Which match did The Undertaker make his WWE debut in? (and who won?)
WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) is a household name among most, if not all, wrestling fans. In addition to the historic WrestleMania record of 25 wins, the 57-year old is a seven-time world champion. His Deadman character, tweaked to The Unholy Trinity for his last fight, is another notable aspect of his career span of three decades.
The original name given to Mark Calaway’s moniker was Kane The Undertaker. Wrestling personality Bruce Prichard urged the prefix to Calaway’s legendary name as he was fascinated by the Cain and Abel aspect of the character. Although the soon-to-be WWE Legend was hesitant, he gave the green light on the role-play.
The Undertaker made his television debut on November 22, 1990, at Survivor Series. The event took place at the Hartford Civic Center in Connecticut. He participated in the traditional 4-Man Tag Team Elimination Match and was introduced as a mystery partner of Ted DiBiase's "Million Dollar Team.” The Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine were part of the heelish group.
On the other side was the Dream Team comprising Dusty Rhodes, Koko B. Ware, Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart. One minute into the match, The Undertaker eliminated Koko B. Ware via his Tombstone Piledriver finishing move. He also eliminated the opposition’s leader, Dusty Rhodes, before being counted out.
The Million Dollar Team was the eventual winner, with Ted Dibiase being the sole survivor. Following the tag-team match, The Phenom was given squash matches, only getting into his first feud in 1991 with Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka.
Interestingly, The Undertaker actually made his in-ring debut on the November 19, 1990, taping of WWF Superstars. For those that didn’t notice, it was three days prior to Survivor Series. He defeated Mario Mancini but the match did not air on television until December 15, 1990.
What did WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker say to Mario Mancini after his wrestling debut?
Mancini, now aged 56, recently recalled the interaction he had with The Phenom after the latter’s debut match during a Cheap Heat Productions Podcast. Mark Calaway’s gratitude was immense for the former star.
“After the match, we came down and he had a smile on his face. He goes, ‘Thanks a lot, man, I appreciate it.’ I said, ‘You did really good walking the top rope. That was something else [for] a guy your size,’ and I shook his hand and said, ‘Good luck, it’s nice to have you here. Good luck, I hope things work out for you.’”
Mario Mancini was the first televised opponent of King Kong Bundy, Demolition, and many other renowned wrestlers.