[115][318] His theme music was replaced with popular rock songs of the time, initially Kid Rock's "American Bad Ass" (from which The Undertaker's subtitle used to refer to this second identity derived), and eventually Limp Bizkit's "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)". At WrestleMania, after Elias confronted Cena and was beaten down, The Undertaker's hat and coat appeared in the center of the ringwhere he had left them the previous yearand was struck by lightning. Timothy J. Calaway, 54, Green Bay, died unexpectedly Saturday, June 13, 2015. During the match, The Undertaker threw Mankind off the roof of the 4.9m (16ft) cell onto a broadcast table below, in what was a preplanned move. ", "The Undertaker voted greatest WWE Superstar of all time", "The 10 Best Matches of 25 Years of the Undertaker", "Ranking the top 101 wrestlers of all time", "Who's your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestler? The Undertaker later revealed that Mr. McMahon had been his "Higher Power" all along as a scheme against Austin. Under the control of Paul Bearer, Kane stormed the arena, ripped off the cell door, and laid out a nonplussed Undertaker with his own trademarked finisher, The Tombstone Piledriver, allowing Michaels to pin him for the victory. Triple H (No Holds Barred Match)", "The Undertaker returned with his sights set on Triple H", "WWE Raw SuperShow results: Has Cena embraced the hate? [67], Following the death angle at the Royal Rumble during The Undertaker's absence, the WWF promoted reported sightings of him through video clips of random people claiming to have seen him. [119] Afterward, he was booked to team with Kane to contend for the WWF Tag Team Championship. ", "WWE Chief Vince McMahon Is Still Making Gains", "Why the Undertaker is the world's greatest sportsman", "New Undertaker graphic novel set to dig deeper into career of one of WWE's biggest icons", "MAGIC, MEMORIES AND MANIA: Top 10 Undertaker Matches from Mankind to Punk to Michaels to Triple H, which finished first? [219][220], The Undertaker's next television appearance was on Old School Raw on March 4, 2013, where he opened the show by performing his signature entrance. "[25], In 1988, Calaway joined the Continental Wrestling Association, wrestling under several gimmicks. [167] At WrestleMania 23, Undertaker defeated Batista to win his first World Heavyweight Championship and extend his Streak to 150. Other than his music being played, The Undertaker was not reported to have any association with the affair.[377][378]. [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. [37] However, Callous's partner Dan Spivey left WCW days before their Chicago Street Fight against the Road Warriors at WrestleWar. 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 [177] At WrestleMania, The Undertaker defeated Edge with the Hell's Gate submission hold to win his second World Heavyweight Championship in what was his 16th WrestleMania win. [51] During his early years, The Undertaker took to a post-match ritual of placing his defeated opponents (almost always jobbers) in a body bag and carrying them backstage. [45] In his own rendition, he was garbed in a black trench coat; gray-striped tie; black-ribboned, black stetson; gray boot spats; and gray gloves[299] (black gloves for first few appearances before gray). Kama followed this up with a series of malicious acts, including destroying the stolen urn and recycling it into bling. On February 2, 1989, managed by Dutch Mantel, he was reintroduced as The Master of Pain, a former murderer. The song continued to play out for 30 seconds following the attack ad against Biden, ending just short of Trump making his entrance. [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. In the episode, Undertaker revealed that while he was preparing for his last bout at WrestleMania 36, he received a phone call from his niece, who informed him that her dad Timothy Calaway had suffered a heart attack. At Vengeance, The Undertaker defeated Rob Van Dam to win the WWF Hardcore Championship. "Wrestling's historical cards" (p.116117), PWI Staff. [122] With Kane injured, The Undertaker feuded briefly with Austin for his WWF Championship, but he failed to win the title at Judgment Day. "Wrestling's historical cards" (p.121), PWI Staff. [249] During the Royal Rumble on January 29, The Undertaker entered at number 29, eliminating Goldberg, The Miz, Baron Corbin and Sami Zayn, before being eliminated by the number 30 entrant, Roman Reigns. [180] The Undertaker battled Edge for the vacant title at Judgment Day, which he won by countout. After demanding to know whose side The Undertaker was on and getting the reply, "Not yours", Roberts attacked both Bearer and The Undertaker, only for The Undertaker to stand his ground and run Roberts off. Actor: Dislyte. ", "Pruett's Blog Flashback: The Undertaker's Streak Series Part Three - The