Zenithian Legend
Banned
Say hello to The Deadman
Over the past 15 years hundreds of superstars have come and gone from the WWE. The WWE Title has changed hands 64 times (an additional 13 times if you include the World Heavyweight Title once it was given to HHH and used in the WWE) since the debut of The Undertaker back at Survivor Series 1990. No current Superstar has remained on the active roster as long as The Undertaker, and only Shawn Michaels can claim to have wrestled for Vince McMahon longer.
They call him The Phenom, and if you have ever seen an Undertaker match live, you're sure to know why. When the lights go out, the gong tolls, the mist begins to rise and The Undertaker appears in the entry ramp a chill shoots through your blood, as you're overwhelmed by the awe-inspiring presence of The Deadman.
During his WWE tenure The Undertaker has truly feuded with a who's who of the wrestling world, and in doing-so has come to epitomize the WWE itself. Ironically Taker's career didn't start in the WWE...
Mark Calloway was born on March 24, 1962 in Houston, Texas. He started off working as a bouncer down in Texas, before a southern wrestling promoter approached him. Calloway competed under a mask in the USWA in Texas, wrestling as "Texas Red" "The Punisher" and "Master of Pain". It was as The Master of Pain that he would win his first Heavyweight Title, defeating Jerry Lawler on April 1, 1989.
On the side he continued to work as a bouncer at various clubs in Texas between Houston and the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. At the same time, my own uncle was attempting to make it big as the lead singer of a Rock band. The two men got to know each other, and The Undertaker would often make fun of my uncle, telling him to "cut his long girly hair".
Alas, Mark Calloway was destined for bigger things than the independent circuit and working as a bouncer, and by the end of 1989, WCW had called him up. He debuted as "Mean" Mark Callous. He teamed with Dan Spivey (Waylon Mercy) as a part of The Skyscrapers, managed by none other than Teddy Long. They actually defeated the then nearly unbeatable Road Warriors by DQ.
Mean Mark Callous didn't even last a year in WCW, as Vince McMahon saw his amazing potential and quickly brought him in to the WWF. It was there that Mark Calloway was given the name "Kane the Undertaker". The "Kane" portion was dropped from his name before appearing on TV, and at the 1990 Survivor Series The Undertaker appeared as a part of Ted Dibiase's team.
By Wrestlemania VII, The Undertaker had his new manager Paul Bearer, many people don't know this, but Taker was originally managed by Brother Love.
The Undertaker went on to feud with everyone, and I mean everyone. It started with The Ultimate Warrior, as Taker continued to build momentum.
Then at the 1991 Survivor Series, just one year after his WWF debut, The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan to win the WWF Heavyweight title, with the aid of Ric Flair. Unfortunately the title was vacated only a week later, when Hogan and The Undertaker had their match interrupted by Ric Flair again.
Around this time the crowd began to really take to The Undertaker and so he turned face. Taker continued to rip through the WWF roster in all sorts of innovative matches. The Undertaker is the WWE's originator of The Casket Match, The Buried Alive Match, The Inferno Match, and of course... Hell in the Cell.
Somewhere around this time, The Undertaker's series run-ins with my family continued. This time it was with my mother. My mom was boarding The Undertaker on to a plane, and asked him where he wanted her to put his tickets. He told her just to put them in the front of his suitcase, so she unzipped it and to her horror she found... The Undertaker's underwear!
At The Royal Rumble in 1994, Yokozuna and around 20 other men helped seal The Undertaker inside a casket. The Undertaker vanished for awhile, and Leslie Neelson was hired to find him.
The Undertaker resurfaced in early summer of 1994, again managed by Ted Dibiase, and again evil. In one of the best swerves in WWF history, Paul Bearer returned and claimed that Dibiase's Undertaker was a fake. Fans were certainly skeptical, but at Summerslam that year, the real Undertaker would return and defeat the fake Undertaker (Brian Lee/Chainz) in a casket match.
Taker continued to feud with the whole of the federation, remaining one of the company's top draws for the next few years. Feuding primarily with Mick Foley as Mankind, in a series of hellacious matches that included the Boiler room brawl, Buried Alive, and Casket Matches.
