Mark William Calaway better known by the ring nameThe Undertaker, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE.
Regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time,Calaway began his wrestling career in 1984, working under various gimmicks for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) and other affiliate promotions. After signing for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989, he enjoyed a brief stint as a mid-card performer named "Mean Mark" Callous, prior to joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1990.
In WWE, Calaway was rebranded as "The Undertaker", and gained significant mainstream popularity as a horror-themed, macabre entity who employed scare tacticsand held links to the supernatural. The Undertaker became one of the most prominent figures of the Attitude Era, featuring in various pivotal storylines and matches as WWF sustained a boom period in business in the late 1990s. His character transitioned into a biker in the early 2000s, before returning to a refined version of his previous gimmick in 2004. The Undertaker is known for The Streak, a series of 21 straight victories at WWE's flagship annual event, WrestleMania.
Calaway has held 17 championships. Within WWF/E, he is a four-time WWF/E Champion, a three-time World Heavyweight Champion, a six-time WWF World Tag Team Champion, a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion and a one-time WWF Hardcore Champion. Outside of WWE, he is a one-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion. The Undertaker has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for WWE, including four WrestleManias. He is also the second most prolific pay-per-view performer in WWE history, wrestling in over 170 matches.
Calaway was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Frank Compton Calaway and Betty Catherine Truby. He has four older brothers: David, Michael, Paul, and Timothy. Calaway attended Waltrip High School, where he was a member of the football and basketball teams. He graduated in 1983 and began studying at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas on a basketball scholarship. In 1985, he enrolled in Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he majored in sport management and played basketball for the Rams in the 1985–1986 season as a center. In 1986, Calaway dropped out of university to focus on a career in sports, and he briefly considered playing professional basketball in Europe before deciding to focus on professional wrestling.
Early career (1984–1990)
Calaway made his debut in 1984 for World Class Championship Wrestling under the ring name Texas Red.His first match was a loss against Bruiser Brody. In 1988, after four years in the promotion, he left and joined the Continental Wrestling Association(which became part of the United States Wrestling Association after Jerry Jarrett bought WCCW and merged the two organizations into one), wrestling under several gimmicks.
On February 2, 1989, managed by Dutch Mantel, he debuted as The Master of Pain, a character fresh out of the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta after serving five years for killing two men in a fight.After his second match the next week, he stayed in the ring by challenging USWA Unified World Heavyweight ChampionJerry Lawler to an impromptu match. The Master of Pain easily dominated Lawler until Mantel entered the ring and called him off. Lawler agreed to a title match, and on April 1, The Master of Pain won his first professional wrestling championship. He held it for just over three weeks before Lawler became the first man to pin him, winning it back. While performing as The Punisher, Calaway won the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989, when Eric Embry forfeited the title.
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