Profile of WWE Superstar the Undertaker

Mark Lucas Callaway was born on March 24, 1962, in Houston, TX. He is currently married to Michelle McCool. Before becoming a pro wrestler, he was robbed by a crooked wrestling trainer. Despite that setback, he was later trained by Don Jardine and made his debut in 1988. He was first seen by a mainstream audience as the masked Punisher while wrestling for the Memphis and Dallas based USWA.

"Mean" Mark Callous

In late 1989, Mark Callous was signed by WCW and was given the wrestling moniker “Mean” Mark Callous. He replaced the injured Sid Vicious in the tag team known as the Skyscrapers with Danny Spivey. After the team broke up, he was managed by Paul E. Dangerously and wrestled for the U.S. Title. By the summer of 1990, he left WCW and signed with the World Wrestling Federation.

The Birth of the Undertaker

The Undertaker made his debut as a surprise member of Ted DiBiase’s Survivor Series Team at Survivor Series 1990. Despite rumors, he was not introduced as Kane the Undertaker. He was originally managed by Brother Love but a few months later Paul Bearer became his manager. In his first year in the WWF, he feuded with Randy Savage, the Ultimate Warrior, and Hulk Hogan. At Survivor Series 1991, the Undertaker won his first WWE Championship by beating Hulk Hogan.

The Undertaker Turns Good

In the spring of 1991, Jake Robert’s tried to hit Miss Elizabeth with a chair but the Undertake stopped him. The Undertaker remained a fan favorite for the next seven years. During that era, he fought monsters like Yokozuna, Kamala, and even a fake version of himself. In 1996, Paul Bearer turned on him. When Undertaker regained the WWF title in 1997, Paul Bearer threatened him with a secret from his past. The secret was that Undertaker started a fire that killed his parents and badly burned his brother, Kane.

Kane Makes his Debut

While the Undertaker was fighting Shawn Michaels in the first-ever Hell in a Cell Match, Kane made his debut and cost his brother the match. Undertaker refused to fight his brother until Kane locked him in a coffin and set him on fire. The two men fought for the first time at WrestleMania XIV. Over the years the men have feuded and befriended each other on countless occasions.

The Ministry of Darkness

After being a good guy for several years, the Undertaker became a cult leader and started sacrificing wrestlers on his symbol to satisfy the higher power. The person that he went after was Steve Austin and the WWF Championship. At the same time, Undertaker kidnapped Stephanie McMahon and tried to force her to marry him in a dark marriage. It was later revealed that the higher power was Vince McMahon.

The American Badass

The Undertaker had another transformation a few years later. By 2001, he was a motorcycle rider and had cut his hair. He carried on with this gimmick for a few years. His biggest feud during this era was with Brock Lesnar. At Survivor Series 2003, Vince McMahon beat Undertaker in a Buried Alive match when Kane turned on his brother once again. When he returned at WrestleMania XX, he came back with his “dead man“ gimmick and reunited with Paul Bearer.

The Death of Paul Bearer

The reunification with Paul Bearer did not last long. Undertaker saw his friendship with him could be exploited as a weakness. Paul was kidnapped and trapped in a concrete crypt. Instead of saving Paul when he had a chance, he decided to bury his manager alive. Despite this vile action, wrestling fans still cheered him. In 2005, he had a bloody series of battles with Randy Orton.

Royal Rumble Winner

In 2007, the Undertaker won the Royal Rumble for the first time. That victory gave him the opportunity to battle Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 23. After losing the title to Edge, he regained the title at WrestleMania XXIV. The following two WrestleMania events saw him beat Shawn Michaels. His second defeat of Shawn Michaels resulted in Shawn being forced to retire.

The 19–0 WrestleMania Streak

You can read a detailed match-by-match breakdown of The Streak.

WrestleMania VII – beat Jimmy Snuka
WrestleMania VIII – beat Jake Roberts
WrestleMania IX – beat Giant Gonzalez by DQ
WrestleMania XI – beat King Kong Bundy
WrestleMania XII – beat Diesel
WrestleMania XIII – won the WWE Championship from Sid
WrestleMania XIV – beat Kane
WrestleMania XV – beat Big Bossman in a Hell in a Cell Match
WrestleMania X-Seven – beat Triple H
WrestleMania X-8 – beat Ric Flair
WrestleMania XIX – beat Big Show and Albert in a Handicap Match
WrestleMania XX – beat Kane
WrestleMania 21 – beat Randy Orton
WrestleMania 22 – beat Mark Henry in a Casket Match
WrestleMania 23 – won the World Heavyweight Championship from Batista
WrestleMania XXIV - won the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge
25th Anniversary of WrestleMania - beat Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania XXVI - forced Shawn Michaels to retire after beating him in a match that could only be won by pinfall or submission
WrestleMania XXVII - beat Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match
WrestleMania XXVIII - beat Triple H in a Hell in a Cell Match Featuring Shawn Michaels as the Special Guest Referee

_{Sources: imdb.com and Bodyslams by Gary Michael Capetta}