It was also at this event that a notorious shoot incident (non-kayfabe) befell The Undertaker: a pyrotechnics malfunction momentarily engulfed him in flames up to three times during his ring entrance. The Brothers of Destruction", "4/8 Powell's WWE Raw TV Review: The night after WrestleMania 35 edition featuring new Raw and Smackdown Women's Champion Becky Lynch, new WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, new Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor, and new Raw Tag Champions Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins", "WWE Super ShowDown results: Powell's live review of Undertaker vs. Goldberg, Seth Rollins vs. Baron for the WWE Universal Championship, Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship, Triple H vs. Randy Orton, Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon", "6/24 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review of U.S. Champion Ricochet vs. AJ Styles in a non-title match, Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a handicap match, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn in a non-title match", "The first-ever Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match", "2020 WWE Elimination Chamber results, recap, grades: Shayna Baszler dominates, Undertaker appears", "3/9 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review of Edge returning following Randy Orton's attack on Beth Phoenix, Rey Mysterio vs. Angel Garza, Drew McIntyre in action, the build to WrestleMania kicks in", "WWE's The Last Ride: How Undertaker's Unholy Trinity Made the Boneyard Match", "The Undertaker Beats AJ Styles in Boneyard Match at WWE WrestleMania 36", "WWE: Undertaker May NOT Have Won His Last WrestleMania Match - Here's Why", "The Undertaker announces retirement; emotional fans, WWE Superstars pay tribute to 'Deadman', "Undertaker Receives a Grand Tribute Following Retirement From WWE", "WWE Survivor Series results: Powell's review of Undertaker's Final Farewell, Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns, Asuka vs. Sasha Banks, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. [191][192] The feud culminated in a WrestleMania 25 singles match between the two in which Michaels made a heaven-sent entrance descending from up on high portraying his bright side anti-Deadman, while The Undertaker made a grave-risen entrance emerging from the ground. [264] The following night on Raw, Styles challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 36. [313] A main attraction of the Deadman gimmick, The Undertaker mesmerized his opponents and viewers alike through elaborately "bone-chilling" entrances. The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown! [117][114] In performing this alternate identity, he rode to the ring on motorcycles, chewed tobacco, donned cargo garments and/or denim, printed shirts, and sporty fashion accessories (sunglasses, necklaces, bandanas). [79] A rematch for the title on the February 5 episode of Raw saw similar interference. [218] Later in 2012, The Undertaker appeared on the 1000th episode of Raw on July 23 to help Kane, who had been confronted by Jinder Mahal, Curt Hawkins, Tyler Reks, Hunico, Camacho and Drew McIntyre. [87] (Note that the younger brother, Kane, was not revealed to be The Undertaker's half-brother until the following year, April 1998, when Bearer disclosed to the world that he is Kane's father, The Undertaker's mother having had an affair with him. During matches, The Undertaker would also pay homage to Don Jardine by performing an arm twist ropewalk chop, dubbed "Old School. In this form, he took on a wicked, demonic presence, much more so than ever before. Through giving The Undertaker the ultimatum of revealing his deepest, darkest secret to the world, Bearer was able to reunite with him as manager and protg. [120] The Undertaker then went on to defeat Triple H at WrestleMania X-Seven. [131] The storyline resumed as The 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. Khali refused a challenge against The Undertaker for SummerSlam, however, Long announced the Last Man Standing Match ahead of time, for the August 18 edition of SmackDown! Calaway's acceptance speech, hailed by media outlets as matchless and beyond compare, was motivational and shared his collection of self-reflections and life philosophies for success. [99], After Survivor Series, The Undertaker returned his attention to his previous feud with Austin for costing him the title at Judgment Day, hitting Austin in the head with a shovel during a title match with The Rock on the November 16 edition of Raw, returning the favor for what happened a month earlier. [113], In May 2000, Calaway expanded on The Undertaker gimmick, returning under a human alter ego of the gimmicka smack-talking, redneck biker, dubbed "The American Badass", known for motorcycle-riding, tobacco chewing/spitting, and donning a sporty appearance and manner. 