Apart from being a professional sport, pro wrestling has been a form of entertainment to its target audience for many decades, and only wrestlers who had the perfect mix of technical in-ring skills and ability to portray a character succeeded in the business. Likewise, we have seen many wrestling characters grace our television screens over the years, and the legendary Undertaker holds a very special place among them.
Mark Calaway overcame some initial struggles to embrace the iconic Deadman character and reached legendary status in the process. Wrestling fans are well aware of The Undertaker's journey to the top, but let's take a different view and look at The Deadman's life through his body transformation over the years.
10 Childhood
Born to Frank Compton Calaway and Betty Catherine Truby on March 24, 1965, in Houston, Texas, The Undertaker had a normal childhood and also looked the part as seen in the picture.
He was a very active kid and was a member of the football and basketball teams while attending Waltrip High School in Houston. The Undertaker went on to play one of the most terrifying characters in pro-wrestling and television history, and rightly so, as he once revealed during an interview with Ryan Satin that he was always fascinated with horror movies right from his childhood. The Deadman also revealed that he once had family members who used to work in a funeral home and had been around caskets and witnessed the embalming process, which only confirms that the universe was preparing him for his future role.
9 Teenage
After graduating from high school, The Undertaker enrolled in the Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he majored in Sports Management.
He also played as a Center for The Rams in the 1985–1986 season, but he dropped out of the university in 1986 to focus on a career in sports. He thought about playing professional basketball in Europe before changing his focus towards professional wrestling and started training the same year, which turned out to be the first step in his legendary career.
8 Wrestling Beginnings
The Undertaker started his training in 1986 under Buzz Sawyer, but the Deadman disliked his first trainer and stated that he lacked commitment and didn't provide a complete education of the business.
From then on, The Undertaker learned "on the job" and grasped the various aspects of the business as he continued to perform. His first gimmick was Texas Red, a masked character, which he portrayed during his early days in WCWA before taking on the Master of Pain gimmick in USWA and winning his first title, the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Jerry Lawler.
7 Mean Mark Callous
Following his stint in USWA, The Undertaker signed his first contract with a major promotion when he joined WCW in 1989. He debuted as a heel under the name "Mean Mark" Callous, which was devised for him by the late Hall of Famer Terry Funk.
He was with the company for less than a year, during which time he briefly competed in New Japan Pro Wrestling under the name "Punisher" Dice Morgan. He started questioning his future in WCW after booker Ole Anderson reportedly told during a contract negotiation that no one would pay money to see him perform, which fueled The Deadman's efforts to sign with WWE.
6 WWE Debut
The Undertaker tried to get a sit down with Vince McMahon through various channels and finally got it with some help from Bruce Prichard and Paul Heyman. While McMahon initially declined to hire him, he later changed his mind and pitched the Deadman character, with which The Undertaker made his iconic debut at Survivor Series 1990.
WWE presented him with the perfect attire with black trench coat, gray-striped tie, and a Stetson hat, which gave him a dark and mysterious look that sent chills down the fans' spines.
5 Ministry Of Darkness
The Undertaker has showcased several incarnations of the Deadman character over the years, and he made a significant change to his attire and presentation with his Ministry of Darkness persona, which gave him more of a vampire vibe.
He formed his own cult recruited several members and became part of an interesting storyline, which eventually led to his third WWE Championship win and his group merging with The Corporation to form The Corporate Ministry. He showcased a dark and sinister version of himself during this phase, performed occult rituals, and played mind games with his opponents.
4 The American Badass
The Undertaker took a brief hiatus from WWE in late 1999 to treat a groin injury, and while he did make a return in December 1999, a torn pectoral muscle took him out of action until May 2000. However, The Undertaker didn't return with The Deadman persona and instead showcased the human side of his gimmick by debuting a redneck biker gimmick, dubbed The American Badass.
He changed his entire attire and character during this phase, which went over very well with the fans as it became one of the most famous avatars of his career. He also debuted a heel version of the gimmick dubbed Big Evil, cut his hair short, and portrayed the gimmick until Survivor Series 2003, where he lost a Buried Alive match against Vince McMahon due to interference from Kane.
3 Return Of The Deadman
Following Survivor Series 2003, The Undertaker disappeared for a while, leading Kane to announce the latter was dead and buried forever. However, Kane became the victim of several mind games and paranormal activities, hinting at The Undertaker's return, which eventually happened at WrestleMania 20, where he returned as The Deadman and defeated Kane to extend his streak to 12-0.
The Undertaker then stayed in the same gimmick until the end of his in-ring career at WrestleMania 36, where he returned with a blend of both his Deadman and American Badass personas.
2 Short Haired Look
After he did so with the Big Evil gimmick, The Undertaker once again made a drastic change to his appearance when he shaved his hair short just in time for his match against Triple H at WrestleMania 28.
He showcased the same style for the following two WrestleManias, including sporting a Mohawk during his match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30, where he lost his iconic undefeated streak. Following that, he once again started growing his hair out and had a medium-haired look at WrestleMania 31 and was back looking like his old self during his Hell in a Cell match against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32.
1 Post Retirement
The Undertaker competed in his final match at WrestleMania 36 against AJ Styles, which was a cinematic-style contest due to WWE having to cancel the live event due to COVID-19 restrictions.
He formally announced his retirement and had his moment at Survivor Series 2020. He got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022, and while he did make an on-screen appearance with his American Badass character in a segment with LA Knight and Bray Wyatt in January 2023, he showed no signs of returning to in-ring competition. He's now looking after his other endeavors but posts some pictures on his social media accounts sometimes, which show him healthy and happy, enjoying his retirement with his family.