Early Wrestling Career
Mark Calaway was born on March 24, 1965, in Houston, Texas. During high school, Calaway competed in basketball and football; his athleticism earned him a basketball scholarship at Angelina College and later for Texas Wesleyan University. In 1986, Calaway dropped out of college to pursue a career in sports, leading him to train in professional wrestling.
Calaway wrestled his first match on June 26, 1987, for WCCW at the Dallas Sportatorium. Two years later, Calaway signed with WCW under the ring name “Mean Mark” Callous. However, the booking office of WCW was largely dismissive of Calaway, leading him to seek out a job with the company’s chief rival, WWE.
WWE Debut
Calaway made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 1990 and introduced the world to his new self, The Undertaker. With his manager Paul Bearer at his side, The Undertaker immediately became a dominant force in WWE, intimidating opponents out of the ring and destroying them between the ropes. At Survivor Series 1991, one year after his WWE debut, The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan to become WWE Champion for the first time in his career.
At the helm of WWE, The Undertaker made history time and time again. He participated in the first-ever Casket Match, the first-ever Buried Alive Match, and the inaugural Hell in a Cell Match on October 5, 1997.
The American Badass
In May 2000, Calaway introduced another aspect of his WWE persona, this one much more inspired by his real life than the Old West mortician. Fans had seen The Undertaker as the head of The Ministry and as The Lord of Darkness, but this new Undertaker took a drastic change in direction.
Calaway debuted the “American Badass” at Judgment Day on May 21, 2000. He immediately established himself as a face by attacking WWE Champion Triple H. During this time, The Undertaker also feuded with his onscreen brother, Kane, though they soon after reunited and became WWE Tag Team Champions.
The Rebirth Of The Deadman
At WrestleMania XX, Calaway revived the Deadman to defeat Kane. This iteration of The Undertaker was much more supernatural and theatric in his presentation, yet he retained some of the more human aspects introduced by the American Badass. He had become a larger-than-life spectacle, worthy of the moniker, “The Phenom.”
Of all The Undertaker’s accomplishments, none are more renowned or unique than his incredible undefeated streak at WrestleMania. Beginning at WrestleMania VII in 1991, The Undertaker went over two decades without taking a loss at WWE’s flagship event. He defeated stars like Shawn Michaels, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Triple H, Randy Orton, Edge, and CM Punk. The streak came to a shocking end at WrestleMania 30 at the hands of Brock Lesnar.
Retirement & Hall Of Fame Induction
Wrestlers are often very reluctant to retire, and none exemplified this more than The Undertaker. Time had taken its toll on Calaway’s body, making his appearances in WWE more sporadic.
Still, Calaway pushed through the pain and aspired to perform whenever he could, including WrestleMania 31 where he defeated Bray Wyatt, and WrestleMania 34 where he defeated John Cena. In his final match, The Undertaker faced AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36. Calaway came away victorious, bringing his final WrestleMania record to 25-2.
The Undertaker officially retired at Survivor Series on November 22, 2020, 30 years to the day that he first stepped foot in a WWE ring, He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022.
