Early career (1987–1989) Calaway began training under
Buzz Sawyer in late 1986; he disliked Sawyer, who reportedly lacked commitment and provided a limited education. Calaway learned "on the job" thereafter. Performing under a mask as "Texas Red", He was accompanied to the ring by Percival "Percy" Pringle III, who would later serve as his manager in the WWF as
Paul Bearer. Two myths have circulated regarding Calaway's beginnings in the industry, the first being that he made his in-ring debut in 1984, While never trained by Jardine, Calaway was an admirer of his work and would emulate Jardine's top rope walk.
PWInsiders Mike Johnson stated, "Undertaker using some of Jardine's style eventually morphed into this story that he was trained by Jardine." He would also wrestle in prison shows under the name "Boris Dragu", a Russian grave digger. On April 1, The Master of Pain won his first
professional wrestling championship by defeating
Jerry Lawler for the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion. Just over three weeks had passed when Lawler became the first man to pin him, giving it back to him. While performing as The Punisher upon returning to Dallas, Calaway won the USWA Texas Heavyweight Championship on October 5, 1989, when
Eric Embry forfeited the title. Soon after, Lawler would become one of the most known WWF/E commentators.
World Championship Wrestling (1989–1990) By the end of 1989, Calaway joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as a
heel and adopted the ring name "Mean Mark" Callous, a name devised for him by
Terry Funk. He was portrayed as a sinister force, wearing predominantly black ring attire and was described by commentator
Jim Ross as having a fondness for pet snakes and the music of
Ozzy Osbourne. Callous was promptly drafted into
The Skyscrapers tag team to replace a
legitimately injured
Sid Vicious, and made his debut on January 3, 1990, in a match later televised against Agent Steel and Randy Harris. The new team gained some notoriety at
Clash of the Champions X when they beat down
The Road Warriors after their match. However, Callous's partner
Dan Spivey left WCW days before their
Chicago Street Fight against the Road Warriors at
WrestleWar. Callous and
a replacement masked Skyscraper were defeated in the
street fight and the team broke up soon afterwards. Now a singles wrestler, Callous took on the guidance of
Paul E. Dangerously (Paul Heyman). Calaway later began to question his future in WCW after being told by
company booker,
Ole Anderson, during contract renewal discussions that nobody would ever pay money to watch him perform. Among routes Calaway took to land a meeting with McMahon was trying to convince individuals acquainted with McMahon or already existing WWF talent to recommend him into the WWF, such as
Hulk Hogan, Paul Heyman, and
Bruce Prichard, crediting the latter two for arranging the meeting at McMahon's mansion. Calaway immediately gave
notice to WCW before the interview took place. McMahon initially declined to hire Calaway; however, several days later the owner pitched the idea of an "Old West Undertaker", a concept he had intended to create for several years but had never found an appropriate wrestler to play the part. Despite Calaway's perplexed, pessimistic feelings about McMahon's gimmick idea, he was readily accepting of the role, feeling anything better than the laughingstock gimmicks of that time, such as
The Gobbledy Gooker. has been distinguished in external media as "The Old West Mortician". He made his overall WWF debut on a November 19, 1990, taping of
WWF Superstars quickly defeating his first opponent,
Mario Mancini, in a singles match (this match was filmed three days prior to the Undertaker's televised debut at
Survivor Series on November 22, but did not air on television until December 15, 1990). Also prior to his Survivor Series appearance, Kane the Undertaker had a match on November 20 against Rick Sampson, which later aired on the December 9, 1990 episode of
WWF Wrestling Challenge. Calaway's official live televised debut was at Survivor Series in which he was presented as the
heel mystery partner of Ted DiBiase's "Million Dollar Team". Approximately one minute into the match, the Undertaker eliminated
Koko B. Ware with his finisher, the
Tombstone Piledriver. (In 2018, Koko B. Ware shared that directly following this match that night, he confronted The Undertaker with serious objections to what he felt was a botched Tombstone. Though Ware also shared that he always admired Mark Calaway and perceived him as a great performer). During the match, the Undertaker also eliminated
Dusty Rhodes before being
counted out; however, his team won the match with DiBiase being the sole survivor.
Histrionic, wailing and ghostly in character, Bearer complemented The Undertaker and was almost always seen bearing an
urn which he raised in the air to transmit supernatural healing powers to the Undertaker; this typically resulted in the Undertaker recovering from attacks and counterattacking his adversaries. He continued picking up victories in squash matches leading up to his first
feud in the WWF with
"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. He began his first major feud shortly thereafter, which was with
The Ultimate Warrior when The Undertaker attacked him and locked him in an airtight casket on the set of Paul Bearer's
Funeral Parlor segment. The feud was, however, cut short after the Warrior's suspension and ongoing issues with Vince McMahon. The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan to win his first
WWF Championship at
Survivor Series with the help of
Ric Flair and thus became the youngest WWF Champion in history to that point, 26 years of age—this record was later broken by
Yokozuna in April 1993 at
WrestleMania IX. The Undertaker's Tombstone of Hogan to win the WWF Championship at the 1991 Survivor Series created real-life, offscreen discord between the two, which Undertaker attributes his short title reign, lack of title runs during his early career and distrust of Hogan. In storyline, however, WWF President
Jack Tunney ordered a rematch between the two at
This Tuesday in Texas six days later, where The Undertaker lost the title back to Hogan. In February 1992, The Undertaker's ally Jake "The Snake" Roberts tried to attack
"Macho Man" Randy Savage's manager/wife
Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair when Undertaker stopped him, turning him (and Paul Bearer)
face for the first time. Their face turn was solidified on the February 29 episode of
Superstars when Roberts confronted The Undertaker on the
Funeral Parlor set over the matter (aired on ''
Saturday Night's Main Event XXX''). After demanding to know whose side The Undertaker was on and getting the reply, "Not yours", Roberts attacked both Bearer and The Undertaker, only for The Undertaker to stand his ground and run Roberts off. The Undertaker defeated Roberts at
WrestleMania VIII. He faced González at WrestleMania IX, which is notable as
The Undertaker's only disqualification win at WrestleMania after the use of
chloroform. Also during this time, The Undertaker headlined the
debut episode of
Monday Night Raw on January 11, 1993, with a victory over
Damien Demento. The Undertaker's next rivalry initiated at
Survivor Series with Yokozuna when a clash between the two lost control, causing them to be counted out in an elimination tag match. In the weeks following, The Undertaker and Bearer spooked Yokozuna with multiple segments from their wintery and remote
rural area workshop. There, Bearer presented The Undertaker hard at work
carpentering Yokozuna what would eventually become a "double wide, double deep casket" custom-built for Yokozuna's immensely overweight size. The feud culminated in a WWF Championship
casket match at the
Royal Rumble in January 1994. During the match, Yokozuna sealed The Undertaker in the casket with the assistance of a multitude of heel wrestlers (some of them
Whippleman-managed) hired by Yokozuna's vindictive managers
Jim Cornette and
Mr. Fuji, which was in retaliation for Bearer's casket match stipulation that he snuck into their Royal Rumble match contract. After being trapped inside the casket by the pack, green vapor emitted from the casket and the arena lights went out. Undertaker then appeared from inside the casket on the video screen, representing the spirit of his dead corpse, warning that he would produce a future "rebirth" of himself, explaining to his antagonists that he cannot and will not Rest in Peace. The Undertaker did not appear in the WWF for seven months after his loss to Yokozuna. In reality, he was given time off to allow a back injury to heal, and to attend his first son's birth.