American Bad Ass Years & The Deadman's Return - WrestleMania XVII - WrestleMania XX", "The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt: Keeping Deadman off TV Makes Match More Effective", "Historical Dictionary of Wrestling - Page 306", "The Undertaker vs. British Bulldog WWE Championship Match: Nov. 30, 1991", "William Moody, 58, Pro Wrestling's Paul Bearer, Dies", "America Under Construction: Boundaries and Identities in Popculture", "WWE WrestleMania 34: The Undertaker Vs. [15] The longest-tenured wrestler in company history at 30 years. However, after interference from the debuting Executioner, as well as the help of several other heel wrestlers apparently enlisted by Bearer, Mankind escaped the grave and together the mob all shoveled dirt onto The Undertaker to the point that the grave was completely filled, resulting in The Undertaker fully buried alive. [240] After ambushing and capturing Kane the next night on Raw, Wyatt explained that he had claimed their souls and stole their demonic powers. [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). The Undertaker then appeared and beat Cena in an impromptu three-minute squash match. His uncle, Timothy Calaway, died because of a heart attack. He avoided competing in wrestling matches in the following weeks, instead overbearingly ordering Big Show to fight his battles and do all his dirty deeds. [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. [213] However, Bearer turned on him at Hell in a Cell to help Kane win once again in a Hell in a Cell match. [191] On the April 24 edition of SmackDown, after losing a match against Big Show by knockout with Big Show taking advantage of The Undertaker's battered neck state from his previous WrestleMania encounter, The Undertaker attacked Big Show. [62] He faced Gonzlez at WrestleMania IX, which is notable as The Undertaker's only disqualification win at WrestleMania after the use of chloroform. "Wrestling's historical cards" (p.107), 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. siblings: David Calaway, Michael Calaway, Paul Calaway, Timothy Calaway. Also prior to his Survivor Series appearance, Kane the Undertaker had a match on November 20 against Rick Sampson, which later aired on the December 9, 1990, edition of WWF Wrestling Challenge. That's the key element of it: the end is at hand for whoever's going to be standing in that ring waiting for me to come down. [146] Undertaker defeated Hassan at The Great American Bash to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. Best known as "The Undertaker" from World Wrestling Entertainment. Undertaker has English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, German, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Swiss-German, and Cornish ancestry. After losing to Kane in a No Holds Barred match at Night of Champions, Paul Bearer returned as Undertaker's manager on the September 24 edition of SmackDown. 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. [370] A dog lover, Calaway and his ex-wife Sara established The Zeus Compton Calaway Save the Animals Fund at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences to help pay for lifesaving treatments for large-breed dogs. On April 1, 2022, The Undertaker was formally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at the American Airlines Center. [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. [287], Beginning early on, The Undertaker's persona was complemented with histrionically spooky, wailing manager Paul Bearer, introduced to represent and guide The Deadman. [186] At Cyber Sunday, The Undertaker defeated Big Show in a Last Man Standing match after choking him out with Hell's Gate. Calaway's approach of presenting only in character publicly was done in order to maintain the mystique of the Deadman and facilitate disbelief suspension. He is the son of Frank Calaway and Catherine Calaway. and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon, USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, Undisputed WWF Championship #1 contender's Tournament (April 2002), Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "The Undertaker announces retirement from WWE", "WWE's The Undertaker on Retirement, Boneyard Match and When Wrestlers' Court Gets Real", "My Time has Come" The Undertaker Gives an Emotional Speech on his Final Farewell at Survivor Series", "Steve Austin to Launch New WWE Network Interview Series, Sets Undertaker as First Guest", "How Did The Undertaker's "Deadman" Gimmick Become the Best in WWE History? [53], The Undertaker's next feud commenced the next night on Raw when Mankind, a twisted and tortured soul, made his debut and randomly interfered in Undertaker's match against Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw. Henry attacked The Undertaker from behind, costing him the title. Returning assistant-General Manager Theodore Long declared a triple threat match for the title between the three men at Armageddon, which Edge won after interference from The Major Brothers. [327] Some of his nicknames were not identity specific but used for The Undertaker gimmick in general, such as "The Phenom".