Mark Calaway, the man behind the iconic character of The Undertaker, shares his journey from a young wrestler to becoming one of the most recognizable figures in WWE history. Currently, Mark is a full-time YouTuber and is enjoying his retirement. His last appearance was in Wrestlemania XL (40) where he helped Cody Rhodes to end the 1300+ days WWE champion streak of Roman Reigns and Chokeslamed The Rock.
Early Career and the Eggman Anxieties
Mark initially joined WCW (sold to WWF/WWE and now defunct) as ‘Mean Mark Callous’ but failed to make any good impression on the audience. Paul Heyman was managing Mean Mark in WCW, but The Deadman was frustrated with the company’s behaviour towards his character development. However, Paul kept him sane and pushed him through.
The WCW management was unhappy with the way things were going with Mark and declined to give him the raise before renewing the contract. The Monday Night Wars was already going on with WWF trailing behind. WCW with their show Monday Nitro had more viewership than Monday Night Raw.
Mark became a free agent after quitting WCW. He gambled on his life and it changed the entire course of his life – and gave him a career that only lucky ones enjoy. Paul and Bruce became the connection of setting up a meeting of Mark with Vince whom he was trying to connect after his disappointing career stint with WCW.
When the Undertaker tried approaching Vince, the rounds were going about the Eggman Character that WWF was potentially looking for. He was concerned about his appearance, fearing he might be forced to shave his head and become a character similar to the Eggman. However, his fate took a dramatic turn and then came Paul Heyman into his life who steered his stalled career and helped him become the most feared, loved and known WWE wrestler globally.
The Call that Changed his Life –
In an interview, The Undertaker said – “The old man (Vince McMahon) called me one day, and it was – he didn’t call me Mark, he just said, ‘Is this The Undertaker?’ And I’m having this moment, covering the phone up, I’m like, ‘Undertaker? Undertaker? Undertaker’s not egg man’ … ‘Yeah! Yeah, this is The Undertaker!”
‘Taker said McMahon then summoned him up to Connecticut to lay out his vision. “I was like, huh, this could be really cool. And then they started making the original costume and everything, and I was like, ‘Yeah.’ Because I loved the old Clint Eastwood westerns … there’s all these different elements that I did have a lot of interest in.”
The Undertaker shared that when Vince McMahon first called him about his new role, he referred to him as “The Undertaker”. This made him realize he wouldn’t be the “egg man.” Excited by this news and the development of his original costume, The Undertaker grew enthusiastic about the character, especially since it included elements from Clint Eastwood westerns, which he loved.
First Appearance –
The Undertake made his overall WWF debut on a November 19, 1990, taping of WWF Superstars quickly defeating his first opponent, Mario Mancini, in a singles match. However, his first Televised version was at Survivor Series on November 22, 1990, when he shook the audience with his charisma.
The Deadman over the years played various Gimmicks with the WWF/WWE, but overall he was always loved by the audience and even the locker room always looked at him with respect and for the wisdom he carried to guide his fellow stars and new faces.
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