Rebirthed Deadman (1994–1996) betrayed The Undertaker by hitting him with the
urn that he is seen carrying. The attack left a noticeable dent and it is now a WWE artifact. Following the death angle at the Royal Rumble during The Undertaker's absence, the WWF promoted reported sightings of him through video clips of random people claiming to have seen him. After
WrestleMania X,
Ted DiBiase introduced an Undertaker back to the WWF. This Undertaker, however, played by
Brian Lee (one of Calaway's real-life best friends) was an impostor Undertaker (dubbed "The Underfaker" by fans) rejuvenated by Dibiase's money rather than Bearer's urn. His actions led to the return of the real Undertaker at
SummerSlam, defeating the impostor and appearing as a reincarnation of his Deadman gimmick, one of a more shadowy, mysterious and secret presence. Represented now by cool colors, The Undertaker replaced details of his wrestling gear that were previously colored gray with purple, and effected scenes with blue/purple semidarkness. Seeking retribution, The Undertaker revisited his feud with Yokozuna and eventually faced him in a casket rematch at
Survivor Series.
Chuck Norris (portraying his
Walker, Texas Ranger persona) was involved in the match as special guest enforcer, preventing interference from wrestlers that Yokozuna, Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji had again enlisted for help. Unable to rely on much as far as interference this time around (only
Irwin R. Schyster able to get in a brief ambush) due to Norris averting the attempts of several heel wrestlers, Yokozuna was defeated by The Undertaker and sealed in the casket. At
WrestleMania XI, The Undertaker made short work of Bundy in a singles match. This edition of WrestleMania included the first mention of The Undertaker's historic
WrestleMania-winning Streak, acknowledged on commentary by Vince McMahon as Undertaker made his entrance: "The Undertaker, on his way to the ring—a man who's never lost at WrestleMania." During The Undertaker's WrestleMania encounter, DiBiase issued him with yet another antagonist in "The Supreme Fighting Machine"
Kama, who had stolen the briefly recaptured urn from Bearer during the match. Kama followed this up with a series of malicious acts, including destroying the stolen urn and recycling it into
bling. The Undertaker returned a couple of months later at
Survivor Series, in which he single-handedly eliminated an entire team of wrestlers led by King Mabel, The Undertaker leading his own team to victory. It was at that Survivor Series return in which he began wearing a
Phantom of the Opera-like, gray upper-face mask to safeguard his orbital injury while it healed. A rematch for the title on the February 5 episode of
Raw saw similar interference. At that month's
In Your House: Rage in the Cage, while Diesel was facing Hart in a
steel cage match for the WWF Championship, The Undertaker delivered a surprise attack, emerging from a hole he had ripped through the ring canvas and dragging Diesel with him down under amid a cloud of smoke, allowing Hart the victory. As a result of the interference and repeated ambushes from Mankind on The Undertaker throughout the ensuing weeks, The Undertaker and Mankind competed in their first on-screen bout at the
1996 King of the Ring, a heated encounter in which The Undertaker presented as uncharacteristically intense. It was also at this event that The Undertaker had developed a comparatively more humanized and more informal yet still superhuman "Deadman" incarnation. In this then new form, he took on a
Goth appearance and persona, with a brash, rebelling, Championship-driven mean streak (perhaps to better fit in with the then-budding, more adult-oriented
Attitude Era). This delivering, dubbed "The Lord of Darkness", was the 3rd incarnation of his Deadman persona. However, the following month, The Undertaker managed to win the WWF Championship for the second time by defeating
Sycho Sid at
WrestleMania 13. Reviving his first Deadman incarnation for that night only, The Undertaker appeared as the "Old West Mortician", donning the trademarked gray wrestling gear accessories (boot spats, tie, gloves), along with a pitch-black entrance with only a white spotlight shined over him, contrasted from the purple/blue semidarkness associated with the rest of his Deadman incarnations. Evening the score at "Revenge of the 'Taker", The Undertaker set a fireball to Bearer's face directly following the match. (Note that the younger brother, Kane, was not revealed to be The Undertaker's half-brother until the following year, April 1998, when Bearer disclosed to the world that he is Kane's father, The Undertaker's mother having had an affair with him. Bearer later verified this with DNA test results). At this point in his career, The Undertaker denied the charges of committing the arson murder that killed his family; however, Bearer claimed to have proof in the form of The Undertaker's alive and well younger brother, Kane, who had survived though scarred and burned. Bearer raised Kane after the fire, having him institutionalized from the date of the fire into adulthood. Ever since the fire, Kane had been awaiting to exact vengeance on his older half-brother. In defense, Undertaker responded that Kane, a "
pyromaniac", had been the one to set the fire and, as a result, could not have possibly even survived.
