20 Things You Didn't Know About The Undertaker
A deep dive into The Deadman.
There's no denying that The Undertaker is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time - a tenaciously gifted in-ring performer whose skills are nevertheless eclipsed by the brilliance of his character.
Taker, real name Mark Calaway, has intentionally kept himself concealed in a cloak of enigma for the majority of his career, only truly breaking character in recent times, and most decisively in the brilliant The Last Ride documentary series.
As a result, there's a ton of fascinating information about 'Taker's life and career that has likely passed most fans by, from his uneasy origins to his role in the creation of a certain iconic wrestling move, and everything in-between.
As much as the success of The Undertaker has been a result of his fierce commitment to the character, now that it seems 'Taker's time in the ring is done - probably, anyway - fans are eager for him to unload every last morsel of dishy backstage gossip.
But for now, here's what you need to know about the intimate life and impossibly epic career of the man, the myth, the legend...
20. He Debuted For WWE As "Kane The Undertaker"
Though The Undertaker has spent the bulk of his WWE career intertwined with his brother Kane, believe it or not, the Deadman actually went by that moniker himself for a few TV matches before making his PPV debut at Survivor Series 1990.
On a November 19, 1990 taping of Superstars, Mark Calaway made his TV debut against Mario Mancini, and though match graphics billed him simply as The Undertaker, Howard Finkel can clearly be heard introducing him as "Kane the Undertaker."
The idea was reportedly the brainchild of Bruce Prichard, who drew inspiration from the biblical tale of Cain and Abel.
A handful of other tapings conducted around this time also saw Calaway introduced as Kane, though by the time he showed up at Survivor Series mere days after the Superstars taping, he was renamed to simply The Undertaker.