Survivor Series Recap: The debut of The Undertaker
Recently, The Undertaker returned on the 900th episode of Smackdown Live, in the lead up to Survivor Series. While Wrestlemania is the pay-per-view that one usually associates with The Undertaker, Survivor Series holds a very special place in his heart.
This is because the legendary Phenom made his debut at Survivor Series 1990, in a traditional Survivor Series match. And right from the word go, was booked as an indestructible force of nature.
As we approach the 30th Annual Survivor Series this weekend, let’s walk down memory lane and revisit the inception of the dead man, who would conquer many souls and dig many holes in his illustrious career. While the match in itself was nothing to write home about, it is an important professional wrestling event.
The beginning
Mark Calaway did not always want to be a professional wrestler.
In his early days, he was attracted to professional basketball and wanted to pursue a career in the sport. But the call of the ring was too strong to resist, and Calaway wrestled under various gimmicks such as – Texas Red, The Punisher and Master of Pain. In 1989, he joined WCW under the name of Mean Mark Callous, a man with a fondness for snakes and Ozzy Osbourne's music.
Everything changed when he became a Paul Heyman guy, wrestling some of the top stars in the company such as Lex Luger, Brian Pillman and in an untelevised house show match (the dream match that fans have wanted forever), The ‘Icon’ Sting. But WCW was not the place for him, and The Undertaker would make his way to WWE soon.