Faarooq (
King of the Ring) and Vader (
Canadian Stampede: In Your House, revisiting and settling their Royal Rumble feud from earlier on in the year), respectively. Concurrent to the "deep, dark secret" storyline directed by Bearer, Undertaker began a then new rivalry at
SummerSlam when
special guest referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit him with a steel chair shot intended for his archnemesis Bret Hart, in effect, costing The Undertaker the WWF Championship. After the duo's first match, which was a chaotic and uncontrolled encounter that resulted in a double count-out draw at
Ground Zero: In Your House, Undertaker challenged Michaels to the first ever
Hell in a Cell match to take place at
Badd Blood: In Your House. Despite the inclusion of the cell for more order and to prevent Michaels from receiving help from his
D-Generation X stable, the encounter ended up even more uncontrolled and savage than their first and is considered one of The Undertaker's best matches of his career. Seemingly about to emerge the victor after striking Michaels with a chair shot of his own, The Undertaker was interrupted by his storyline half-brother Kane, finally making his debut. Under the control of Paul Bearer, Kane stormed the arena, ripped off the cell door, and laid out a nonplussed Undertaker with his own trademarked finisher,
The Tombstone Piledriver, allowing Michaels to pin him for the victory. The Undertaker's final encounter with Michaels during this chapter of his career was in a casket match for the WWF Championship at the
Royal Rumble. The week before on
Raw, Kane had duplicitously presented as allying with his brother against Michaels's D-Generation X stable; however, at the Royal Rumble, Kane trapped The Undertaker in the coffin, padlocked the lid shut, and set the casket ablaze, allowing Michaels another victory. After a two-month hiatus in which Kane wreaked havoc over the WWF, The Undertaker returned on the March 2, 1998 episode of
Raw in a most notable resurrection—his druids interrupting Kane and Bearer by presenting them with a coffin on the entrance stage amid a large number of bell tolls. The coffin was struck and dismantled by a lightning bolt, revealing a lied out Undertaker who sat up in a fury state and challenged Kane to do battle with him. At
WrestleMania XIV in their first match, The Undertaker defeated Kane. The Undertaker then became the number one contender for the WWF Championship, held by Austin at that point, for a match at
SummerSlam. Shortly before SummerSlam and after much speculation, The Undertaker finally disclosed that he and his half-brother were working together. Despite this revelation, The Undertaker told Kane before his SummerSlam bout that he did not want him interfering, even sending Kane away during the match itself when he appeared. Even though The Undertaker lost the match at SummerSlam, he handed Austin his championship belt back after the match with a show of respect and sportsmanship.
Ministry of Darkness Deadman (1998–1999) After
Survivor Series, The Undertaker returned his attention to his previous feud with Austin for costing him the title at Judgment Day, hitting Austin in the head with a shovel during a title match with
The Rock on the November 16 episode of
Raw is War, returning the favor for what happened a month earlier. With this twist in the storyline, Mr. McMahon scheduled a Buried Alive match between The Undertaker and Austin at
Rock Bottom: In Your House. In the weeks leading up to Rock Bottom, The Undertaker attempted to
embalm Austin alive, tried to have Kane committed to a mental asylum, and had his druids chain Austin to an immense structure of his Undertaker crucifix-like logo (which took the appearance of a capital T combined X) before having that structure lifted up on high into the air. However, The Undertaker lost the Buried Alive match to Austin at Rock Bottom after Kane interfered. After the buildup to his second heel run in the latter part of 1998, The Undertaker introduced an updated version of his Deadman identity by January 1999—a dark priest-like character who in the initial period of this persona reigned over a stable known as The Ministry of Darkness. In this form, he took on a wicked, demonic presence, much more so than ever before. He often proclaimed to be invoking and taking orders from a "Higher Power". Moreover, he often appeared in a hooded black robe and sat on a throne with a towering backrest specially designed into his crucifix-like logo. With the help of his minions, he often performed sacrifices on select WWF wrestlers, using various
incantations and
magic words with intent to extract out the dark side of the wrestlers in question to recruit them into his Ministry. The completed Ministry of Darkness consisted of
The Brood (
Christian,
Edge and
Gangrel),
The Acolytes (Bradshaw and Faarooq),
Mideon and
Viscera. Calaway himself did not wrestle for a period, having undergone a hip replacement. As part of the
angle, The Undertaker had his Ministry members fight his battles, carry out his evil wishes and do all his dirty deeds. In this manner, he expressed his desires to take over the World Wrestling Federation, displacing its owner, Mr. McMahon. These ambitions culminated into a rivalry between The Ministry and
The Corporation, ultimately resulting in a match between The Undertaker and Corporation enforcer,
Big Boss Man. The two faced off in a Hell in a Cell match at
WrestleMania XV, which The Undertaker won. At
Backlash: In Your House, The Undertaker defeated Corporation member
Ken Shamrock after interference from Ministry member Bradshaw. Thereafter, The Undertaker kidnapped
Stephanie McMahon, forcing Mr. McMahon to enter into a reluctant alliance with his longtime nemesis Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Undertaker attempted to marry Stephanie before sacrificing her in an
eldritch ceremony conducted by Paul Bearer, but Austin was able to rescue her. At the
Over the Edge pay-per-view, The Undertaker defeated Austin for his third WWF Championship with help from
Shane McMahon, the special guest referee. The Ministry eventually merged with Shane McMahon's Corporation alliance to form
The Corporate Ministry. The Undertaker later revealed that Mr. McMahon had been his "Higher Power" all along as a scheme against Austin. After The Undertaker
lost the WWF Championship back to Austin on the
Raw following
King of the Ring and lost to him in a
First Blood match at
Fully Loaded, his relationship with the McMahons dissolved and The Corporate Ministry disbanded. The Undertaker then began a storyline where he teamed with
Big Show in a tag team known as "The Unholy Alliance", which held the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. After their victory at
SummerSlam, The Undertaker suffered a groin tear and was seen limping in several matches. He avoided competing in wrestling matches in the following weeks, instead overbearingly ordering Big Show to fight his battles and do all his dirty deeds. Developing a comedy horror smart mouth during this time, elements of The Undertaker's trash-talking biker identity (that he would eventually introduce in 2000) began peeping out during this phase of his career. According to an interview with Kevin Nash, this was a move to allow Calaway to return to WCW with a non-trademarked persona; had he entered WCW, it would have been as Mark Calaway. According to Nash, although negotiations were described as close, Calaway ultimately re-signed with the WWF. Conversely, while on Steve Austin's
Broken Skull Sessions podcast on November 22, 2020, Calaway revealed that there was no way he was ever going to rejoin WCW, that the gimmick's biker transition was just a matter of him mixing things up because he didn't feel the character's Deadman side properly fit with the then ongoing Attitude Era. To compensate for his lack of physical activity, The Undertaker became increasingly overbearing and vocal, often mouthing off with a weirdness and making sinisterly
smart-aleck remarks in promos and on commentary. On the September 23, 1999, episode of
SmackDown!, Mr. McMahon threatened that he would remove The Undertaker from the
Unforgiven main event if he refused to participate in a casket match against
Triple H. The Undertaker retorted that he did not care and maybe he would not be participating in anything WWF any longer, from there walking out on the WWF. In reality, Calaway went on a hiatus from the WWF in order to treat his groin injury. He made his return to action on December 14, teaming with Viscera in a losing effort against Kane and The Godfather at a house show in
Coamo, Puerto Rico. The Undertaker was advertised on the
Armageddon promotional poster to return, but meanwhile also tore his pectoral muscle, taking him out of action for almost eight months.
