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Whether he’s playing a badass American biker or he’s portraying a man who is literally dead, The Undertaker is one of the most iconic wrestling characters of all time.
The Phenom has accomplished everything there is to accomplish during his 27-year WWE career and will go down as the most legendary performer ever to grace the WrestleMania stage.
Outside the ring, however, we rarely hear stories about the man behind the character, Mark Calaway, but when we do it’s usually worth the wait.
In this article, we look at five of the most interesting real-life tales that have been told about The Undertaker in 2017.
#5 Justin Roberts commentated on him eating Banoffee Pie
One of the funniest stories involving The Undertaker was told by former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts during an interview with Wrestling Inc in May 2017.
One time The Deadman was eating Banoffee Pie backstage during a United Kingdom tour and his fellow Superstars were looking at him thinking “he's just heading straight towards the dessert”.
That’s when Roberts came in: “I thought that was great and he started eating it and I started commentating in my bad JR voice and commentating [on] him eating the Banoffee Pie. I did the full, over-the-top heel JR.”
‘Taker’s response? "He remained quiet," said Roberts, "but he had a big grin on his face."
#4 The Undertaker is afraid of cucumbers
You may have heard this one already. If not, sit back and enjoy because this is a bizarre story that will make you look at The Undertaker in a completely different light.
The seven-time WWE champion can step inside a squared circle with monstrous Superstars like Kane and Brock Lesnar but, for some strange reason, he can’t eat cucumbers.
The late Paul Bearer, his former manager, told Jim Cornette in 2013 that “The Deadman” was once sick because there was a cucumber floating in his iced tea.
‘Taker’s phobia was revisited earlier in 2017 on an episode of the Something to Wrestle With podcast when Bruce Prichard, another of his former managers, revealed that Owen Hart used to put cucumbers in his drink and even rubbed one in his face once while he had him in a headlock during a match.
#3 He is ‘almost like a brother’ to Stephanie McMahon
When The Undertaker laid his hat, coat and gloves down on the WrestleMania 33 canvas in Orlando, it looked to be a sure sign that his days as a WWE performer were over.
Shortly after the event, Stephanie McMahon told the Daily Mirror that everybody involved in WWE, from the backstage staff to the Superstars to the WWE Universe, is a fan of The Deadman and there will never be another character like him.
Being Vince McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie grew up in the wrestling business and has known The Undertaker since she was a little girl.
She added: “He would say 'maybe not that little'. He'd say 'I'm not that old'. I've known him for a very long time. He's almost like a brother to me.”
#2 He yells at Baron Corbin
When you see The Undertaker battle it out in a WWE ring, he doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of guy you’d want to have a chat with, never mind seek advice from.
However, several of today’s Superstars have received wise words about their characters from the WrestleMania legend, including Baron Corbin.
He told Talk is Jericho in June 2017: “‘Taker was giving me input on entrances and the way I move. He's even yelled at me a few times, like 'why would you do that? Don't ever do that again!' … He would come in around ‘Mania and watch us at the PC [Performance Centre] and he’d kind of grab onto me a little bit, which was cool.”
Fun fact: Corbin moved into Big Show’s old house earlier this year, and before it was Big Show’s house, it belonged to The Undertaker!
#1 He made snacks for the ESPN crew
If we’ve learned anything putting this article together and if you’ve learned anything reading it, it’s that The Undertaker is nowhere near as scary in real life as he is on television.
He was interviewed earlier this year by ESPN to discuss the legendary career of Ric Flair for the 30 for 30 ‘Nature Boy’ documentary that aired in November.
Rory Karpf, the director of the documentary, revealed on Twitter that Mark Calaway had coffee and snacks ready for the entire crew and he was one of the nicest people he had ever interviewed.
One would have to assume that Karpf & Co. didn't eat any cucumbers that day.
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