At Wrestlemania XIII, The Undertaker would finally regain the WWF Heavyweight title defeating Sycho Sid. This time The Deadman's title reign would last much longer, as he would finally drop the belt to Bret Hart at Summerslam, when none other than guest referee Shawn Michaels hit Undertaker with a chair, helping Bret win the match.
A few months later at Bad Blood, The Undertaker would attempt to gain revenge on Michaels in the first ever Hell in the Cell match. Taker tossed Michaels off the cage, and appeared to have the upper hand, when all of a sudden the arena went dark red, demonic organs played and The Undertaker's brother Kane showed up, ripping the door off the cage, and giving The Undertaker the Tombstone, allowing Michaels to win the match. Thus began what would be a very love-hate relationship between Taker and Kane, that has continued through to today.
1998 was a very memorable year for The Deadman, as he would have two of the most unforgettable matches in WWE history. First he defeated Kane in an inferno match, setting the arm of his brother on fire. Then two months later he defeated Mick Foley (Mankind) in their infamous Hell in a Cell match, a match that is remembered as perhaps the most brutal on American soil. Taker would also defeat Steve Austin at Breakdown, the September ppv that year, but since Undertaker pinned Austin simultaneously with Kane, the title was held vacant.
The Undertaker then slipped further into the Dark Side, the very Dark Side, forming the Ministry. A few months later The Ministry of Darkness combined with Shane McMahon's Corporation to form the Corporate Ministry. Shane and Taker then both claimed that they answered to the very mysterious "Higher Power".
On May 23, 1999 (the most tragic day in wrestling history) The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin to win the WWF Heavyweight Title for the 3rd time. Sadly this event was overshadowed by the unfortunate event that took place earlier in the night.
Several weeks later on Raw, The Higher Power that The Undertaker answered too finally revealed himself, it was Vince McMahon all along.
On an episode of Raw in June of 1999, roughly a month after Taker had won the title, he dropped it back to Austin. Slowly The Corporate Ministry began to dissolve and Taker began to appear less and less on TV.
Over half a year later, The Undertaker returned, with a shocking gimmick change, he now came down to the ring on a motorcycle, and had pretty much become a biker. It was at this time that Undertaker resumed his run-ins with my family, and fortunately this time it was my turn. I sat next to Kurt Angle on an airplane and immediately across the aisle sat The Undertaker. I mentioned to Kurt Angle that Taker was undefeated at Wrestlemania, and Kurt asked him if this was true, Taker then looked at me and said "Hey kid, don't jinx it." Next, I told Kurt that Mideon used to be a pig farmer, again Kurt asked Undertaker to verify this, Taker told Kurt that I was half right, but Mideon didn't farm pigs, he
ED them! Clearly, the man has a disturbing sense of humor. Kurt Angle then told me, that The Undertaker didn't drop his gimmick to become a biker, but rather dropped his old gimmick and became himself!
The Undertaker continued to feud with pretty much the entire lockerroom always remaining at the top of the card. The fans though grew sick of the "American Badass" and wanted the old Deadman Undertaker to return. Instead of doing that, The Undertaker turned heel, forcing Jim Ross to join the illustrious Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club.
At Judgment Day 2002, The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan (again) to win the WWE Undisputed Title. Two weeks later on Smackdown, The Undertaker successfully defended his title defeating Randy Orton in their very first encounter.
The Undertaker began a fairly solid title run, that included one very memorable match on Raw against Jeff Hardy. It was a ladder match, and naturally Jeff came very close to winning, but in the end Taker emerged victorious. Following the match, The Deadman raised Jeff Hardy's arm, and thus turned face again.
On July 21, 2002 at Vengeance in Detroit, I was fortunate enough to be on hand to see The Rock end The Undertaker's 4th title reign in an amazing triple threat match that included Kurt Angle.
Again, Taker would resume feuding with any and everyone on the roster for the next year. Including Vince McMahon, who would defeat The Undertaker with the help of Kane in a buried alive match at Survivor Series 2003.