American Badass (2000–2001) In May 2000, Calaway expanded on The Undertaker gimmick, returning under a human alter ego of the gimmick—a smack-talking,
redneck biker, dubbed "The American Badass", known for motorcycle-riding, tobacco chewing/spitting, and donning a sporty appearance and manner. In stark contrast to his horror-themed and fully fictional Deadman persona, Calaway's Badass persona was only semifictional with traits and features adopted from who he is out of character—hence, why he desired to transform The Undertaker. While explained off screen years later for the above reasons, Calaway's sudden appearance as American Badass Undertaker after hiatus in which he left off as Deadman Undertaker was never explained within WWE storylines or the WWE's fictional universe. Rather, the expectation was for fans to just go with it. When The Undertaker returned near the end of the
iron man match for the WWF Championship between Triple H and The Rock at
Judgment Day on May 21, 2000, he took out all the members of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction, which created for a
face turn after having left things off as a heel before his hiatus. He also targeted their leader, then WWF Champion Triple H. At the
King of the Ring pay-per-view on June 25, The Undertaker teamed with The Rock and Kane to defeat the team of Triple H, Shane McMahon and Vince McMahon. The Undertaker then challenged
Kurt Angle for the WWF Championship at
Survivor Series on November 19. Angle, however, defeated The Undertaker after he switched places with his real-life brother,
Eric Angle. The Undertaker demanded and was awarded a spot in the six-man Hell in a Cell match for the WWF Championship at
Armageddon on December 10. The Undertaker promised to make someone famous and did so when he performed a chokeslam on
Rikishi from the roof of the cell into hay-filled cargo bed of a truck. Triple H pinned Kane after attacking him with a sledgehammer at
Backlash on April 29, where the Brothers of Destruction lost their championships. With Kane injured, The Undertaker feuded briefly with Austin for his WWF Championship, but he failed to win the title at
Judgment Day on May 20. In transitioning his "American Badass" biker identity into a heel, The Undertaker eventually cut his long hair short and went by the nickname "Big Evil". At
Vengeance on December 9, The Undertaker defeated Rob Van Dam to win the
WWF Hardcore Championship. The Undertaker's next storyline began at the
Royal Rumble on January 20, 2002, when
Maven eliminated him from the
Royal Rumble match by hitting him with a
dropkick from behind. Subsequently, The Undertaker eliminated Maven in return and brutally assaulted him backstage. The storyline continued when The Rock cost The Undertaker the WWF Hardcore Championship against Maven on the February 7 episode of
SmackDown!. The two faced off at
No Way Out on February 17, where The Undertaker lost due to interference from Ric Flair. As a result, The Undertaker assaulted Flair's son
David Flair. Flair eventually accepted the match after The Undertaker threatened to inflict the same punishment on Flair's
daughter. On the July 1 episode of
Raw, The Undertaker defeated
Jeff Hardy in a
ladder match to retain the WWE Undisputed Championship and raised Hardy's hand as a show of respect, turning face once again. The Undertaker, however, lost the title at
Vengeance on July 21 to The Rock in a triple threat match that also involved Kurt Angle. The Undertaker returned at the
Royal Rumble on January 19, 2003. He immediately continued his feud with Big Show and defeated him by
submission at
No Way Out on February 23 with a
triangle choke.
A-Train entered the storyline by attempting to attack The Undertaker after the match, but
Nathan Jones came to his aid. The second, at
No Mercy on October 19, was a
Biker Chain match between The Undertaker and Lesnar, which Lesnar won with the help of Mr. McMahon. This match resulted in a feud with McMahon, culminating at
Survivor Series on November 16 where The Undertaker lost a Buried Alive match against McMahon when Kane interfered.
Return of the Deadman (2004–2007) In the storyline leading up to
WrestleMania XX on March 14, 2004, Kane was tormented by horror-themed mind games, paranormal activities, and spooking vignettes proclaiming The Undertaker's Deadman return. The first was during the
Royal Rumble when The Undertaker's bells tolled, distracting Kane and allowing Booker T to eliminate him. Introduced was a more dramatic, theatrical and supernatural Deadman than in years past, his presence, mannerisms, and entrances significantly elaborated on as well, such as with more intensity, special effects and rising and falling flames. At the same time, The Undertaker maintained elements of his American Badass identity, thus a composite character more humanized than all of his previous Deadman incarnations (The Undertaker would present in this particular hybrid Deadman form until
No Mercy 2005 when
Randy Orton sealed him in a casket and set it on fire). Thus, Heyman "took control" of Undertaker. The Undertaker turned his focus to the WWE Championship once again. Along with
Eddie Guerrero and Booker T, he challenged JBL to a championship rematch at
Armageddon on December 12 in a fatal four-way match, in which The Undertaker was unsuccessful, again due to Heidenreich's interference. Even with help from
his father, Orton lost as The Undertaker improved his WrestleMania record to 13–0. The Undertaker's feud with Orton would be temporarily paused due to Orton taking a hiatus to recover from a shoulder injury. In the meantime, The Undertaker began a feud with
Muhammad Hassan. In one of the most controversial angles in WWE history, The Undertaker defeated Hassan's manager
Daivari on the July 7 episode of
SmackDown!, after which Hassan began to "pray" on the ramp, summoning five masked men, dressed in black shirts, ski-masks and camouflage pants, who assaulted and choked out The Undertaker with piano wire before Hassan then placed The Undertaker in a
camel clutch. Afterward, the masked men lifted Daivari above their heads and carried him away. Although the episode was pre-taped, the date it aired happened to be the same day as the
London bombings of July 7, 2005, carried out by
Islamist terrorists. The footage aired unedited on
UPN in the United States and on
The Score in Canada with an advisory warning shown several times during the broadcast, but removed from the Australian and European broadcasts. The angle elicited national attention in the
New York Post,
TV Guide,
Variety and other major media outlets. The negative media coverage led to UPN banning the Muhammad Hassan character from being featured on their network. The Undertaker defeated Hassan at
The Great American Bash on July 24, and afterwards delivered a
Last Ride through an open stage ramp onto a concrete floor to Hassan, giving Hassan
kayfabe serious injuries and writing him off television. Hassan was originally due to have defeated The Undertaker at the pay-per-view, and receive a major
push by going on to win the
World Heavyweight Championship from
Batista at
SummerSlam on August 21 and becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. On the following episode of
SmackDown!, The Undertaker lost to JBL in a number-one contender's match, once again due to interference from Orton, reviving their feud that was put on hiatus. At SummerSlam, Orton defeated The Undertaker in a WrestleMania rematch. The storyline intensified as the two tried to get into the head of one another with dark mind game tactics and use of caskets, leading to a handicap casket match at
