SUMMARY
- The Undertaker is surely among the best gimmicks in the history of WWE.
- Not just WWE, but Mark Callaway's work as The Undertaker made it one of the most influential characters in professional wrestling.
Mark Callaway, popularly known as The Undertaker due to his legendary WWE career, is one of the greatest names to ever step into the pro wrestling world. Ever since entering the industry in 1987, The Phenom has been a renowned name among fans, and despite retiring in 2020, Taker still remains a major draw.
It’s true that a major reason behind the 58-year-old in-ring legend‘s popularity is his decades-long career. But another thing that played a significant role in establishing him as one of the greatest ever was his iconic persona as The Undertaker. Such was the influence of this character that a lot of people used to feel that it’s how the 6-foot-10 star actually is in real life too.
Taker’s iconic character still receives a lot of love from the WWE universe, but not many know the fascinating story behind it. For those who aren’t aware of it, The Phenom’s legendary gimmick cost the promotion just $3000. The company bought the rights to the persona for only this much, and it was probably the best investment they made in their history.
How did WWE get the rights to The Undertaker Gimmick?
As already mentioned, the Triple H-led promotion paid just $3000 for Taker’s character, and a lot of people wonder how they were able to do so. In this regard, it must be noted that WWE got the rights to The Undertaker’s gimmick from two indie wrestlers back in 1990.
In 1990, WWE paid $3,000 to two indie wrestlers to buy the rights to The Undertaker name. The Undertakers (Val Puccio and Tony Pucci) wrestled for the ICW promotion. pic.twitter.com/7jbQM1k9r6
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) March 5, 2024
The Undertakers (Val Puccio and Tony Pucci) were two pro wrestlers who used to perform for the ICW promotion, and the promotion paid them the money to get the rights to the name. Despite such a cheap investment, the results turned out to be massive for the organization. In fact, the company established one of the most iconic characters with this move.
The Undertaker’s Hall of Fame Induction
As the Stamford-based promotion gave Taker his iconic gimmick, Mark didn’t hold back and used it to become arguably the greatest character in WWE history. After a spectacular career, The Phenom left the professional wrestling world in 2020. On June 21, 2020, The Undertaker announced his retirement from the industry.
Even after this, he continued to make appearances on TV, but it wasn’t for in-ring action. For his legendary career in the organization, the veteran was inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2022. On April 1, 2022, The Undertaker was formally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Vince McMahon.
During this event, Taker gave a 137-minute-long speech that opened with a 10-minute standing ovation from the live crowd. In fact, Callaway was so touched by the fan love that he eventually got into tears. The Phenom’s induction was among the most emotional moments in the Triple H-led promotion’s history.
Pro wrestling fans get teary-eyed even after just remembering this ceremony, and it shows the kind of event it was. With The Undertaker now focusing on his YouTube channel, he hasn’t been much seen in the pro wrestling world, but fans still want to witness his iconic entrance. To fulfil this wish of his admirers, will Taker make a surprise appearance in WWE? We’ll probably have to wait for it.