Finally, at Wrestlemania XX, the fans were given their wish, and The Deadman rose again. After months of build-up, the arena finally darkened, the gongs tolled, the mist rose, and The Undertaker stood eerily on the entry ramp once more.
Since then The Undertaker has remained at the top of the mountain. Although, he has yet to recapture the WWE Championship again, The Undertaker remains a serious contender, battling Kurt Angle for the title, in a 30 minute classic at No Way Out.
Throughout his career The Undertaker has won the World Heavyweight Championship 4 times. He also held the Hardcore title for a brief period of time back in 2001. The Undertaker has also won the WWE Tag Titles on 6 separate occasions. He first won the Tag Titles with Steve Austin, then with The Big Show, next with The Rock, and finally twice with Kane. During The Undertaker & Kane's final WWE Tag Title run they also captured the WCW Tag Titles, and held all of the tag belts at once.
Despite all of these accomplishments, titles, and major storylines, perhaps The Undertaker's most impressive feat is his unblemished record of 13-0 at Wrestlemania.
The Undertaker's Wrestlemania Run:
Wrestlemania VII: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
Wrestlemania VIII: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Wrestlemania IX: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats Giant Gonzales w/ Harvey Wippleman via DQ
Wrestlemania XI: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats King Kong Bundy w/Ted DiBiase
Wrestlemania XII: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats Diesel
Wrestlemania XIII: Undertaker defeats Sycho Sid for the WWF Heavyweight Title
Wrestlemania XIV: Undertaker defeats Kane w/Paul Bearer
Wrestlemania XV: Undertaker defeats Big Bossman in a Hell in a Cell match
Wrestlemania XVII: Undertaker defeats Triple H in a falls count anywhere match
Wrestlemania XVIII: Undertaker defeats Ric Flair in a No-DQ match
Wrestlemania XIX: Undertaker defeats Big Show & A-Train in a handicap match
Wrestlemania XX: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats Kane
Wrestlemania XXI: Undertaker defeats Randy Orton w/Bob Orton
Over the past 15 years hundreds of superstars have come and gone from the WWE. The WWE Title has changed hands 64 times (an additional 13 times if you include the World Heavyweight Title once it was given to HHH and used in the WWE) since the debut of The Undertaker back at Survivor Series 1990. No current Superstar has remained on the active roster as long as The Undertaker, and only Shawn Michaels can claim to have wrestled for Vince McMahon longer.
They call him The Phenom, and if you have ever seen an Undertaker match live, you're sure to know why. When the lights go out, the gong tolls, the mist begins to rise and The Undertaker appears in the entry ramp a chill shoots through your blood, as you're overwhelmed by the awe-inspiring presence of The Deadman.
During his WWE tenure The Undertaker has truly feuded with a who's who of the wrestling world, and in doing-so has come to epitomize the WWE itself. Ironically Taker's career didn't start in the WWE...
Mark Calloway was born on March 24, 1962 in Houston, Texas. He started off working as a bouncer down in Texas, before a southern wrestling promoter approached him. Calloway competed under a mask in the USWA in Texas, wrestling as "Texas Red" "The Punisher" and "Master of Pain". It was as The Master of Pain that he would win his first Heavyweight Title, defeating Jerry Lawler on April 1, 1989.
On the side he continued to work as a bouncer at various clubs in Texas between Houston and the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. At the same time, my own uncle was attempting to make it big as the lead singer of a Rock band. The two men got to know each other, and The Undertaker would often make fun of my uncle, telling him to "cut his long girly hair".
Alas, Mark Calloway was destined for bigger things than the independent circuit and working as a bouncer, and by the end of 1989, WCW had called him up. He debuted as "Mean" Mark Callous. He teamed with Dan Spivey (Waylon Mercy) as a part of The Skyscrapers, managed by none other than Teddy Long. They actually defeated the then nearly unbeatable Road Warriors by DQ.