No Mercy on October 9, in which The Undertaker lost to Randy and his father "Cowboy" Bob Orton. The Undertaker resurrected at the
Survivor Series on November 27 when the druids delivered a casket that was struck by lightning and went up in flames. The Undertaker then burst from the flaming casket in rage, battering and brutalizing an entire ring full of wrestlers as a message to Orton. Here, he reappeared still in hybrid form but with lessened Badass characteristics, eliminating several elements of his biker identity so that his Deadman side projected, most notably, replacing loose-fitting cargo pants with his Deadman spandex, and less use of the
Last Ride finisher. At
Armageddon on December 18, The Undertaker defeated Orton in a Hell in a Cell match to end the rivalry. The Undertaker cornered Angle after the match and told him he was not finished with him. During a rematch on the next episode of
SmackDown!, The Undertaker was assaulted by the debuting
Great Khali. The Undertaker was not heard from until the May 5 episode of
SmackDown! when Theodore Long delivered a challenge from The Undertaker to Khali for a match at
Judgment Day on May 21. The Undertaker lost to Khali at Judgment Day, and he did not appear again until the July 7 episode of
SmackDown! when he accepted Khali's challenge to a
Punjabi Prison match at
The Great American Bash on July 23. However, Khali was removed from the match due to not being medically cleared. He was thus replaced by then
ECW World Champion Big Show, over whom The Undertaker gained the victory. In storyline, Theodore Long replaced Khali with Big Show as punishment for an attack on The Undertaker shortly before the match. The Undertaker's next match was with then United States Champion
Mr. Kennedy at
No Mercy on October 8, but was disqualified in the match after he hit Kennedy with the championship belt. On the November 3 episode of
SmackDown!, The Undertaker reunited with Kane to reform the Brothers of Destruction for the first time in five years, defeating reluctant opposition in the form of Mr. Kennedy and
Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), with whom Kane was feuding with at the time. As part of the storyline, Kennedy defeated The Undertaker in a First Blood match at
Survivor Series on November 26 after interference from MVP, However, The Undertaker eventually qualified for the Royal Rumble match, by winning a
battle royal on the January 26 episode of
SmackDown!.
World Heavyweight Champion (2007–2010) The Undertaker won his first
Royal Rumble match on January 28, in doing so becoming the first man to enter the Rumble at number 30 and win the match, after lastly eliminating Shawn Michaels. On the February 5 episode of
Raw, The Undertaker elected to face World Heavyweight Champion Batista at
WrestleMania 23 on April 1, before attacking him with the chokeslam. At
No Way Out on February 18, The Undertaker and Batista reluctantly teamed together to face John Cena and Shawn Michaels, but lost after Batista gained revenge on The Undertaker by hitting him with a
spinebuster, allowing Cena to pin him. At WrestleMania 23, The Undertaker defeated Batista to win his first World Heavyweight Championship and extend his Streak to 15–0. The Undertaker faced Batista in a rematch at
Backlash on April 29, this time in a Last Man Standing match. The match ended in a draw after neither man got to their feet by the referee's count of ten, meaning The Undertaker retained the championship. The Undertaker and Batista then fought once again in a steel cage match on the May 11 episode of
SmackDown! that also ended in a draw when both men's feet touched the floor at the same time. After the match, Mark Henry made his return by assaulting an already battered The Undertaker, after which Edge ran to the ring and cashed in his
Money in the Bank briefcase, forcing The Undertaker into a second title defense. Although he kicked out of two quick pin attempts, The Undertaker was pinned by Edge after two
spears and lost the World Heavyweight Championship. After this match, The Undertaker took time off due to a torn right biceps. at
WrestleMania XXIV During his rehabilitation, Henry bragged about his assault on The Undertaker, until vignettes began playing that promoted The Undertaker's return. The Undertaker returned at
Unforgiven on September 16, defeating Henry. Batista and The Undertaker reignited their feud at
Cyber Sunday on October 28 with the fans choosing the special guest referee to be Stone Cold Steve Austin, however, Batista retained the World Heavyweight Championship. They battled again in a Hell in a Cell match at
Survivor Series on November 18, where Edge returned and interfered to help Batista retain the World Heavyweight Championship. In response to this, The Undertaker delivered a
Tombstone Piledriver to General Manager
Vickie Guerrero on the November 23 episode of
SmackDown!, sending her to the hospital. Returning assistant-General Manager Theodore Long declared a triple threat match for the title between the three men at
Armageddon on December 16, which Edge won after interference from
The Major Brothers. At the
Royal Rumble on January 27, 2008, The Undertaker competed in the Royal Rumble match itself, entering at number 1, but eliminated by Shawn Michaels after lasting for most of the bout. At
No Way Out on February 17, The Undertaker defeated Batista,
Finlay, The Great Khali, MVP and Big Daddy V in the SmackDown
Elimination Chamber match to become the number one contender for Edge's World Heavyweight Championship at
WrestleMania XXIV on March 30. At WrestleMania, The Undertaker defeated Edge with the ''
Hell's Gate'' submission hold to win his second World Heavyweight Championship in what was his 16th WrestleMania win. In a WrestleMania rematch, The Undertaker defeated Edge once again at
Backlash on April 27 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. Vickie Guerrero then banned The Undertaker's ''Hell's Gate
submission hold and stripped him of the World Heavyweight Championship on the May 2 episode of SmackDown''. The Undertaker battled Edge for the vacant title at
Judgment Day on May 18, which he won by countout. Guerrero ordered that the title remain vacant, because titles could not change hands in this way. Edge and The Undertaker faced each other again for the vacant championship at
One Night Stand on June 1 in a
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, which The Undertaker lost after interference from
La Familia. As a result of the stipulation, The Undertaker was forced to leave WWE. at
WrestleMania 25 On the July 25 episode of
SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero reinstated The Undertaker and scheduled Edge to face him at
SummerSlam on August 17 in a Hell in a Cell match, which The Undertaker won. After the match, The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge from the top of a ladder and through the ring canvas. Following this match, Guerrero tried making a peace offering with The Undertaker on
SmackDown by apologizing, but The Undertaker told her that he was not the forgiving kind. At
Unforgiven on September 7, as The Undertaker approached the ring to "take Guerrero's soul" and seal her in a casket,
Big Show, who appeared at first to be aiding The Undertaker ended up assaulting him. Resulting from that, The Undertaker and Big Show faced each other in a match at
No Mercy on October 5, where Big Show won by
knockout. At
Cyber Sunday on October 26, The Undertaker defeated Big Show in a Last Man Standing match after choking him out with ''Hell's Gate
. At the same time, The Undertaker was engaged in a short feud with Jeff Hardy, who interfered during his match with Vladimir Kozlov on the November 7 episode of SmackDown
