10 Things We Learned From The Undertaker On Ryan Satin’s Podcast
Why 'Taker is nervous about WWE's Hall Of Fame, amazing backstage stories and more.
The Undertaker is still getting used to being himself.
Actually, that's not true. Mark Calaway is still getting used to being himself, and he hasn't found it easy to tuck the legendary gimmick away after three decades of playing it. That journey is why interviews like this one for Ryan Satin's 'Out Of Character' podcast series are so much fun.
Throughout, Calaway cuts a contented figure. That's great to see, because memories of his tortured pre-retirement comments (and even more agonising matches) on WWE's stunning 'The Last Ride' documentary series are still burned into everyone's brains. That was painful to watch at times, and so it's ace to see a true legend at peace with himself.
Such peace will be disturbed come early April when the 'Deadman' is inducted into WWE's Hall Of Fame. He went deep on his worries about that during the chat, but that wasn't all - 'Taker also discussed his early years as WWE's most iconic character, and dished out amazing behind the scenes details on some of his biggest trials and tribulations.
Here's everything we learned from an engaging convo with the man behind the mystique.
10. He Was Around The Gimmick Early
'Did You Know?' time.
Some members of The Undertaker's family worked in funeral homes during his formative years, and that meant the man (or... kid) was around caskets, embalming rooms and that sort of thing from a very young age. Emphasis on "very" - 'Taker guesses that he was still in kindergarten when he began hanging around these places.
One time, he even decided to sneak a quick look inside one of the coffins when nobody was around. That scared the ever-living p*ss out of young 'Phenom', but it didn't halt his fascination with all things morbid. Still, even he couldn't have guessed the path his life would take as an adult.
It's crazy to think that both 'Taker and Paul Bearer (who actually worked in a funeral parlour pre-WWF), had been around this sort of spooky bullsh*t separately years before coming together for Vince McMahon's Undertaker gimmick.
Their on-screen union was totally meant to be.