The Undertaker: Five Facts About The WWE Superstar You Did Not Know!

For more than two decades, The Undertaker has been a dominating force in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Officially making his debut back when the company was known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) at Survivor Series 1990, Mark Callaway, the man behind the gimmick, would become one of the biggest stars the WWE has ever had. He would reinvent his character to keep the WWE Universe entertained and it has paid off after all this time. Now he is nearing the conclusion of his career for which he deserves retirement for sacrificing his time, relationships, and body in the squared circle.

The Inquisitr has kept up with the Undertaker and the rumors of said retirement. Probably the first sign of such is Undertaker losing to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania XXX. Since then, he hasn’t been seen in the WWE until a recent report stated he is a part-time advisor at NXT, WWE’s developmental brand located in Orlando, Florida. This is great news for those who don’t want to see Undertaker go but the WWE has gone on record stating that the Undertaker is not working for NXT. Fortunately, they also said Undertaker won’t retire soon either.

Whatever the truth may be, Undertaker is iconic in the WWE and wrestling history. That is why we are happy to present you five facts about the legendary “Deadman” that you probably did not know! Utilizing list articles by others such as Uproxx and What Culture, we compiled the five that truly stand out.

Also, the list has been limited to five because most of the top ten lists on Undertaker facts are known by devout wrestling fans and is still advertised in the WWE (such as Undertaker never officially tapping out)! So, are you ready to learn facts about the “Conscience of the WWE” that you’ve never known?

1. Undertaker Was Almost A Basketball Player

There was a time when Mark Callaway was pursuing a career in basketball instead of wrestling. Early on in his career, he split his time between pro wrestling (which he did for an income) and Texas College Basketball. Apparently, he was good as a basketball player but must have seen more potential in pro wrestling. At the time, this really translates to more opportunities for partying. Anyone who knows the Mark’s history knows partying — along with its vices — were important for him in his early career.

2. It Took The Undertaker Six Tries Before Landing A Winning Gimmick

When most wrestling fans are asked to present an example of a wrestler who relies on their gimmick, the Undertaker is probably their number one choice. However, between 1984 and 1990, Mark Callaway struggled with a cycle of unsteady personas. He started in World Class Championship Wrestling as Texas Red, moved on to the Master of Pain, then became the The Punisher. In 1990, Mark was in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Mean Mark Callous, his proto-Undertaker persona. It is also with the Mean Mark Callous persona that leads up to fact number three.

3. Undertaker Was One Of The First Paul Heyman Guys And One Of The First Teddy Long Guys In Wrestling (At The Same Time!)

This one probably blows most wrestling fans’ minds! Before Rodney Mack and Mark Henry were Teddy Long Guys and way before CM Punk popularized “Paul Heyman Guys” in an excellent promo known as “The Pipe Bomb,” Mark Callaway has the honor of being one of the first Paul Heyman Guys and Teddy Long guys! Back in WCW as Mean Mark Callous, he was managed by Paul Heyman (known as Paul E. Dangerously back then) and later on by Teddy Long when Mark became one half of the tag team known as the Skyscrapers. However, there was a transition between being a singles wrestler to tag team wrestler and that is when both Paul Heyman and Teddy Long were both behind Mean Mark Callous. Looks like before Brock Lesnar was “The Next Big Thing,” the Undertaker was “The First Big Thing!”

4. Undertaker Was Once “Really Good Friends” With Jenna Jameson

In real life, it seems that the Undertaker has a thing for blondes. His second wife (Sara Callaway) followed by his third (Michelle McCool Callaway) are a testament to that fact. Before both of them, he had a complicated relationship with one of the most infamous blondes of the 90s and early 2000s, Jenna Jameson.

According to Jenna Jameson herself in her autobiography, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star, she first met the Undertaker when she was sixteen. Undertaker was a frequent customer at a tattoo joint owned by Jameson’s boyfriend at the time, and the Deadman was constantly freaked out by the teenager’s constant presence in which he feared she might narc on some of the non-ink related activities happening. He would meet Jameson again when she was dancing and they would begin a friendship. Undertaker blew the friendship when he threatened a guy trying to buy Jameson a drink. Who knows! If he hadn’t messed up, he might have become the man who made an honest woman out of Jenna Jameson.

5. Paul Bearer Has The Most “Jabs” And Knows More “Random Facts” About The Undertaker Than Anyone Else

We are going to conclude this top five with things that are associated with legendary William Moody a.k.a. Paul Bearer. Everyone knows that William’s Paul Bearer character is iconic as the manager for Mark’s Undertaker character. But did you know that William was also the first manager for Mark back when Mark wrestled as Texas Red in his debut match? William (who went by Percy Pringle III) would be Texas Red’s manager and he hyped up the greenhorn. The hype may have worked if Texas Red didn’t lose.

So it can be said that William Moody and Mark Callaway had a friendship that goes back before the debut of the Undertaker. The WWE years, however, are the ones that would cement said friendship, usually with fun verbal jabs and such. In one case, William gave Mark the nickname “Wendy” for Mark’s natural red hair and freckles, similar to the iconic mascot for Wendy’s restaurants. Just imagine Mark Callaway answering to someone calling him “Wendy.”

If you think that was unique, then you’ll probably think the next fact is just crazy. Apparently, the Undertaker hates cucumbers. You might not believe it, but the cucumber terror tale comes from — you guessed it — William Moody. By now, most WWE and wrestling fans recognize William as the gold standard when it comes to facts about the Undertaker. So if this isn’t true, consider this one last rib from beyond the grave. According to William, he did not know about Mark’s fear of the vegetable until he filled his hat with cucumbers. The reaction by Mark was supposedly not one of anger or amusement, but of “terror vomiting.” If that’s the case, someone who knew this detail could have ended the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania Streak by challenging him in a salad eating match!

Now that you know five of the most interesting facts that is widely unknown even for top ten lists, what are your opinions about them? Do you find Mark Callaway a.k.a. the Undertaker to be an even more interesting character outside of his gimmick?

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