. Hardy defeated The Undertaker in an Extreme Rules match the following week on SmackDown
due to interference from Big Show. The Undertaker then went on to defeat Big Show in a casket match at Survivor Series on November 23 and again in a steel cage match by submission on the December 5 episode of SmackDown'' to end their feud. At
No Way Out on February 15, 2009, The Undertaker was part of the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match along with Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Big Show, Vladimir Kozlov and Edge; however, he was unsuccessful at winning the match as he was the runner-up behind Triple H. In early 2009, The Undertaker began a second chapter to his unresolved feud with Shawn Michaels from the late 1990s, over a decade prior to this point (their tensions gradually increasing in the years immediately preceding this from heated run-ins at the 2007 and 2008 Royal Rumble matches). Their renewed feud by this point was two-dimensional, in part focusing on the wonder of The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania Streak in relation to, however, the fact that he had never before defeated Michaels in a singles match, only vice versa. Michaels also made the buildup to their WrestleMania encounter personal, repeatedly demonstrating his Christian objections to the demonic dark side nature of The Undertaker's Deadman gimmick, even creating his own heaven-esque bright side spin-off of what he felt The Undertaker's gimmick should be (Michaels having become a real-life born again Christian by this point in his career). The feud culminated in a singles match between the two at
WrestleMania 25 on April 5 in which Michaels made a heaven-sent entrance descending from up on high portraying his bright side anti-Deadman, while The Undertaker made a grave-risen entrance emerging from the ground. Their encounter was highly acclaimed by critics and audiences alike and is considered by many to be one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. After a four-month hiatus, The Undertaker returned at
SummerSlam on August 23 by attacking
CM Punk, who had just won the World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Hardy in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. At
Breaking Point on September 13, The Undertaker faced Punk in a submission match for the World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker had originally won the match with his ''Hell's Gate
submission hold, but the match was restarted by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, who ruled that the ban placed on the move by Vickie Guerrero was still in effect. Punk went on to win the match with his anaconda vise when referee Scott Armstrong called for the bell, despite The Undertaker never submitting—a recreation of the Montreal Screwjob, which took place in the same venue in 1997. On the September 25 episode of SmackDown'', Theodore Long officially lifted the ban after being released from a casket that The Undertaker had him placed inside of, among a series of other horror-themed mind game tactics. With Long out of the way, the feud between The Undertaker and Punk pressed on and at
Hell in a Cell on October 4, The Undertaker won the World Heavyweight Championship from him in a Hell in a Cell match. The Undertaker successfully defended the title against CM Punk on the October 23 episode of
SmackDown, in a fatal four-way match at
Bragging Rights on October 25 against Punk, Batista and
Rey Mysterio and in a triple threat match against Chris Jericho and Big Show at
Survivor Series on November 22. He faced Batista at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13 in a chairs match for the championship and won when the match was restarted by Long, after Batista had originally won after utilizing a
low blow. The next night on
Raw, The Undertaker competed in a tournament to crown the
2009 Superstar of the Year, losing to Randy Orton by countout in the first round after a distraction by Orton's protegès
Cody Rhodes and
Ted DiBiase. in January 2010 After successfully defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Rey Mysterio at the
Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010, The Undertaker lost the championship at the
Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 21. It was also at this event that a notorious
shoot incident (non-kayfabe) befell The Undertaker: a
pyrotechnics malfunction momentarily engulfed him in flames up to three times during his ring entrance. He was, however, able to continue with his scheduled match that night despite suffering first and second-degree burns on his chest and neck. According to a WWE spokesman, it "looked like a bad sunburn". The Undertaker lost the title to Chris Jericho after interference from Shawn Michaels that night; Jericho has said on multiple occasions that the pyrotechnician responsible for the accident was immediately escorted from the arena and relieved of his employment with WWE, following a threat of violence from Calaway. Calaway himself explained that he had previously expressed concerns to the technician regarding the pyro arrangement, but was ignored. He feels he was saved from severe injury by applying water to his hair, and altering his attire from a sleeveless to a sleeved jacket, just minutes before the accident. The Undertaker then accepted Michaels's rematch offer, after initially declining, at
WrestleMania XXVI on March 28 in a
Streak vs. Career match, where The Undertaker was victorious and Shawn Michaels was forced to retire. This match also made both The Undertaker and Michaels the first men in WWE history to main event WrestleMania in three different decades (Undertaker main evented WrestleMania 13 and XXIV in 1997 and 2008 and Michaels main evented WrestleMania XII and XIV in 1996 and 1998 and XX and 23 in 2004 and 2007, respectively). After a hiatus (which included wrestling two matches on
Raw), he returned to
SmackDown on May 28, defeating Rey Mysterio to qualify for a spot at the
Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view on June 20 to compete for the World Heavyweight title. During the Rey Mysterio match, The Undertaker suffered a concussion, broken orbital bone and broken nose; he was visibly bleeding profusely on camera by the end of this match. To cover for the injury, Kane revealed that The Undertaker had been found in a vegetative state on the June 4 episode of
SmackDown; Mysterio took his place in the match and won the World Heavyweight Championship. While attempting to learn which wrestler had attacked The Undertaker, Kane defeated Mysterio to win the World Heavyweight Championship at
Money in the Bank. Kane and Mysterio continued to clash as they accused one another of being the assailant behind the mysterious ambush of The Undertaker. At
SummerSlam on August 15, The Undertaker returned to confront Kane and Rey Mysterio, only to be attacked with a
Tombstone Piledriver by Kane. With Kane revealed as his attacker, the two feuded for the next few months over the World Heavyweight Championship. After losing to Kane in a No Holds Barred match at
Night of Champions on September 19, Paul Bearer returned as The Undertaker's manager on the September 24 episode of
SmackDown. However, Bearer turned on him at
Hell in a Cell on October 3 to help Kane win once again in a Hell in a Cell match. The feud ended at
Bragging Rights on October 24 when
The Nexus helped Kane defeat The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match (the half-brothers' final singles match against one another). The Undertaker needed surgery for a torn rotator cuff, causing him to be written off.
