The Undertaker Profile: Biography, News, Videos, Socials & More

Sid Pullar III | 2 Hours Ago

WWE.com

The Undertaker stands as the most iconic character in WWE's history. Mark William Calaway has captivated fans around the world for four decades as the character and the legend has established himself in elite company as one of the greatest WWE wrestlers of all time. As a seven-time WWE World Champion and with signature feuds against Mankind, Kane, Triple H and Shawn Michaels, there is a reason why many believe Taker will always be the "heart and soul" of WWE.

Bio

Real Name	Mark William Calaway
Nicknames	Deadman, Phenom, Demon From Death Valley, American Badass, Last Outlaw
Date of Birth (DOB)	March 24, 1965
Nationality	American
Spouse	Michelle McCool
Debut	June 26, 1987
Theme Song	Rest In Peace - Jim Johnston
Training	Buzz Sawyer, Rick Davidson, John Davidson
Billed Height	6 ft 10 in (208 cm)
Billed Weight	309 lbs (140 kg)

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Early Life

On March 24, 1965, Mark Calaway was born in Houston, Texas. One of five brothers to Frank and Betty Calaway, Taker grew up in the Texas area and attended Waltrip High School where he played for the football and basketball teams. After receiving a basketball scholarship at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas, Calaway enrolled at Texas Wesleyan University and played center for their Rams basketball team in the 1985-86 season. He eventually dropped out of school to focus on a career in sports.

Professional Career

Early Days (1987-1990)

Trained by Buzz Sawyer, Mark Calaway started his career in late 1986 and wore a mask going under the name of "Texas Red." Working for the likes of WCCW, Continental Wrestling Association and Georgia Championship Wrestling, Calaway earned a name for himself as a big man who had potential to become a star.

This led to late 1989 when Calaway signed with World Championship Wrestling and adopted the "Mean Mark" Callous persona.

WWE Debut & WWE Championship Win (1990-1992)

After leaving WCW, Calaway signed with WWE and debuted as "The Undertaker" persona at Survivor Series 1990 as part of Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase's team against Dusty Rhodes' team.

Despite debuting with Brother Love as his manager, The Undertaker would introduce his new manager, Paul Bearer, played by William Moody. Bearer was previously known as Percival "Percy" Pringle during his time in WCCW where he worked with Calaway.

The pairing was an instant hit and led to The Undertaker defeating Hulk Hogan to win his first WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1991, one year after his debut. After losing the title one week later, Taker entered a partnership with Jake "The Snake" Roberts where they feuded with Macho Man Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior.

The Next Five Years (1993-1998)

With feuds against Yokozuna and the Million Dollar Corporation, Taker became one of the company's most popular babyface stars. This allowed him to help others get over like Mankind. At WrestleMania 13, The Undertaker won the WWE Championship for the second time.

1997 saw Paul Bearer introduced Kane as Taker's storyline brother, which led to a years long feud between the two.

In The Midst Of The Attitude Era (1999-2004)

By the time he got to 1999, Taker experienced evolution of his character. First, he was "The Ministry of Darkness." Then with the rise of the Attitude Era, "The Deadman" became "The American Badass."

After furthering development of his character including as "Big Evil," Taker went back to his Deadman persona against Kane at WrestleMania XX.

2005-2012

The late 2000s into the 2010s saw The Undertaker become the main draw for WrestleMania. From Randy Orton and Mark Henry to Batista and Edge, Taker went through a who's who of competitors to establish a daunting undefeated streak that had become part of the Mania lore.

Taker further added to his legacy at the "Show of Shows" by putting on all-time classics against Shawn Michaels and Triple H from 2009 to 2012 at the event.

Later Years (2013-2024)

The Undertaker became mostly a part-time performer who strictly showed up around WrestleMania season during the turn from the 2000s to 2010. After a stellar bout against CM Punk in 2013, Taker finally suffered a heartbreaking and shocking loss at Mania to Brock Lesnar in 2014.

"The Deadman" would remain a figure in a part time role over the course of the next few years. Battles with Bray Wyatt, Shane McMahon and Roman Reigns highlighted his major bouts, but it all concluded with the "Grandest Stage of Them All" in 2020.

At WrestleMania 36, Taker faced off with AJ Styles. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the bout was changed to a Boneyard Match where the WWE Hall of Famer earned one final Mania win that many fans will never forget.

Championships

Championship	Times Won
WWE Championship	4
WWE World Heavyweight Championship	3
WWE World Tag Team Championship	6
WCW Tag Team Championship	1
WWE Hardcore Championship	1
Men's Royal Rumble	1
WWE Hall of Fame	1

The Undertaker Wife

On June 16, 2010, Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway married Michelle McCool. McCool, real name Michelle Leigh Calaway, is a former professional wrestler. She began a career at WWE and spent seven years with the company from 2004 to 2011, where she was a former two-time WWE Women's Champion and two-time Divas Champion. The Undertaker and McCool have two children together, a son and a daughter.

Theme Song

Rest In Peace - Jim Johnston

Social Media

Instagram: @undertaker

Twitter/X: @undertaker

Tiktok: @undertaker

Videos

Published 2 Hours Ago

SID PULLAR III

Sid Pullar III, born and raised in New York, is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who fell in love with the business when stars like Randy Savage, Ric Flair and Sting captured his imagination. In 2017, he started the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling podcast. Then in 2020, he began his writing for Sportskeeda Wrestling before moving to WrestleTalk in 2021. He is looking to capture his three decades worth of pro wrestling knowledge through his pieces and interviewing various stars.