13 Things We Learned From The Undertaker On Joe Rogan Experience
11. His Brother Had To Take Out A Loan For Wrestling Training
Having been roped into giving professional wrestling a try by a gym buddy of his - with Calaway's previous plan being to take a shot at playing professional basketball in Europe - Mark Calaway, like so many of his peers, had to make some major financial sacrifices to get his wrestling career up and running.
Not only did Mark have to make a huge commitment to get into the wrestling business, but his older brother had to similarly tie himself to the future Undertaker's prospects of making it in the industry - that being by co-signing for a $2,000 loan that was intended to put Mark through wrestling training.
From The Joe Rogan Experience:
"We find this guy by the name of Buzz Sawyer to train us, right, and I’ve gotta come up with $2,000. I ain’t got a pot or a window to throw it out of, right, so I get my oldest brother to co-sign a loan, hawk everything I own, and come up with $2,000 to get Buzz Sawyer to train me to wrestle."
Given that this was the 1980s and a time when many veterans were eager to make a quick buck out of some gullible young upstarts, it comes as no surprise to hear Calaway reveal that he was ultimately shafted by Buzz Sawyer.
Week by week, Sawyer would utilise his amateur background to stretch his trainees, with people dropping likes flies with each passing session. With Mark Calaway as the last man standing, he turned up for his regular training spot, only to find Buzz had skipped town - all without giving any pro wrestling training.
After that, Calaway lived in his car, worked as a bouncer and collected debts to make ends meet until he was finally given a shot with World Class Championship Wrestlig.