Final years of The Streak (2011–2014) After the
2011 Royal Rumble, promotional videos began airing, showing The Undertaker entering and standing within a Western-style, dilapidated shack on a rainy desert in
Death Valley, The birthplace. Each promo ended with the date 2–21–11 being "burned into" the screen. On the February 21 episode of
Raw, The Undertaker returned, but before he could speak, Triple H also returned and confronted him. The two challenged each other to a match at
WrestleMania XXVII, which was later made a
No Holds Barred match and which The Undertaker won by submission. However, he had to be carried away from the ring on a stretcher. Following WrestleMania XXVII in 2011, The Undertaker would take on a more part-time role within the company; he would not have another match on
Raw or
SmackDown until 2013. and The Undertaker at
WrestleMania XXVIII On the January 30, 2012 episode of
Raw SuperShow, The Undertaker returned after a nine-month hiatus to confront Triple H. On the February 13 episode of
Raw SuperShow, Triple H refused The Undertaker's challenge for a WrestleMania rematch. After The Undertaker accused Triple H of living in the shadow of Shawn Michaels on the February 20 episode of
Raw SuperShow, Triple H accepted the challenge on the condition that it would be a Hell in a Cell match; Michaels was later inserted as guest referee in the match. At
WrestleMania XXVIII, The Undertaker, while debuting his new look, a mohawk, defeated Triple H to extend his Streak to 20–0. After the match, The Undertaker and Michaels carried Triple H to the entrance stage, where the three embraced. Later in 2012, The Undertaker appeared on the
1000th episode of Raw on July 23 to help Kane, who had been confronted by
Jinder Mahal, Curt Hawkins,
Tyler Reks,
Hunico,
Camacho and
Drew McIntyre. The Brothers of Destruction overcame and dominated the six other wrestlers. The Undertaker's next television appearance was on
Old School Raw on March 4, 2013, where he opened the show by performing his signature entrance. CM Punk, Randy Orton, Big Show and
Sheamus fought in a fatal four-way match to determine who would face him at
WrestleMania 29, which Punk won. After the real-life death of Paul Bearer on March 5, 2013, a storyline involving Punk regularly
spiting The Undertaker through displays of flippancy and disrespect towards Bearer's death began. Punk interrupted The Undertaker's ceremony to honor Bearer on
Raw, stealing the trademark urn and later using it to attack Kane, humiliate The Brothers of Destruction and mock Bearer. The Undertaker defeated Punk at WrestleMania 29 to extend his Streak to 21–0 and then took back the urn. The following night on
Raw, The Undertaker came out to pay his respects to Bearer, but was interrupted by
The Shield, who attempted to attack Undertaker before
Team Hell No (Kane and
Daniel Bryan) made the save. The Undertaker would wrestle his final
Raw match (his first since 2010) on the April 22 episode, teaming with Kane and Bryan against The Shield in a losing effort. Four days later, he wrestled his final
SmackDown match (also his first since 2010), defeating Shield member
Dean Ambrose by submission. Afterward, The Undertaker was attacked by Ambrose and the rest of The Shield, who performed a triple powerbomb through the broadcast table on him. in 2014 On the February 24, 2014, episode of
Raw, The Undertaker returned to confront Brock Lesnar and accepted his challenge for a match at
WrestleMania XXX. After 25 minutes and three
F-5s, Lesnar won the match at WrestleMania by
pinfall, ending The Undertaker's Streak in what was described as "the most shocking result in WWE history". Following the match, The Undertaker was hospitalized with a severe concussion which he suffered in the first minutes of the match. In a December 2014 interview, Vince McMahon confirmed that it was his final decision to have Lesnar end The Streak and that The Undertaker was initially shocked at the decision. McMahon justified his decision that it would significantly enhance Lesnar's formidability to set up the next WrestleMania event and that there were no other viable candidates to fill Lesnar's role. In 2014, The Undertaker was also offered to be inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame, but he declined the offer, feeling it wasn't time yet.
Final feuds (2015–2020) in 2015 In February 2015,
Bray Wyatt began a series of cryptic promos which led to
Fastlane, where Wyatt challenged The Undertaker to a match at
WrestleMania 31, which The Undertaker accepted. At WrestleMania, The Undertaker defeated Wyatt after two
Tombstone Piledrivers. At
Battleground in July, The Undertaker made his return by attacking Lesnar as he was on the verge of defeating
Seth Rollins during his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, causing the match to end in a disqualification win for Lesnar. The next night on
Raw, The Undertaker explained his actions as revenge, not against Lesnar breaking The Streak, but rather the constant taunting he allowed Paul Heyman to engage in. Later that night, after The Undertaker and Lesnar brawled throughout the arena and had to be separated, a rematch was scheduled for
SummerSlam in August, where The Undertaker controversially defeated Lesnar. Lesnar put The Undertaker in a
kimura lock and the timekeeper rang the bell after seeing The Undertaker supposedly indicating submission, but since the referee had not seen a submission and never stopped the match, the match continued. The confusion allowed The Undertaker to surprise Lesnar with a low blow and apply ''Hell's Gate
, in which Lesnar passed out. At Hell in a Cell, The Undertaker was defeated by Lesnar in a Hell in a Cell match after Lesnar hit him with his own low blow, returning the favor, and executing what was his third F-5'' of the match. While the crowd gave The Undertaker an ovation after his loss to Lesnar, he was attacked and captured by
The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt,
Luke Harper,
Erick Rowan and
Braun Strowman), who carried him away from the ring. After ambushing and capturing Kane the next night on
Raw, Wyatt explained that he had claimed their souls and stole their demonic powers. The Brothers of Destruction returned on the November 9 episode of
Raw and attacked The Wyatt Family, setting up a tag team match at
Survivor Series, which honored The Undertaker's 25 years in WWE. At Survivor Series on November 22, the Brothers of Destruction defeated Wyatt and Harper. On the February 22, 2016, episode of
Raw, Vince McMahon placed his son Shane McMahon, who returned to WWE for the first time since 2009, in a Hell in a Cell match at
WrestleMania 32 against The Undertaker with the stipulation that if Shane won, he would gain control of
Raw. Vince later decided that should Undertaker lose the match against Shane, it would be his final match at WrestleMania. After weeks of random physical confrontations and mind games exchanged between the pair, The Undertaker defeated Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32. The Undertaker would not appear again until the
900th episode of SmackDown on November 15, issuing a threat to Team SmackDown if they failed to defeat Team Raw at the upcoming
Survivor Series pay-per-view. The Undertaker appeared on the January 23 episode of
Raw, confronting Brock Lesnar and
Goldberg. During the
Royal Rumble on January 29, The Undertaker entered at number 29, eliminating Goldberg,
The Miz,
Baron Corbin and
Sami Zayn, before being eliminated by the number 30 entrant,
Roman Reigns. The Undertaker returned on the March 6 episode of
Raw and performed a chokeslam on Reigns. This led to a No Holds Barred match between The Undertaker and Reigns at
