Johnny Cash and The Undertaker are a lethal combination. There ain’t no song that can imbibe the aura of The Undertaker gimmick that Cash’s “There ain’t no grave that can hold my body down”
Much of it can be said about Mark Callaway’s WWE career. The man turned 50 this year in March and is still, as reported, healthy enough to wrestle more matches and make more appearances than the ones he’s already done this year.
Of course, there are so many wrestlers who don’t retire when fans think they should, when their bodies are waning away and their strength is fading. They’re not as quick as they used to be or they’ve just passed their time but refuse to accept it.
But only a mere few can sustain the aura that The Undertaker has, as he adds another year to his wrestling career. This shows how important a gimmick can be in making one, seemingly, undead.
All the rest before the best
Mark Callaway battled a lot of bad gimmicks to catch a break with The Deadman. He made his wrestling debut at 19 years of age. He was then known as Texas Red. The company he worked for was called the World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). While at WCCW, he wore red boots seemingly to trigger the ‘Red’ in his name and he also wore a mask. His first match was nothing special.
Even though Callaway’s height and agility made him look like a booker’s dream, he was outclassed by a mile by Bruiser Brody in his debut match. This gimmick did not really flourish and he moved on to a new promotion and developed a new gimmick called ‘The Master of Pain’.
‘The Master of Pain’ was a guy who spent five years in prison after killing two guys in a bar fight and had now been released and he came to the wrestling promotion in search of his next prey. His prime opponent during that time was Jerry Lawler, against whom he won his first title, but conversely Lawler was the first guy to pin him.
It was a little better than ‘Texas Red’, but it still wasn’t spectacular or memorable and then it was time again to move to another promotion. Now came, WCW. The gimmicks that followed him thereon were called ‘Mean Mark Callous’ and another one called ‘The Punisher’
All these gimmicks showcased many things that were utilized well enough to bring us to the gimmick we have all come to love and be fascinated by. Taker wasn’t a legend on the microphone, he needed a manager and had one in almost all of the previous wrestling promotions, he was pushed immediately during his first run with any promotion given his body build and mostly was tremendously athletic for a man his size.
But something was still missing. And then the Eureka moment happened and the rest is history.
EUREKA
So yes, The Undertaker turned 50 this year but his matches and his aura has been much like wine, gotten better with time. And just when he becomes stagnant, he reinvents himself. He’s been an anti- hero and a heel with this gimmick and somewhere down the line, he even gave it a break by imbibing the ‘American Badass’ gimmick. It was all the more reason to miss the Deadman and be overwhelmed when the gong finally hit.
And throughout this whirlwind journey, his Wrestlemania wins were slowly yet steadily making one legendary story. And that story continues till this day. Some will contest that very statement saying that the story was over after Lesnar conquered it, but such ardent discussions on it and the consequential ripple of reactions his Wrestlemania 30 (WM 30) loss caused is a testament to the power of this gimmick and the time invested in it to make it look mysterious and larger and life.
The Undertaker still remains one of the last performers to command that larger than life persona and a thing of nostalgia when kayfabe was king. His gimmick, despite the realities of the Reality era, has sustained its kayfabe qualities. The Undertaker is The Deadman when he returns to the WWE and never, ever, ever Mark Callaway.
Him returning to WM 31 to face Bray Wyatt wearing the American badass attire is enough to create a lot of buzz and his presence still gives a big match feel, just ask anyone who was waiting eagerly for the Summerslam 2015 main event between Lesnar and Taker.
His longevity is partly thanks to his undying loyalty to the company and the investment that has gone into making his gimmick work on multiple levels. The Undertaker. Everyone knows his name. That’s sometimes the magic of the world of wrestling.