3", "Dead Man Rising: On the eve of his 26th 'WrestleMania,' we talked to friends, colleagues, and victims of the WWE's longest-reigning superstar about the making of the amazing career and (after)life of the Undertaker", "The Complete WWF Video Guide Volume III - Page 98", "Titan Sinking: The decline of the WWF in 1995 - Page 165", "What the World Was Watching: WWF Monday Night Raw February 5, 1996", "CvC: Undertaker vs. Mankind, The Best and Most Bizarre Rivalry Ever", "Deadman to American Bada**- Transformation of The Undertaker's Gimmick and Attire Over the Years", "Austin 3:16: 316 Facts and Stories about Stone Cold Steve Austin", "Wrestling Observer Newsletter - Page 16", "WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment New Edition", "WWE: Ranking The Undertaker's Various Returns to the Ring", "Abandoned: The History of WWE's World Tag Team Championship, Pt. [230] Following the match, Undertaker was hospitalized with a severe concussion which he suffered in the first minutes of the match. He has held the WWF World Title on four separate occasions, first at the Survivor Series (1991) (dubbed "Hulk Hogan's Gravest . [200][201] He faced Batista at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a chairs match for the championship and won when the match was restarted by Long, after Batista had originally won after utilizing a low blow. Notable Alumni: University Of St. Thomas (Texas) Calaway later resurrected Deadman Undertaker in 2004, with residual elements of American Badass Undertaker remaining. [81] As a result, the first ever Boiler Room Brawl (Mankind's specialty match) was booked between the two at SummerSlam. At first, The Undertaker thought that Timothy Calaway was alive and was sent to a hospital. After the 2011 Royal Rumble, promotional videos began airing, showing The Undertaker entering and standing within a Western-style, dilapidated shack on a rainy desert in Death Valley, The Undertaker's birthplace. [204] The Undertaker lost the title to Chris Jericho after interference from Shawn Michaels that night;[205] Jericho has said on multiple occasions that the pyrotechnician responsible for the accident was immediately escorted from the arena and relieved of his employment with WWE, following a threat of violence from Calaway. While Jacobs, currently the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, has no siblings, Calaway has three brothers. [280] As his induction, Calaway made a 137-minute speech that opened with a 10-minute, emotional standing ovation from the live audience, bringing Calaway to tears. So, he used to be in the respective sports team in his school. Discover your ancestry - search Birth, Marriage and Death certificates, census records, immigration lists and other records - all in one family search! [277] On March 3, 2022, then WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon made a rare media appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, announcing that he would be The Undertaker's WWE Hall of Fame inductor. Triple H (Hell in a Cell Match with special referee Shawn Michaels)", "Undertaker and Kane fight off their attackers and stand tall: Raw, July 23, 2012", "The Undertaker rises again and CM Punk punches his WrestleMania ticket", "WWE goes into overtime: Raw, March 11, 2013", "CM Punk interrupts Undertaker's tribute to Paul Bearer: Raw, March 11, 2013", "CM Punk taunts the Undertaker with Paul Bearer's urn: RAW, March 18, 2013", "PWTorch.com - CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 4/8: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - WM29 fall-out, new World Champ, no Rock, Taker live, crowd takes over", "PWTorch.com - CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 4/22 (Second Hour): Shield vs. However, fans may not know that The Phenom has siblings of his own. Dolores; siblings and their spouses, Lin and Jorge Del Alamo(and daughter, Angela's), Kathy and Tim Vanden Heuvel, Gary Calaway, Chris Calaway and his girlfriend, Kat . [40], Calaway immediately gave notice to WCW before the interview took place. THE UNDERTAKER revealed he was left heartbroken after brother Timothy died of a heart attack during WrestleMania 36 filming. [35] Callous was promptly drafted into The Skyscrapers tag team to replace a legitimately injured Sid Vicious, and made his debut on January 3, 1990, in a match later televised against Agent Steel and Randy Harris. [119], The Undertaker then challenged Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series. He entered the match last, replacing Rey Mysterio and defeating AJ Styles to win the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy. [184] Following this match, Guerrero tried making a peace offering with The Undertaker on SmackDown by apologizing, but The Undertaker told her that he was not the forgiving kind. He has a younger half-sister named Chasey Calaway. The Undertaker lost to Khali at Judgment Day,[156][157] and he did not appear again until the July 7 edition of SmackDown! CM Punk, Randy Orton, Big Show and Sheamus fought in a fatal four-way match to determine who would face him at WrestleMania 29, which Punk won. Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler.Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority of his career wrestling for WWF/E, and is best known for his critically acclaimed "Deadman" Undertaker gimmick, for which he was inducted into the WWE . The Undertaker, (born Mark William Calaway) also referred to as Undertaker or sometimes simply Taker is the main anti-heroic protagonist of the WWE franchise and the titular main protagonist from his documentary film 30 Days of the Deadman along with Paul Bearer including his brother Kane, as well as the one of the main protagonists from The Flintstones and WWE: Stone Age Smackdown! [132] The second, at No Mercy, was a Biker Chain match between The Undertaker and Lesnar, which Lesnar won with the help of Vince McMahon. [274] In the weeks following the announcement, media outlets observed that many WWE fans had advocated for the idea of a one-man show Hall of Fame dedicated to The Undertaker alone, reasoning that his legend status in the company would warrant such an honor. Timothy once competed in pro wrestling before he started his own business. [126] The two faced off at No Way Out, where The Undertaker lost due to interference from Ric Flair. [298], The earliest of The Undertaker's Deadman incarnations (nicknamed in external media as "The Old West Mortician" to distinguish from his other Deadman incarnations[44]) depicted him as a menacing derivative of the Wild West undertakers in television westerns. His actions led to the return of the real Undertaker at SummerSlam, defeating the impostor and appearing as a reincarnation of his Deadman gimmick, one of a more shadowy, mysterious and secret presence. [83], Following his WWF Championship win at WrestleMania 13, Paul Bearer attempted to rejoin The Undertaker as his manager. -", "Revisit The Highest-Rated Segment In The History Of Monday Night Raw", "The Undertaker: 'Una conmocin en un slo combate destruy mi confianza', "7 'WrestleMania 33' Takeaways: What Comes Next for WWE Superstars", "The Undertaker revela su decepcin por el combate contra Roman Reigns en WrestleMnaia 33", "The Undertaker's WrestleMania Return Was AwesomeBut Now He Needs to Retire", "WWE CROWN JEWEL RESULTS 11/2: Keller's report on Styles vs. Joe, Strowman vs. Lesnar, World Cup tournament, Michaels & Triple H vs. Kane & Undertaker", "Powell's WWE Crown Jewel live review: Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman for the vacant WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship, Undertaker and Kane vs. DX, World Cup tournament", "WWE Super ShowDown live results: The Undertaker vs. Goldberg", "June 17, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Scary incidents in the ring, NJPW Dominion review", "The Undertaker: 'El combate de WWE Crown Jewel 2018 fue un desastre', "WrestleMania Still Happened Last Weekend. [119] Afterward, he was booked to team with Kane to contend for the WWF Tag Team Championship. The Undertaker then burst from the flaming casket in rage, battering and brutalizing an entire ring full of wrestlers as a message to Orton. !. [275] The solo dedication was also publicly endorsed by WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley, sharing as well of his opinion that such an event would be an entertainment draw and sell out the arena[276] (Vader, however, was later revealed to be a posthumous second inductee of the class of 2022 Hall of Fame). Three days later, the London bombings took place. While performing as The Punisher, Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989, when Eric Embry forfeited the title.[33]. [62] He faced Gonzlez at WrestleMania IX, which is notable as The Undertaker's only disqualification win at WrestleMania after the use of chloroform. Average Age & Life Expectancy FAQs Is the famous wrestler Kane is The Undertaker's real brother? [173] They battled again inside Hell in a Cell at Survivor Series, where Edge returned and interfered to help Batista retain the World Heavyweight Championship. [60][61] According to Calaway, working with Gonzlez "was survival every night trying to figure out what he could do" and "took years off my career". This led to Bearer's shocking warnings to proof in the form of the brother, "Kane", as alive and well. [367] Their first child together, a daughter named Kaia Faith Calaway, was born in 2012. [136] At Judgment Day, The Undertaker defeated Booker T. One week later, Paul Heyman ordered The Dudley Boyz to kidnap Bearer. [88] At this point in his career, The Undertaker denied the charges of committing the arson murder that killed his family; however, Bearer claimed to have proof in the form of The Undertaker's alive and well younger brother, Kane, who had survived though scarred and burned. Hell in a Cell on the grandest stage of them all wont ever forget that one! [70] Represented now by cool colors, The Undertaker replaced details of his wrestling gear that were previously colored gray with purple, and effected scenes with blue/purple semidarkness. [261] On the June 24, 2019, edition of Raw, during a handicap match in which Roman Reigns was dominated by Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre, The Undertaker suddenly appeared and attacked McMahon and McIntyre. [148], On the following edition of SmackDown!, The Undertaker lost to JBL in a number-one contender's match, once again due to interference from Orton, reviving their feud that was put on hiatus. Also during this time, The Undertaker headlined the first ever episode of Monday Night Raw on January 11, 1993, with a victory over Damien Demento. The next night on Raw, Undertaker competed in a tournament to crown the 2009 Superstar of the