20 Wrestling Facts You Probably Didn't Know

In late summer 1999 Mark 'the Undertaker' Calaway suffered a nasty groin tear, and would eventually be forced to take an extended hiatus from the ring to rehabilitate the injury. However, while he was recuperating Calaway tore a pectoral muscle. Together, the two injuries made it almost impossible for him to train or work out (that's why he was so out of shape when he finally did make a comeback) and he would be away from WWF television for over eight months.

During this time, he considered whether it might be time to call it a day and retire. Other wrestlers retained size easily and seemed to be made of rubber, rarely getting injured; despite his height, Calaway had a fairly normal physique, and was battered to hell and back, and now these two serious injuries had caused him to doubt whether he could carry on at all.

"About a year or so ago I went through two really serious injuries, serious enough to where I contemplated retirement. Anyway, I took this ride and I was just, like, everything that's happened over the past ten, eleven years has for some reason brought me to this point. I didn't want to go out in the midst of self-doubt and whether my body was going to hold up anymore. The thought came over me, you know, and it was like, you know what? You're gonna make a comeback. You're gonna go back to the top of the pile, you're gonna be the big dog in the yard and there's no two ways about it." - This Is My Yard, 2001

That was the inspiration for the Undertaker's return as the American Badass character, a nails-hard biker with no supernatural qualities, who moved, wrestled and spoke like a normal human being; Calaway himself, turned up to eleven.

Seventeen years later, The Undertaker has now finally, seemingly, put an end to his career and the character will Rest in Peace. But then, in the literally immortal words of Judge Death, you cannot kill what doess not livve.