[325][328]. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage. According to an interview with Kevin Nash, this was a move to allow Calaway to return to WCW with a non-trademarked persona; had he entered WCW, it would have been as Mark Calaway. [87] In the duo's final feud in late 2009 through 2010, Kane emerged victorious in all of their matches. The druids were also seen reproducing The Undertaker in recovered, wrathful states to those same enemies who were thought to have extinguished him. He shared his house along with David, Paul, Michael, and Timothy Calaway. [168] Undertaker faced Batista in a rematch at Backlash, this time in a Last Man Standing match. [244] Vince later decided that should The Undertaker lose the match against Shane, it would be his final match at WrestleMania. [85] Reviving his first Deadman incarnation for that night only, The Undertaker appeared as the "Old West Mortician", donning the trademarked gray wrestling gear accessories (boot spats, tie, gloves), along with a pitch-black entrance with only a white spotlight shined over him, contrasted from the purple/blue semidarkness associated with the rest of his Deadman incarnations. On January 23, 2023, The Undertaker made an appearance at the Monday Night Raw 30th Anniversary special, Raw is XXX. The Undertaker demanded and was awarded a spot in the six-man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at Armageddon. After the match, Mark Henry made his return by assaulting an already battered Undertaker, after which Edge ran to the ring and cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, forcing Undertaker into a second title defense. [164], The Undertaker won his first Royal Rumble match in January 2007, in doing so becoming the first man to enter the Rumble at number 30 and win the match, after lastly eliminating Shawn Michaels. He made his return to action on December 14, teaming with Viscera in a losing effort against Kane and The Godfather at a house show in Coamo, Puerto Rico. In October 1990, Calaway signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), set to portray the "brainchild" of McMahon that he had assigned to him, originally entitled Kane the Undertaker[40] ("Kane" later added on to "The Undertaker" moniker by the time of his arrival at the urgings of Bruce Prichard, who had always desired a Cain and Abel effect for his character). Does Mark Calaway have a brother? In making his speech, he stood before several genres of his Deadman character, through the varying costumes displayed on mannequins. Average Age & Life Expectancy [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. Timothy B Calaway, 60 Lives in Yuma, AZ. [106] The Ministry eventually merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation alliance to form The Corporate Ministry. American professional wrestler (born 1965), This article is about the American professional wrestler. [340] Luke Winkie of Sports Illustrated listed The Undertaker as the fifth greatest wrestler of all time. This was a, Calaway announced his retirement on June 21, 2020, during the final episode of. 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. [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. [36] During his time in WCW, Calaway briefly wrestled in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as "Punisher" Dice Morgan. The Undertaker then went on to defeat Big Show in a casket match at Survivor Series and again in a steel cage match by submission on the December 5 edition of SmackDown to end their feud. Mark William was born in the city of Houston, Texas. The Undertaker initially denied his then ex-manager Paul Bearer's charges of him committing the arson murder of his family (The Undertaker would not confess to these intentional acts of arson until a year and a half later from his initial denials, in latter 1998). Tim was very proud to be a third-generation plumber. [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. Later that night, after Undertaker and Lesnar brawled throughout the arena and had to be separated, a rematch was scheduled for SummerSlam in August, where Undertaker controversially defeated Lesnar. Armed with clubs and a piano wire, the masked men assaulted and choked out The Undertaker before Hassan then placed The Undertaker in a camel clutch. [262], The Undertaker returned at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia on February 27, 2020, as a surprise replacement in a gauntlet match. [166] At No Way Out, Undertaker and Batista reluctantly teamed together to challenge John Cena and Shawn Michaels for the World Tag Team Championship, but failed to win after Batista gained revenge