Mean Mark Callous didn't even last a year in WCW, as Vince McMahon saw his amazing potential and quickly brought him in to the WWF. It was there that Mark Calloway was given the name "Kane the Undertaker". The "Kane" portion was dropped from his name before appearing on TV, and at the 1990 Survivor Series The Undertaker appeared as a part of Ted Dibiase's team.
By Wrestlemania VII, The Undertaker had his new manager Paul Bearer, many people don't know this, but Taker was originally managed by Brother Love.
The Undertaker went on to feud with everyone, and I mean everyone. It started with The Ultimate Warrior, as Taker continued to build momentum.
Then at the 1991 Survivor Series, just one year after his WWF debut, The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan to win the WWF Heavyweight title, with the aid of Ric Flair. Unfortunately the title was vacated only a week later, when Hogan and The Undertaker had their match interrupted by Ric Flair again.
Around this time the crowd began to really take to The Undertaker and so he turned face. Taker continued to rip through the WWF roster in all sorts of innovative matches. The Undertaker is the WWE's originator of The Casket Match, The Buried Alive Match, The Inferno Match, and of course... Hell in the Cell.
Somewhere around this time, The Undertaker's series run-ins with my family continued. This time it was with my mother. My mom was boarding The Undertaker on to a plane, and asked him where he wanted her to put his tickets. He told her just to put them in the front of his suitcase, so she unzipped it and to her horror she found... The Undertaker's underwear!
At The Royal Rumble in 1994, Yokozuna and around 20 other men helped seal The Undertaker inside a casket. The Undertaker vanished for awhile, and Leslie Neelson was hired to find him.
The Undertaker resurfaced in early summer of 1994, again managed by Ted Dibiase, and again evil. In one of the best swerves in WWF history, Paul Bearer returned and claimed that Dibiase's Undertaker was a fake. Fans were certainly skeptical, but at Summerslam that year, the real Undertaker would return and defeat the fake Undertaker (Brian Lee/Chainz) in a casket match.
Taker continued to feud with the whole of the federation, remaining one of the company's top draws for the next few years. Feuding primarily with Mick Foley as Mankind, in a series of hellacious matches that included the Boiler room brawl, Buried Alive, and Casket Matches.
At Wrestlemania XIII, The Undertaker would finally regain the WWF Heavyweight title defeating Sycho Sid. This time The Deadman's title reign would last much longer, as he would finally drop the belt to Bret Hart at Summerslam, when none other than guest referee Shawn Michaels hit Undertaker with a chair, helping Bret win the match.
A few months later at Bad Blood, The Undertaker would attempt to gain revenge on Michaels in the first ever Hell in the Cell match. Taker tossed Michaels off the cage, and appeared to have the upper hand, when all of a sudden the arena went dark red, demonic organs played and The Undertaker's brother Kane showed up, ripping the door off the cage, and giving The Undertaker the Tombstone, allowing Michaels to win the match. Thus began what would be a very love-hate relationship between Taker and Kane, that has continued through to today.
1998 was a very memorable year for The Deadman, as he would have two of the most unforgettable matches in WWE history. First he defeated Kane in an inferno match, setting the arm of his brother on fire. Then two months later he defeated Mick Foley (Mankind) in their infamous Hell in a Cell match, a match that is remembered as perhaps the most brutal on American soil. Taker would also defeat Steve Austin at Breakdown, the September ppv that year, but since Undertaker pinned Austin simultaneously with Kane, the title was held vacant.
The Undertaker then slipped further into the Dark Side, the very Dark Side, forming the Ministry. A few months later The Ministry of Darkness combined with Shane McMahon's Corporation to form the Corporate Ministry. Shane and Taker then both claimed that they answered to the very mysterious "Higher Power".
On May 23, 1999 (the most tragic day in wrestling history) The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin to win the WWF Heavyweight Title for the 3rd time. Sadly this event was overshadowed by the unfortunate event that took place earlier in the night.
Several weeks later on Raw, The Higher Power that The Undertaker answered too finally revealed himself, it was Vince McMahon all along.
On an episode of Raw in June of 1999, roughly a month after Taker had won the title, he dropped it back to Austin. Slowly The Corporate Ministry began to dissolve and Taker began to appear less and less on TV.