Year, losing to Randy Orton by countout in the first round after a distraction by Orton's protegs Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. Punk - both out for the rest of the year? Calaway was highly protective of his Deadman public image: for the vast majority of his career while performing the gimmick, he was so private that he wasn't seen outside of character in the media. [72] In these initial zombie-like incarnations of his gimmick, he was portrayed as impervious to pain, something accomplished by Calaway not selling his opponents' attacks. He added that in his opinion, his fight against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36 was "storytelling at its finest" and the "perfect ending" to his pro-wrestling career. [347], Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition recognized Undertaker as having the most consecutive victories at WrestleMania in 2016. Calaway's niece informed him that her dad died of a heart attack aged 63. [122], After The Alliance was defeated, The Undertaker turned heel by inducting commentator Jim Ross into the Mr. McMahon: Kiss My Ass Club, which involved The Undertaker pressing the lips of Ross against McMahon's exposed buttocks. As one of WWE's most high-profile and enduring characters,[13][14] The Undertaker is famed for his undead, funereal, macabre "Deadman" persona, which gained significant mainstream popularity and won him the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award for Best Gimmick a record-setting 5 years in a row. Updated: December 18, 2021. Mark Calaway has four older brothers named David, Michael, Paul, and Timothy (died March 2020, age 63). He was born in Houston, Texas, to Frank Compton Calaway and Betty Catherine Truby. when he accepted Khali's challenge to a Punjabi Prison match at The Great American Bash. Angle pinned The Undertaker due to interference by Austin. In 2002, Calaway appeared out of character on the Canadian sports show Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. [136] At the same time, The Undertaker maintained elements of his American Badass identity, thus a composite character more humanized than all of his previous Deadman incarnations[137] (Undertaker would present in this particular hybrid Deadman form until No Mercy 2005 when Randy Orton sealed him in a casket and set it on fire). [152] This led to The Undertaker challenging Henry to a casket match at WrestleMania 22 and Henry vowing to end The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning Streak. [167] At WrestleMania 23, Undertaker defeated Batista to win his first World Heavyweight Championship and extend his Streak to 150. [82] The Undertaker then moved on to feud with Vader, whom he faced in January 1997 at the Royal Rumble in a singles match, which The Undertaker lost after Bearer interfered on behalf of his new protg. And the music was just doom and gloom, you knew what was coming. Tim attended school in Houston. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage. Mark Calaway brother: For years on end, WWE fans believed that Undertaker (Mark Calaway) and Kane (Glenn Jacobs) were actual half-brothers. In interfering in this match, Mankind proved to have mystifying horror tactic capabilities that matched The Undertaker's, mysteriously appearing from inside the casket and sealing The Undertaker inside. [66] Several weeks later, Undertaker suffered a serious orbital bone injury when King Mabel unintentionally struck him in the eye with his fist during a house show, forcing The Undertaker into a period of absence for surgery. [339] Luis Paez-Pumar of Complex wrote that The Undertaker character is "easily the best gimmick in the history of professional wrestling". [336], The Undertaker has been named one of the greatest wrestlers of all time;[337] and the greatest character, and most iconic figure, in WWE history. [147] Several days later, WWE.com hosted a video of a kayfabe announcement from Theodore Long, where he reiterated the stipulation that Hassan would no longer appear on SmackDown!. [111] In reality, Calaway went on a hiatus from the WWF in order to treat his groin injury. [39], Among routes Calaway took to land a meeting with McMahon was trying to convince individuals acquainted with McMahon or already existing WWF talent to recommend him into the WWF, such as Hulk Hogan, Paul Heyman, and Bruce Prichard, crediting the latter two for arranging the meeting at McMahon's mansion. [254], Undertaker took part in the Raw 25 Years edition of Raw on January 22, 2018, his first post-WrestleMania 33 appearance. Along with Eddie Guerrero and Booker T, he challenged JBL to a championship rematch at Armageddon in a fatal four-way match, in which The Undertaker was unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference. "[317], After a hiatus, Calaway made a return in 2000 in which he expanded on The Undertaker gimmick with a human form of the character. Kaia Calaway, who have celebrated her 9th birthday in 2022, is the only child of the former wrestlers, Michelle Leigh and McCool. [301] Also linked to The Undertaker's Deadman gimmick were the druidsa team of mysterious, incognito cult-like members, completely disguised in black hooded clergy robes. [84] However, the following