After the Undertaker disappeared for some time following the match, Kane claimed that he was dead and buried forever.

2004-2005

In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania XX, Kane was haunted by vignettes proclaiming an Undertaker return. The first was during the 2004 Royal Rumble when Undertaker's bells tolled distracting Kane and allowing Booker T to eliminate him.

At WrestleMania XX, the Undertaker finally returned, using the Deadman persona, again accompanied by Paul Bearer, and he defeated Kane. This persona could be best described as a hybrid of the classic Undertaker and the American Bad Ass. 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 Great American Bash 2004, Undertaker buried Bearer in cement. Fans were later told that Bearer was "seriously injured", but in reality, he was simply removed from WWE programming due to health reasons.

After defeating the Dudley Boyz, Undertaker challenged WWE Champion John Bradshaw Layfield to a title match at SummerSlam 2004, where Undertaker lost. At No Mercy 2004, Undertaker and JBL competed in a "Last Ride" match, although Undertaker lost after Heidenreich interfered. After taking care of Heidenreich, Undertaker turned his focus to 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, in which Undertaker was unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference. This led to a Casket Match between Undertaker and Heidenreich at the 2005 Royal Rumble, where Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory.

Soon afterward, Randy Orton challenged the Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 21, claiming he would be the one to end the Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak. Even with help from his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Randy failed, and the Undertaker improved his WrestleMania record to 13-0. Following WrestleMania, Undertaker took a two month hiatus from wrestling after the birth of his second daughter in late May 2005.

He returned for the June 30 episode of SmackDown! in the SmackDown! Championship six-way elimination match. SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long booked Muhammad Hassan in a match against The Undertaker at The Great American Bash 2005, where the Undertaker defeated Hassan in Hassan's last match in WWE. As a result of the win, he became #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. However, JBL felt he should be #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 was drafted to SmackDown!. With this, Undertaker resumed his feud with Orton.

At SummerSlam 2005, Undertaker and Randy Orton had a WrestleMania rematch, which Orton won. After weeks of their feud building up, Undertaker defeated Randy on the second episode of Friday Night SmackDown! The two would taunt each other with caskets leading to a casket match, in which Undertaker lost to Randy, and his father "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 alight, much like Kane did in 1998. However, when the charred casket was opened, the Undertaker had vanished. He then made a dramatic return at the 2005 Survivor Series, emerging from a burning casket.

Despite a controversial 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 a Cell match at Armageddon 2005. After winning the Hell in a Cell match, Calaway took a short hiatus from wrestling.

2006-2007

At the 2006 Royal Rumble, Undertaker returned during Kurt Angle's celebration of his world title defense. He entered on a horse drawn cart and made his intentions known by destroying the ring with lightning bolts. Undertaker lost his match with Kurt Angle at No Way Out 2006 after a gruelling thirty minute bout, considered one of the best of 2006. Undertaker cornered Angle after the match, and after a stare down, told Angle that he had his number and that he wasn't finished with him yet.

The Undertaker had his No Way Out rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against Angle on the following episode of SmackDown!. Mark Henry attacked him from behind, costing him the title. Undertaker challenged Mark Henry to a Casket Match at WrestleMania 22 and Henry, like Orton a year before him, vowed to end the Undertaker's Wrestlemania winning streak. Undertaker defeated Mark Henry to become 14-0 at WrestleMania, keeping his undefeated streak alive. During a rematch on the April 7 edition of SmackDown!, The Great Khali made his debut, and began an assault on the Undertaker.

The Undertaker was not heard from until the May 5 edition of SmackDown!, as General Manager Theodore Long delivered a challenge from Undertaker to Khali for a match at Judgment Day 2006. Undertaker would go on to lose the match to Khali and would not appear again until the July 4 edition of SmackDown! to accept Khali's challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash. Khali was removed from the match, due to elevated liver enzymes, and 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 The Undertaker shortly before the match. Khali was then challenged to a Last Man Standing match at SummerSlam 2006 after interfering in Undertaker's match with World Heavyweight Champion King Booker. After Khali refused the challenge for Summerslam, Teddy 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. After his victory, Undertaker was not seen for several weeks.

The Undertaker returned to face United States Champion Mr. Kennedy at No Mercy 2006, but was disqualified after he hit Kennedy with the championship belt. Undertaker earned his first pinfall victory of the year against Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms, while continuing to play mind games with Mr. Kennedy.

On the November 3 edition of Smackdown!, The 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 MVP, with whom Kane was feuding at the time. Undertaker lost against Mr. Kennedy in a First Blood match at Survivor Series, due to interference from MVP, but finally defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match at Armageddon 2006. The two continued into 2007 as Kennedy cost Undertaker two World Heavyweight Championship opportunities for a championship match at the 2007 Royal Rumble. On the last SmackDown! before the Rumble, The Undertaker sent a message to the Royal Rumble competitors by interfering and decimating all the participants (except Kane) in a 6-man Battle Royal between Kane, MVP, Chris Benoit, Finlay, King Booker and The Miz.

