Throughout the history of the wrestling business, there has never been a gimmick better protected than The Undertaker. Mark Calloway, the man behind the Deadman has done an amazing job keeping his character close to his chest, not allowing people to see him in a real-life setting at all.
The Undertaker has very rarely done interviews, hasn't shown himself backstage and has just kept his character as protected as possible. It's the reason why the character has been so successful throughout wrestling history. However, recently, the Deadman has begun breaking down his character a lot, which has led to fans seeing Undertaker in ways nobody ever expected. But what are the 10 biggest ways he has broken character throughout his career?
10 Making An Instagram Account
One of the biggest ways that The Undertaker has broken character is by creating an Instagram account. This isn't something anybody thought they would see, with the Deadman just posting images and using the app like anybody else.
It just opens up the reality of the situation, proving that Mark is indeed just a person underneath the Phenom. However, there's no doubt that for some fans, it was a shame to see.
9 Broken Skull Sessions
Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions have proven to be very popular on the WWE Network, but that kicked off with a bang as Austin interviewed The Undertaker. It was an amazing chat, and since then they've done another episode, which is something that the Deadman would never have done in the past.
They told stories, drunk beer and whiskey, and really broke down the barriers that Undertaker had put up. They were great interviews that allowed fans to learn a lot, but it was a character breaking moment for him.
8 His Own Wine
During the peak of his career, The Undertaker would never have allowed a branded wine on his character to be created. It is something that certainly breaks his gimmick, and it would never have happened.
However, now that he's happy to break those lines, the Deadman is more than happy to do that. WWE released Undertaker wine, which is something that Steve Austin even ribbed him about during their interview.
7 Burns From Hell
One situation Undertaker spoke a lot about on his Broken Skulls Session was the 2010 Elimination Chamber. This match was another time Undertaker broke character, but he was totally well within his rights to on this occasion.
'Taker was literally set on fire during the entrance, and instead of a slow walk, it turned into Undertaker almost springing to the ring as he ripped off his coat. The fact he then spent the majority of the match pacing in his pod, pouring water all over his head was also out of character. However, he did have legitimate burns, so this is one fans can't complain about.
6 Calling Out Brock Lesnar
When The Undertaker appeared at the UFC 121 event, he ended up breaking character on television, but he did so for the wrestling business. The Deadman was in the crowd after Brock Lesnar's fight being interviewed by Ariel Helwani.
The two men spoke on the fight until Brock walked by them and the Deadman called him out. It was meant to be to try and get Lesnar back to WWE, but it led to him being asked if he has personal issues with Lesnar, which saw him break character.
5 End Of An Era
The Undertaker is well-known for having huge respect for Triple H and Shawn Michaels. However, at the end of his WrestleMania 28 match with The Game, the three men all broke character and embraced at the top of the ramp, showing their true love for each other.
It was unlike anything that has ever been seen before from the Deadman on that scale, and even though it was technically breaking the Deadman gimmick, it was something that audiences really enjoyed.
4 Battling Hot Wings
Hot Ones is one of the most popular shows on YouTube, and while other wrestlers have appeared on it such as Chris Jericho and Steve Austin, nobody expected to see The Undertaker battle the wings of death.
However, that's what happened as he promoted his Survivor Series Final Farewell. It was a really fun interview that showed Undertaker in a totally unique manner, but it was certainly unlike anything fans had seen before.
3 A Sign Of Respect To Ric Flair
The Undertaker might have recently had his final farewell, but there is one man he has broken character for in his career to pay tribute, which was Ric Flair. During Flair's retirement segment on Raw, the Deadman hit the ring in a post-show moment.
He hit his classic pose and then stood up and hugged the Nature Boy, showing a different side of himself for the first time in a clip that was shared online by WWE itself. This just showcases how much respect The Undertaker has for Flair, with this being the only time he has ever done that.
2 A Kiss To His Wife
At WrestleMania 33, it seemed like The Undertaker's career was over. A big reason for that was the way the match ended, with the Deadman being soundly defeated as he then went on to break character in the closing moments of WrestleMania.
Undertaker would place his hat, gloves, and coat in the middle of the ring as he then went to ringside to kiss his wife, Michelle McCool. It's something that nobody had ever seen him do before, and it was certainly a big character breaking moment.
1 The Undertaker: The Last Ride
When it comes to Undertaker breaking character the biggest way that has happened is through the recent Undertaker: The Last Ride documentary series. This followed The Undertaker from WrestleMania 33 all the way to his decision to retire after WrestleMania 36.
It gave fans exclusive access to his entire journey, pulling back the curtain to showcase the man behind the character. It showed him backstage, it highlighted him training with all the highs and lows, totally breaking down his character.