month, The Undertaker managed to win the WWF Championship for the second time by defeating Sycho Sid at WrestleMania 13. [366] They also have a younger son adopted named Kolt. [53], After the storyline with Flair, The Undertaker was drafted to the Raw brand after the WWF split its roster into two brands and defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at Backlash to become the number one contender for the Undisputed WWF Championship. [175], At the 2008 Royal Rumble, The Undertaker competed in the Royal Rumble match itself, entering at number 1, but eliminated by Shawn Michaels after lasting for most of the bout. He revealed that he was preparing for one of his matches when his niece called and told him that her father, Timothy, had a heart attack. Timothy "Tim-Tool Man" Calaway, 63, of Bastrop passed away on March 24, 2020. [79] Among them, Mankind cost The Undertaker the WWF Intercontinental Championship by interfering in his casket match against Goldust at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog. Friends Kane The Rock Brian Lee Yokozuna ALSO, READ: Who is Kaia Faith Calaway? [131], Over the remainder of the year, The Undertaker entered a brief feud with John Cena (defeating him at Vengeance) and was booked to have two WWE Championship opportunities. Mark Calaways oldest brother, Timothy, died at the age of 63 due to a heart attack. [140] The feud culminated in a casket match between The Undertaker and Heidenreich at the Royal Rumble, where Undertaker sealed Heidenreich in a casket for the victory. PWI Staff. [107] After The Undertaker lost the WWF Championship back to Austin on the Raw following King of the Ring and lost to him in a First Blood match at Fully Loaded, his relationship with the McMahons dissolved and The Corporate Ministry disbanded. This edition of WrestleMania is noteworthy in that it produced the first mention of The Undertaker's historic WrestleMania-winning Streak, acknowledged on commentary by Vince McMahon as Undertaker made his entrance: "The Undertaker, on his way to the ringa man who's never lost at WrestleMania. [162] As part of the storyline, Kennedy defeated The Undertaker in a First Blood match at Survivor Series after interference from MVP,[161] but finally defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match at Armageddon. Calaway began his career in 1987, working under various gimmicks for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) and other affiliate promotions. Associated With His ring music incorporated Kid Rock 's song, "American Bad Ass." The Undertaker Popularity Most Popular #1155 Born on March 24 #4 Wrestler #4 57 Year Old #6 [28][29] While never trained by Jardine, Calaway was an admirer of his work and would emulate Jardine's top rope walk. The storyline intensified as the two tried to get into the head of one another with dark mind game tactics and use of caskets, leading to a handicap casket match at No Mercy, in which The Undertaker lost to Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton. This year, the shadow of death kept haunting him at key moments in his career . [133] Accompanied by Paul Bearer at WrestleMania XX, The Undertaker resurrected his Deadman identity, defeating Kane in a singles match. [50] During the match, The Undertaker also eliminated Dusty Rhodes before being counted out; however, his team won the match with DiBiase being the sole survivor. [106] The Ministry eventually merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation alliance to form The Corporate Ministry. General Manager Theodore "Teddy" Long scheduled Muhammad Hassan in a match against The Undertaker at The Great American Bash, and placed Daivari in a match that night against Undertaker: Undertaker quickly defeated Daivari. [374] In February 2021, Calaway shared that he would endorse Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson if he were to ever run for president, expressing that he felt Johnson could be the great "uniter" and ease the United States political divide.[375]. The Undertaker had originally won the match with his Hell's Gate submission hold, but the match was restarted by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, who ruled that the ban placed on the move by Vickie Guerrero was still in effect. In doing so, elements of his American Badass gimmick were reflected with Calaway making appearances in his biker gear. Here, he reappeared still in hybrid form but with lessened Badass characteristics, eliminating several elements of his biker identity so that his Deadman side projected, most notably, replacing loose-fitting cargo pants with his Deadman spandex, and less use of the Last Ride finisher. [247], The Undertaker then appeared on the January 9, 2017, edition of Raw, where he announced his participation in the Royal Rumble match and said he was a free agent. Afterward, the masked men lifted Daivari above their heads and carried him away. Mark Calaway brother:Undertaker Recalls Heartbreak Of His Brother's Death, Undertaker real name:Rock puts Undertaker in his wrestling Mount Rushmore, Undertaker farewell: John Cena leads the tribute list as stars celebrate Phenom's career, Undertaker career:Calaway bids goodbye with a heartfelt speech at Survivor Series.