At the 2007 Royal Rumble, in his eighth attempt, Undertaker won his first Royal Rumble Match, last eliminating Shawn Michaels to win a championship match in the main event of WrestleMania 23, thus becoming the first man to enter the Rumble at No. 30 and go on to win the match. The next week, he made appearances on RAW, ECW, and SmackDown! before challenging Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship. At No Way Out 2007, Undertaker and Batista teamed up, but Undertaker suffered a spinebuster at the hands of Batista, letting their opponents Shawn Michaels and John Cena get the victory.

Legacy

WrestleMania winning streak

The Undertaker's winning streak at WrestleMania is unparalleled in World Wrestling Entertainment history, standing currently at fourteen victories, no losses and no draws (14-0). Edge holds the next best record with 5 wins and zero losses (5-0). Since The Undertaker's introduction to the WWE, he has missed only WrestleMania X and WrestleMania 2000, both times due to injuries. The wrestlers whom Undertaker has Faced during the streak are:

  1. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka (WrestleMania VII in 1991)
  2. Jake "The Snake" Roberts (WrestleMania VIII in 1992)
  3. Giant Gonzales (WrestleMania IX in 1993 by disqualification)
  4. King Kong Bundy (WrestleMania XI in 1995)
  5. Diesel (WrestleMania XII in 1996)
  6. Sycho Sid (WrestleMania 13 in 1997 for the WWF Championship)
  7. Kane (WrestleMania XIV in 1998)
  8. The Big Boss Man (WrestleMania XV in a Hell in a Cell match in 1999)
  9. Triple H (WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001)
  10. Ric Flair (WrestleMania X8 in a No Disqualification match in 2002)
  11. A-Train and The Big Show (WrestleMania XIX in a Handicap match in 2003)
  12. Kane (WrestleMania XX in 2004)
  13. Randy Orton (WrestleMania 21 in 2005)
  14. Mark Henry (WrestleMania 22 in a Casket match in 2006)

Specialty Matches

The Undertaker is fairly renowned for creating, or at least being in the first version of, many specialty matches in the WWE. Traditionally, The Undertaker is credited with creating the Buried Alive match, Hell in a Cell, Casket match, and Last Ride match. As the "American Badass", he also created the Biker Chain match, a version of the (Object) on a Pole match.

The Undertaker was also involved in the first two instances of the Inferno match, both times defeating Kane, with whom the Inferno match would become linked; the first and only Punjabi Prison match, created by The Great Khali, though Khali was removed from the match due to elevated liver enzymes and replaced by Big Show; and the first Boiler Room Brawl match, a specialty match for Mankind.

In wrestling

File:TombstoneMarkHenry.jpg
The Undertaker delivering a Tombstone Piledriver to Mark Henry
  • Finishing and Signature moves
  • Managers
  • Nicknames
  • The American Bad Ass
  • Red Devil
  • Big Evil
  • The Pale Destroyer
  • The Deadman
  • Deadman, Inc.
  • Dead Man Walking
  • The Lord of Darkness
  • The Personification of Evil
  • The Phenom
  • The Prince of Darkness
  • 'Taker

Championships and accomplishments

1 Final reign was as WWE Undisputed Champion.
2 Won title during the WWE & WCW Invasion and also held the WWE World Tag Team Championship at the same time.
3 Became the first man to enter number 30 and win.
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Personal life

[original research?]

Calaway met his second and current wife, Sara, at a WWF autograph signing in San Diego, California. He eventually married her in a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 2000. Mark and Sara currently have two daughters together, Chasey (born in 2002) and Gracie (born in 2005). Mark was previously married to Jodi Lynn. They wed in February 1989 but divorced in June 1999. They have a son called Gunner.

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. His favorite tattoo is a thinking demon on his right arm. In addition to the thinking demon, Undertaker has several other tattoos. He has a gravedigger which he refers to as "Original Deadman". He has many skull, castle and wizard tattoos. When talking about his body art he has said that there is king of medievil thing going-on on his arms. He also has a dancing skeleton on the back of his neck. The Undertaker also has the initials B.S.K. on his abdominal area which stand for "Back Stage Krew" and/or "Brotherhood of Solitary Knights". The Back Stage Krew was a group of wrestlers that Undertaker had befriended including Charles Wright (best known as The Godfather), Rodney Anoa'i (Yokozuna) and Brian Lee (Chainz, Ted DiBiase's Undertaker). He also recently added his daughters names as tattoos on his neck on either side of the center tattoo of his wife's name.

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 enjoys listening to bands like AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Black Label Society. 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 Mixed Martial Arts, basketball and boxing. [1]

As an avid boxing fan, The Undertaker was also the person who carried the US flag while leading Team Pacquiao to the ring during Pacquiao vs. Velázquez fight in 2005. This was also confirmed by another WWE Superstar, Batista. Batista revealed this during a televised interview in the Philippines while promoting an upcoming WWE promotional tour which was set to be shown in the country (WWE SmackDown! Survivor Series Tour 2006).

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.phenomforever.com/info/factfile.php The Undertaker's birthdate.
  2. ^ Michaels, Shawn. 2005, Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story, Pocket Books, New York. (p251)

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