5 career turning moments for The Undertaker
When a superstar enjoys a career the length of the Undertaker’s there is bound to be many twists and turns along the way. Some moments that help cement you as a top star in the company, and some regrettable ones that the fans will hopefully choose to forget. But of all the long-term WWF/E careers we have seen over the years, there is perhaps none that compares to that of Mark Calloway’s.
While we might point to guys like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and John Cena who were able to become the poster boys of their respective WWF/E eras, The Undertaker has pretty much been a consistent part of the company through it all.
Occasionally holding the main world title and main eventing the odd Wrestlemania, the man’s career almost transcended what it meant to be successful and relevant in the wrestling business as a whole. By the turn of the century 17 years ago, it didn’t matter where you put the Phenom on the card, he would always prove to be a guaranteed ticket mover, whoever his opponent was.
Here is a look back at 5 key career turning moments for the Undertaker over the years:
#1 Defeating Hogan for the WWF Championship
Even for a legend the size of The Undertaker, the story has to start somewhere. When Mark Calloway was first given the gimmick back in the early 90s, he was originally known as ‘Kane The Undertaker’ and would carry his opponents off in body bags after he’d defeated them. Slowly, The Undertaker character found its feet and by well into 1991, the man we all know and love was making big strides in the late-Hogan era of the WWF.
Calloway was initially put into squash matches, similar to the way Braun Strowman was recently introduced as a singles star on RAW. The company wanted to present this idea that the Deadman was impervious to pain and could shake off his opponent’s attacks with ease. His first real feud came when he met Superfly Jimmy Snuka at Wrestlemania 7, beginning quite possibly the greatest run of victories the wrestling world has ever seen.
Fans eventually came to realise just how big Vince’s intentions were for the character when he was put into a programme with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan. After defeating Snuka at Wrestlemania, Taker soon became the number one contender and managed to dethrone The Hulkster as the company’s champion at The Survivor Series 1991. For the time, Taker was the youngest ever winner of the Championship in WWF history.
The reign was short-lived and eventually led up to the title being vacated, which Ric Flair went on to claim at the 1992 Royal Rumble event. But in terms of Calloway’s career, this was a huge statement considering just how much of an unstoppable star Hogan was back then. This is a man who used to go several years without losing his title, and The Undertaker managed to achieve it just one year after his debut.