Over half a year later, The Undertaker returned, with a shocking gimmick change, he now came down to the ring on a motorcycle, and had pretty much become a biker. It was at this time that Undertaker resumed his run-ins with my family, and fortunately this time it was my turn. I sat next to Kurt Angle on an airplane and immediately across the aisle sat The Undertaker. I mentioned to Kurt Angle that Taker was undefeated at Wrestlemania, and Kurt asked him if this was true, Taker then looked at me and said "Hey kid, don't jinx it." Next, I told Kurt that Mideon used to be a pig farmer, again Kurt asked Undertaker to verify this, Taker told Kurt that I was half right, but Mideon didn't farm pigs, he
ED them! Clearly, the man has a disturbing sense of humor. Kurt Angle then told me, that The Undertaker didn't drop his gimmick to become a biker, but rather dropped his old gimmick and became himself! The Undertaker continued to feud with pretty much the entire lockerroom always remaining at the top of the card. The fans though grew sick of the "American Badass" and wanted the old Deadman Undertaker to return. Instead of doing that, The Undertaker turned heel, forcing Jim Ross to join the illustrious Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club.
At Judgment Day 2002, The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan (again) to win the WWE Undisputed Title. Two weeks later on Smackdown, The Undertaker successfully defended his title defeating Randy Orton in their very first encounter.
The Undertaker began a fairly solid title run, that included one very memorable match on Raw against Jeff Hardy. It was a ladder match, and naturally Jeff came very close to winning, but in the end Taker emerged victorious. Following the match, The Deadman raised Jeff Hardy's arm, and thus turned face again.
On July 21, 2002 at Vengeance in Detroit, I was fortunate enough to be on hand to see The Rock end The Undertaker's 4th title reign in an amazing triple threat match that included Kurt Angle.
Again, Taker would resume feuding with any and everyone on the roster for the next year. Including Vince McMahon, who would defeat The Undertaker with the help of Kane in a buried alive match at Survivor Series 2003.
Finally, at Wrestlemania XX, the fans were given their wish, and The Deadman rose again. After months of build-up, the arena finally darkened, the gongs tolled, the mist rose, and The Undertaker stood eerily on the entry ramp once more.
Since then The Undertaker has remained at the top of the mountain. Although, he has yet to recapture the WWE Championship again, The Undertaker remains a serious contender, battling Kurt Angle for the title, in a 30 minute classic at No Way Out.
Throughout his career The Undertaker has won the World Heavyweight Championship 4 times. He also held the Hardcore title for a brief period of time back in 2001. The Undertaker has also won the WWE Tag Titles on 6 separate occasions. He first won the Tag Titles with Steve Austin, then with The Big Show, next with The Rock, and finally twice with Kane. During The Undertaker & Kane's final WWE Tag Title run they also captured the WCW Tag Titles, and held all of the tag belts at once.
Despite all of these accomplishments, titles, and major storylines, perhaps The Undertaker's most impressive feat is his unblemished record of 13-0 at Wrestlemania.
The Undertaker's Wrestlemania Run:
Wrestlemania VII: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
Wrestlemania VIII: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Wrestlemania IX: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats Giant Gonzales w/ Harvey Wippleman via DQ
Wrestlemania XI: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats King Kong Bundy w/Ted DiBiase
Wrestlemania XII: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats Diesel
Wrestlemania XIII: Undertaker defeats Sycho Sid for the WWF Heavyweight Title
Wrestlemania XIV: Undertaker defeats Kane w/Paul Bearer
Wrestlemania XV: Undertaker defeats Big Bossman in a Hell in a Cell match
Wrestlemania XVII: Undertaker defeats Triple H in a falls count anywhere match
Wrestlemania XVIII: Undertaker defeats Ric Flair in a No-DQ match
Wrestlemania XIX: Undertaker defeats Big Show & A-Train in a handicap match
Wrestlemania XX: Undertaker w/Paul Bearer defeats Kane
Wrestlemania XXI: Undertaker defeats Randy Orton w/Bob Orton