WrestleMania 33, in which The Undertaker lost to Reigns after five spears in his fourth WrestleMania main event. After the match, The Undertaker left his gloves, coat and hat in the center of the ring before slowly making his exit. in April 2018The Undertaker took part in the
Raw 25 Years broadcast on January 22, 2018, his first post-WrestleMania 33 appearance. In the months prior to
WrestleMania 34, John Cena challenged The Undertaker to a singles match. At WrestleMania, after
Elias confronted Cena and was beaten down, The Undertaker's hat and coat appeared in the center of the ring and were struck by lightning. The Undertaker then appeared and beat Cena in a three-minute squash match. Three weeks later, The Undertaker defeated
Rusev at WWE's
Greatest Royal Rumble event in a casket match. At
Super Show-Down in Australia on October 6, The Undertaker faced Triple H in a
no disqualification match billed as the "Last Time Ever"; they were accompanied by Kane and Shawn Michaels, respectively. The Undertaker lost the match after interference from Michaels. After the match, the four men shook hands as a sign of respect, however, The Undertaker and Kane would follow this by attacking them. As a result, the duos reunited their respective tag teams—the Brothers of Destruction and D-Generation X—and faced each other at
Crown Jewel on November 2, where The Undertaker and Kane lost their final match as a tag team. On the April 8, 2019 episode of
Raw, the night after
WrestleMania 35—the first WrestleMania in 19 years without his involvement—The Undertaker appeared to interrupt and attack Elias during a musical performance. The Undertaker made his return to the ring to face Goldberg at
Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia on June 7, defeating him in the main event of the night in their first match against each other. On the June 24, 2019 episode of
Raw, during a handicap match in which Roman Reigns was dominated by Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre, The Undertaker suddenly appeared and attacked McMahon and McIntyre. The Undertaker and Reigns were later scheduled to face McMahon and McIntyre in a No Holds Barred tag team match at
Extreme Rules. At Extreme Rules, The Undertaker and Reigns won. This turned out to be The Undertaker's final match in front of a live audience in the United States. The Undertaker returned at
Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia on February 27, 2020, as a surprise replacement in a
gauntlet match. He entered the match last, replacing Rey Mysterio and defeating
AJ Styles to win the
Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy. At
Elimination Chamber during a match between Styles and
Aleister Black, The Undertaker made another surprise appearance with an attack on Styles. The following night on
Raw, Styles challenged The Undertaker to a match at
WrestleMania 36. Over the following weeks that led up to WrestleMania, a resentful Styles made unprecedented efforts to expose The Undertaker, going so far as departing from bashing his Deadman gimmick, instead taking to a
metafiction form of bashing Calaway himself. The feud saw Styles solely referring to The Undertaker by his real name, Mark Calaway, referencing his age and his wife,
Michelle McCool. In response, The Undertaker cut promos of ominous warning against Styles in which for the first time in years, he
broke from the Deadman gimmick by presenting as himself out of character. In doing so, elements of his American Badass gimmick were reflected with Calaway making appearances in his biker gear. At WrestleMania 36, The Undertaker presented his third and final identity, "The Unholy Trinity", a combination of The Deadman, American Badass, and himself as Mark Calaway, this blend allowing him to trash talk Styles over real life matters during their encounter, while also able to maintain his superhuman horror capabilities. In what was subsequently learned to be The Undertaker's final match, he and Styles fought in a cemetery at a secluded rural locale, competing in what was a cinematic, narrative-heavy brawl similar to "Buried Alive matches", named the "Boneyard match". Despite the assistance of
Gallows and Anderson, The Undertaker buried Styles in the grave to win this match and ride off on motorcycle into the sunset, scoring his 25th WrestleMania victory to complete his professional wrestling career.
Retirement and Hall of Fame (2020–2022) On June 21, 2020, in the final episode of the
Undertaker: The Last Ride documentary, Callaway retired from the professional wrestling industry.
Madison Square Garden, regarded as the most famous venue in professional wrestling, also paid tribute to him. The Undertaker, wearing his trademark mortician trench coat and stetson hat, made an appearance at the conclusion of the
Survivor Series event on November 22, 2020. The event was dedicated to him, commemorating thirty years from that time since his WWE debut. There, he reiterated that his career had been completed, giving an emotional farewell speech which ended in typical Undertaker fashion: "My time has come to let The Undertaker
Rest in Peace." A
ten-bell salute was also given for The Undertaker character as he did his traditional take-the-knee pose, and a holographic image of Paul Bearer, The Undertaker's former manager, was projected in the ring. On April 1, 2022, The Undertaker was formally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at the
American Airlines Center. At his induction, Calaway made a 137-minute speech that opened with a 10-minute, emotional standing ovation from the live audience, bringing Calaway to tears. Calaway's acceptance speech, hailed by media outlets as matchless and beyond compare, was motivational and shared his collection of self-reflections and life philosophies for success. In making his speech, he stood before several genres of his Deadman character, through the varying costumes displayed on mannequins. Later that same weekend, Calaway made appearances on the entrance stage on both nights of
WrestleMania.
Sporadic appearances and backstage roles (2023–present) at
WrestleMania XL.|225x225px On January 23, 2023, The Undertaker made an appearance at the Monday Night Raw 30th Anniversary special,
Raw is XXX. He appeared under his American Badass gimmick, confronting
LA Knight and seemingly giving his approval to
Bray Wyatt. On October 10, 2023, The Undertaker made his first appearance on
WWE NXT chokeslamming
Bron Breakker. On April 5, 2024, The Undertaker inducted
Muhammad Ali into the 2024
WWE Hall of Fame. On April 7, 2024, The Undertaker appeared briefly during the Night 2 main event of
WrestleMania XL between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes where he aided Cody Rhodes and chokeslammed The Rock. On the
Raw premiere on Netflix on January 6, 2025, The Undertaker made an appearance under his American Badass persona and congratulated the new
Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley after her victory. On April 29, 2025, he made an appearance on
WWE NXT, warning
NXT Champion Oba Femi that the
LFG trainees would be coming for his championship. On July 22, 2025, he made another appearance on
WWE NXT, this time under his American Badass gimmick, confronting and chokeslamming
Trick Williams. In August 2025, it was reported that The Undertaker was "one of the big driving forces behind" WWE's Mexican subsidiary
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Undertaker serves as "an influential figure" in AAA's creative and production processes. ==Undertaker gimmick, identities and character evolution==