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Other than boxing champion Floyd Mayweather’s brass knuckle-aided
knockout win over wrestling star Big Show (Paul Wight in real life),
the biggest news in the recently concluded Wrestlemania XXIV card
was the Undertaker’s victory over Edge for the World Wrestling
Entertainment’s (WWE) world heavyweight championship.
The Undertaker made his Wrestlemania debut on
March 24, 1991, when he manhandled the legendary Jimmy Snuka in
Wrestlemania VII. Back then, nobody thought the pedestrian match
would jumpstart an unbelievable winning streak in the WWE.
Starting with the win over Snuka, ‘Taker has
compiled an immaculate record of 16-0 in as many appearances in
Wrestlemania. After Snuka, ‘Taker went on to defeat Jake Roberts
(1992, Wrestlemania 8), Giant Gonzales (1993, Wrestlemania 9), King
Kong Bundy (1995, Wrestlemania 11), Diesel (1996, Wrestlemania 12),
Sycho Sid (1997, Wrestlemania 13), Kane (1998, Wrestlemania 14), Big
Bossman (1999, Wrestlemania 15), Triple H (2001, Wrestlemania 17),
Ric Flair (2002, Wrestlemania 18), The Big Show and A-Train (2003,
Wrestlemania 19), Kane (2004, Wrestlemania 20), Randy Orton (2005,
Wrestlemania 21), Mark Henry (2006, Wrestlemania 22), Batista (2007,
Wrestlemania 23) and Edge (2008, Wrestlemania 24).
The Undertaker currently holds the record for
the most number of appearances at Wrestlemania (16), breaking the
record of 12 set by Bret “The Hitman” Hart. The Undertaker’s
appearances were not consecutive, however, and Hart still holds the
record in this category.
The Undertaker has been one of the most enduring
stars of the WWE. One of five brothers, ‘Taker was born Mark
Calaway and grew up in Texas. Basketball was ‘Taker’s first
sporting love. He attended Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas on a
basketball scholarship and played pro ball in Europe where a knee
injury ended his hoops career.
From basketball, the 6’8”, 328-pound
‘Taker shifted his attention to pro wrestling. He made his mat
debut in 1989 and initially competed under several
monikers—“Master of Pain,” “The Punisher,” “Mean Mark
Callous,” to mention a few.
After a brief and disappointing stay in the
World Championship Wrestling (WCW), ‘Taker arrived in the WWE in
1990. It was in the WWE where Calaway was given the moniker “The
Undertaker”—a character based from the Stephen King novel The
Gunslinger. The original plan was for Calaway to assume the
character of an undertaker from the old west, but when the macabre
image (complete with casket and urn) caught the fans’ attention,
the WWE decided to stick with it.
Just one year after arriving in the WWE
(November 1991), ‘Taker won the WWE world title when he defeated
Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea in real life) at the Survivor series.
From December 1991 to September 1993, the Undertaker did not lose a
single match, establishing the longest undefeated streak in the WWE
during the 1990s.
The Undertaker is on his 18th year in the WWE.
You can say the dead man is actually a survivor. In 1995, he crushed
his eye socket when man-mountain Mabel gave him a banzai drop. The
Undertaker has also undergone surgery on his knees and hips.
And then there are internal demons ‘Taker had
to exorcise. At the peak of his career, ‘Taker developed an
addiction to alcohol and drugs. He was on the brink of clinical
depression when he decided to take a hiatus from wrestling. It was
around this time (mid-1990s) when it was made to appear that
‘Taker died in a casket match against Yokozuna. While ‘Taker
recuperated, the WWE introduced a fake Undertaker (a role played by
Brian Lee, ‘Taker’s cousin) to keep the fans glued to the
character.
The Undertaker has since mended his ways. He
credits his full recovery to his wife Sara, who he met during an
autograph-signing show. The Undertaker has two daughters with Sara
and a son from his first wife Jody Lynn.
Away from the ring, ‘Taker relaxes by
tinkering with his collection of big bikes. He is a big boxing fan
and once graced the corner of Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao.
Believe it or not, ‘Taker is also a real estate investor.
At age 46, wrestling’s resident grim reaper
has never looked more alive.
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For comments, the writer can be reached at
atty_eduardo@yahoo.com
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