The Undertaker reveals the origins of his greatest fear
For 30 years, The Undertaker was a figure that was revered in WWE. A legend in the pro wrestling industry, The Deadman was a leader in the locker room and, more importantly, a superstar who was idolized by many. What made him so iconic was his macabre persona and fearlessness. On the contrary, Mark Calaway, who brought the character to life, is very much human and, as such, does find some things rather dreadful.
On his most recent Q&A on Patreon, The Undertaker addressed one of his fears when questioned about it. This fear has to do with his bizarre aversion to cucumbers. Despite being annoyed by the query, Taker went on to explain that his fear of cucumbers comes from a very traumatic experience he had as a child.
He explained that his mother had cut some fresh cucumbers and soaked them in a big bowl of vinegar. Returning from school, a young Calaway, who was years away from becoming The Undertaker, saw the cucumbers and decided to eat the whole bowl. This would prove to be an unwise decision, as it didn't sit well with him, and later led to, as he put it, him "expelling all the contents of his stomach." From then on, cucumbers have been a big "no-no" for The Demon of Death Valley:
"From that moment on, the smell, for a long time even to see a cucumber I would get somewhat, I wouldn't say nauseous but queasy. Smell a cucumber? Forget about it. My stomach is just like [nope]...it's like my mouth starts watering. So that's why I hate cucumbers because I ate too many once as a child, left a horrible, horrible scar in my memory of how bad I threw up," said The Undertaker [H/T: SE Scoops]
It's hard to imagine Taker being afraid of anything, let alone a nutritious vegetable. But it just goes to show that even superstars who inspire fear in others are also capable of feeling fear themselves.
The Undertaker's daughter pranks him by hiding cucumbers everywhere
A fear of cucumbers is enough of a problem for The Undertaker. But, to add to that, his daughter has gotten in on the action as well. Knowing that her father does not like them, Kaia hides cucumbers all around the house on her birthday, which one can only assume is a devious prank.
Taker's wife, Michelle McCool, revealed back in 2022 that their first daughter has a habit of messing with her father. Speaking on the Wives of Wrestling podcast, McCool explained how, every birthday, Kaia gets cucumbers and hides them under pillows, in the car, and so on. A nasty problem for The Deadman to deal with, considering he can't even stand the smell of them.
It must be chaos in the Calaway household when Kaya's birthday rolls around. One can only imagine the horror Taker feels, not knowing where he will find the next dreaded cucumber.