The Undertaker

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[ webmaster ] [ 2005-04-03 15:11:59 ]

The Undertaker

Mark Calaway (also spelled [incorrectly] as either Callaway or Calloway; born March 24, 1965 in Houston, Texas), better known by his stage name of The Undertaker, is an American professional wrestler with World Wrestling Entertainment.

He is a four-time WWE Champion and eight-time WWE Tag Team Champion. He also holds a unique record; he is currently undefeated in matches at the yearly WrestleMania events, with a record of 12-0. He is one of the few wrestlers to be consistently promoted (or pushed) throughout his career, and is frequently seen as a company loyalist and prominent 'ambassador' for WWE. He currently lives in his Texas ranch with his wife Sara and their daughter.

Wrestling history

Pre-professional wrestling

Mark Calaway experienced his first-ever wrestling training session in 1984. However, Calaway went on to begin his wrestling career properly by training and wrestling at the Dallas Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas, wrestling in Fritz Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). He would later go on to wrestle in the USWA, winning the USWA Heavyweight and USWA Texas Titles before signing with WCW in late 1989. During the mid to late 1980s, Calaway used a number of wrestling names, namely, The Commando, The Punisher, Texas Red, the Master of Pain and the Punisher Dice Morgan.

Early career in WCW

Mark Calaway's professional wrestling career and shot at fame began properly with a short stint from late 1989 until late 1990 in WCW. Whilst there, he would be known as "Mean" Mark Callous. He wrestled as part of the Sky Scrapers tag team along with "Dangerous" Danny Spivey and then as a singles wrestler. His most famous match in WCW was against Lex Luger for the US Title at the 1990 Great American Bash, which he lost. At the end of 1990, WCW did not renew Calaway's contract, thus he went to seek work with Vince McMahon's WWF.

Career in the WWF/WWE

Calaway debuted at Survivor Series 1990 as The Undertaker. In the weeks after he used the name Kane the Undertaker at house shows and on WWF television. The Kane part was dropped awhile after, and Calaway was again referred to as simply The Undertaker, the name he uses to this day.

It was also at this time that Undertaker switched managers from Brother Love to Paul Bearer. The story given on WWF television was that Paul Bearer simply bought out Undertaker's contract from Brother Love.

A year after making his WWF debut, The Undertaker made his first major mark in the company defeating Hulk Hogan at the 1991 Survivor Series to win his first of four WWF Titles. He would drop the title a week later to Hogan at a one time only pay per view entitled Tuesday in Texas. It would be six years before The Undertaker would win another WWF Title. His second WWF Title victory came at the expense of Psycho Sid at WrestleMania 13. He would hold on to the title until August 3rd, 1997 at SummerSlam when he would lose the title to Bret Hart with some help from HBK Shawn Michaels. This match led into a classic feud with HBK that would culminate in one of the most memorable gimmick matches ever, Hell in a Cell. The Undertaker would win his 3rd WWF Title at the infamous 1999 pay per view, Over the Edge defeating Steve Austin in a match that had both Vince and Shane McMahon as guest referees. Austin would regain the title from the Undertaker a month later. His final WWF Title came in May of 2002 beating the same man he defeated for his first title 11 years earlier, Hulk Hogan at Judgment Day in Nashville, Tennessee. He would later lose it to The Rock at Vengeance in a Triple Threat Match also involving Kurt Angle.

Over the course his long WWF career The Undertaker would go on to have a number of memorable feuds that gave birth to some of the most classic gimmick matches of all time. In 1994 he feuded with then WWF Champion Yokozuna that presented two of the most memorable Casket Matches in WWF/E History at the 1994 Royal Rumble and 1994 Survivor Series. His 1997 feud with Shawn Michaels gave fans the first ever Hell in a Cell Match in October of 1997 which is only overshadowed by a 1998 Hell in a Cell Match with Mankind that has left fans with the enduring image on Mankind being thrown from the top of the cell. The Undertaker has also participated in some of more classic Buried Alive Matches with Mankind, Steve Austin, and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

The Undertaker's gimmick has changed over the years. At first he appeared as a 'normal' undertaker; a silent giant who was subservient to Paul Bearer. As with many wrestlers in the cartoonish Rock and Wrestling era, he had an over-the-top gimmick—namely an undead zombie wrestler (complete with thick gray, then purple gloves) with vague occult powers, most notably being able to control darkness and light and gain extraordinary recuperative power from the ash urn that Paul Bearer carried.

In 1997, his on-screen brother, Kane, was revealed to be alive and they have feuded off and on for several years.

In recent years, in line with wrestling's change to a more realistic approach, his gimmick became that of an intimidating redneck biker, first referred to as the "American Bad Ass" (pictured) due to his new entrance music being the Kid Rock song of the same name. Unlike many gimmick changes, this was generally well-received by fans.

At the Wrestlemania XX pay-per-view event, he would return in the "deadman" Undertaker persona, again with Paul Bearer to defeat Kane. Currently, his gimmick could be best described as a hybrid of the classic Taker and American Bad Ass gimmicks (Biker Taker was buried alive by Kane several months prior to WrestleMania XX). Several 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 June 2004 WWE PPV The Great American Bash, Taker buried Bearer in a crypt of cement after winning a handicap match against the Dudleys as a means of removing his "weakness" so that Heyman or others could no longer control him. Fans were later told that Bearer was merely "seriously injured".

At this time, The Undertaker will face Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 21 after a challange made by Orton on WWE RAW saying that he will defeat The Undertaker and end Taker's 12-0 winning streak at Wrestlemania (in actual fact Undertaker asked for this match as he didn't like the writers' original plan for him at WrestleMania 21, which would have seen him team up with storyline brother Kane to face Gene Snitsky and Heidenreich).

WrestleMania winning streak

The Undertaker has won every match, so far, at the WWE's top Pay Per View WrestleMania, this has given him a 12-0 winning streak, which has consisted of wins over Superfly Jimmy Snuka, Jake Roberts, Giant Gonzales, King Kong Bundy, Kevin Nash, Psycho Sid (WWF Title win), Kane (at 14 and 20), Big Bossman (Hell in a Cell Match), Triple H, Ric Flair, A-Train/Big Show (Handicap Match), and now as "WrestleMania goes Hollywood" Randy Orton will look to end this winning streak.

Profile

Height: 6'10"
Weight: 325 lbs
Birthday: March 24, 1965
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Trained By: Don Jardine
Professional Debut: 1989
Previous Identities: "Mean" Mark Callous, Kane the Undertaker
Previous Manager: Paul Bearer
Quotes: "Rest in peace."
Finishing/Signature Move(s): Tombstone Piledriver, The Last Ride, Chokeslam, Old-School, Snake Eyes, Taking Care of Business (Dragon Sleeper), Guillotine Leg Drop

Championships and accomplishments

USWA Heavyweight Championship Title

USWA Texas Championship Title

WWF/WWE World Heavyweight Championship Title

WWF/WWE & WCW Tag Team Championship Titles

WWF/WWE Hardcore Championship Title

Movies

He has acted in a Bollywood (Indian) movie called "Khiladiyon ka Khiladi"

[ 20 ] [ Comments (23) ]

[ webmaster ] [ 2005-04-03 15:11:59 ]