on Undertaker by hitting him with a spinebuster, allowing Cena to pin him. [81] As a result of the interference and repeated ambushes from Mankind on The Undertaker throughout the ensuing weeks, The Undertaker and Mankind competed in their very first on-screen bout at the 1996 King of the Ring, a heated encounter in which The Undertaker presented as uncharacteristically intense. [315] WWF Composer Jim Johnston embellished on the Chopin march, using the historic melody as a pre- and post-chorus to a main chorus of bell tolls, along with an original transition section to the song of a slow, lugubrious instrumental feel. [117] This transition lasted 3 and a half years until 2004 when The Undertaker resurrected his Deadman identity in hybrid formresidual features of his American Badass identity remaining. . Chuck Norris (portraying his Walker, Texas Ranger persona) was involved in the match as special guest enforcer, preventing interference from wrestlers that Yokozuna, Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji had again enlisted for help. [42] Despite Calaway's perplexed, pessimistic feelings about McMahon's gimmick idea, he was readily accepting of the role, feeling anything better than the laughingstock gimmicks of that time, such as The Gobbledy Gooker. [368], In the 1990s, Calaway started a backstage "posse" called the Bone Street Krew which consisted of some of his best friends and fellow wrestlers Yokozuna, Savio Vega, Charles Wright, The Godwinns, and Rikishi. [109][110], To compensate for his lack of physical activity, Undertaker became increasingly overbearing and vocal, often mouthing off with a weirdness and making sinisterly smart-aleck remarks in promos and on commentary. [351], A 12-minute match between The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin drew a 9.5 rating on June 28, 1999. [74] At WrestleMania XI, The Undertaker made short work of Bundy in a singles match. The Undertaker won and stopped Heyman from burying Bearer, but after claiming Bearer was merely a liability he had no use for, buried him himself. 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. [79] A rematch for the title on the February 5 episode of Raw saw similar interference. Did a WWE legend just take a shot at Sami Zayn's physique right here? Mark Calaway was born in the United States on March 24, 1965, in Houston, Texas. Tim loved the. Mary Joan . [59], In February 1992, The Undertaker's ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts tried to attack "Macho Man" Randy Savage's manager/wife Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when Undertaker stopped him, turning him (and Paul Bearer) face for the first time. That was the mindset behind the gong. At an early age, he was drawn to theater and performing on stage, but found his greatest passion in front of a microphone. 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. [208], The Undertaker then accepted Michaels's rematch offer, after initially declining, at WrestleMania XXVI in a Streak vs. Career match, where Undertaker was victorious and Shawn Michaels was forced to retire. When Timothy Thomas Calaway was born on 12 April 1912, in Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma, United States, his father, Lucian Delbert Calaway, was 28 and his mother, Mary Celia Stanton, was 24. ", "What's at Stake When John Cena Wrestles Brock Lesnar at 'SummerSlam', "Paul Bearer on managing Undertaker vs Hogan, Giant Gonzales, Jake Roberts & more", "Undertaker: 25 Defining Moments for 25 Years in WWE (section 15 of 25)", "Best moments and memories of SummerSlam", "Undertaker: 25 Defining Moments for 25 Years in WWE", "WWE's Looking Back At Legends: Best Feuds Of the Biggest Stars in PPV Era, Ep. THE UNDERTAKER POSSESSION IS 9/10S OF THE LAW, BUT ONLY 1/10 OF WHAT MADE THIS FEUD SO STUPID", "Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens To An Industry Without Competition (p. 159)", "Notes regarding segment on SmackDown with Hassan, Daivari & Taker", "New York Post and Variety cover WWE "terrorist" angle; UPN speaks up", "UPN Bans Muhammad Hassan From WWE SmackDown", "WWE's Pushed to Punished Edition Three: Muhammad Hassan", "Snakes and Demons: Why Randy Orton Vs. Undertaker Is The Best Feud Ever (CvC)", "WWE No Way out 2006: Top 5 Moments from Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker", "WWE Classic of the Week: The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle from No Way out 2006", "WWE WrestleMania 22: Top 10 Moments from an Excellent Show in Chicago", "WWE Pushed to Punished, Edition 35: The Punjabi Plunge of the Great Khali", "The Great Khali makes Undertaker rest in peace", "No filler makes for a consistent Backlash", "Edge's "three-meditated" attack to perfection", "Judgment Day spoils streak of good shows", "SmackDown: A woman's scorn, a Deadman reborn", "The knockout heard 'round the WWE Universe", "Undertaker def.