~DEADMAN TALKING-BY AARON WILLIAMS~

MARK CALLAWAY LIKES TO REFER TO HIMSELF AS A RELUCTANT CELBRITY. ALTHOUGH HE'S BEEN IN THE LIMELIGHT FOR MORE THEN A DECADE AS WWE'S UNDERTAKER, HE RARELY SPEADK OUT, PREFERRING TO KEEP HIS THOUGHTS AND PERSONAL LIFE PRIVATE. IN THIS RARE INTERVIEW, HE DISCUSSES THE ORIGIN OF UNDERTAKER, HIS TRANSFORMATION INTO THE AMERICAN BAD ASS, HE RELATIONSHIP WITH VINCE MCMAHON, HIS FEELINGS ABOUT THOSE WHO LOVE HIM-AND THOSE WHO DON'T-AND MUCH MORE. IN ADDITION, WE ASKED A FEW OTHER LEGENDS TO GIVE THEIR THOUGHTS ON MARK CALLAWAY AND WHERE HE FITS IN THE HISTORY OF THIS BUSINESS.

WWE: How did Undertaker come about?

MARK: Undertaker was a vision of Vince McMahon. Everybody is well aware of all the characters that he's created. He liked the old western undertaker with the long coat and the big hat; he just never found the right guy to portray him. I guess it would have had to be somebody with a real cold, monotone personality. Looking back, I guess I didn't show him much personality when I first met him.

I was sitting at home when the phone rang. I answered it and heard, "Hello, is this Undertaker?" It dawned on me after a second that it was Vince, and I said, "Okay, sure." Then he laid out the whole thing to me.

Initially, I was a little concerned, thinking it would be too strange or wouldn't be done the way I felt the character should be portrayed. Fortunately, he allowed me to develop the character the way I felt it should. It was a real collaboration, and I guess the rest is history.

It's kind of funny, I knew I was going to get the call from him back then. I just felt it. At the same time, the promotion was leading up to Survivor Series, and I was terrified that he was going to call me and want me to be a big egg, to shave my head and eyebrows and be "Egg Man." It was definitely a relief to get the Undertaker call.

WWE: What did it mean to you to defeat Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series in 1991? At the time, he was the No. 1 man in the business and it seemed no one could beat him.

MARK: It was amazing. I always knew I had something to offer. That moment when I became champion for the first time...all the work, all the doors that had been slammed in my face, all the people who had told me that I was wasting my life, it ALL paid off. I knew deep down that I had something. I didn't know that I would be able to sustain as long as I have, but at that moment I knew that if I stayed focused and dealt with the crap, I would succeed. At that moment, it was like everybody that doubted me could kiss my ass because I was here.

It was more a victory over those people than it was over Hogan. I was excited to beat the legend, but it was more a victory over all those people who had told me that people would never pay money to see me wrestle. I had taken the chance, and it paid off.

WWE: Was it differen this past May when you beat Hogan for the title at Judgment Day?

MARK: Yeah, it was a little more personal this time. I just kind of wanted to show him who had the run of the yard now.

WWE: During the years following your first victory over Hogan, you gought a series of giants. It seemed as if every huge Superstar that came to WWE fought Undertaker. What was that like?

MARK: I enjoyed the theatrics of Kamala and the other giants, but I really didn't want to wrestle most of those guys. They were very limited in what they could do in the ring. I take a lot of pride in what I do and what we present to our fans. We laugh about it now, but it was a case then where my intent was to take chicken shit and make it chicken salad, to work around those guys as much as I could. In doing so, I ended up putting my body through hell. That whole stretch probably took a few years off my career.

WWE: Do you prefer wrestling against bigger or smaller guys?

MARK: It doesn't matter to me. Some people are allowed into this business because of their size and not their ability, and that usually causes problems for whoever their oppenent is. The risk factor is already off the chart for two guys who are excellent ahtletes AND excellent wrestlers. You add a guy who is neither, and there's a huge potential for injury.

But, as far as size goes, it doesn't matter to me. I think I've had some of my better matches with smaller guys like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. On the flip side, I also thought that I had some great matches with Yokozuna. I thought we had an unbelievable run together. I wish our industry would have been stronger at the time.

WWE: A lot of people left WWE for other promotions during the '90's. Yet, you didn't. Why didn't you ever go to WCW or some other organization?

MARK: I'm very loyal-loyal to a fault sometimes. Not to say that I wasn't displeased by the direction our company was going at certain times. But, when no one else believed in me, Vince did. He gave me a job and an opportunity to show the world what I had to offer. That became the overriding factor. I had offers to leave and make a lot more money and work a lot less. But, when I had nothing, Vince gave me an opportunity. I chose to stick with him and give back.

I've grown to respect Vince as a businessman, and I consider him a friend. I consider his family part of my family. That's very uncommon in this day for any business, much less this one.

WWE: You were injured in 1999, and when you came back in 2000, you were no longer the "Man from the Dark Side," but the "American Bad Ass." Why the change?

MARK: That was a huge decision for me. I think one of the keys to my success hs been my ability to put my finger on the pulse of our fans. Our fans are very loyal, but they also have a short attention span. Throughout my career, there have been subtle changes in Undertaker. I do that to create interest.

I think when I came back it was where our audience was. They're much more sophisticated then they used to be, much more knowledgeable of the business. I thought that I'd taken the older, darker Undertaker as far as I could at the time. So, my whole objective was that the American Bad Ass was the evolution of Undertaker. I describe it as Outlaw Josey Wailes 2000, a modern-day outlaw, loner.

To this day, no matter how I talk, if I mention "souls" and "death", there is still that darkness and mystique of Undertaker. Who's to say that if something traumatic happened to Undertaker, he might not go out in the desert and pick up that hat, coat, and gloves, and ride through the darkness one last time.

WWE: You've been called a locker room leader. What does that mean, and how does it make you feel?

MARK: It makes me feel good that the guys I work with and spend so much time with look at me in that role. It's not something I politicked for. I think that they appreciate the way I conduct myself and the way I do business. When we're at work, although we have good times, everything is about business. I think they appreciate the fact that I treat people the way I want to be treated. Also, I, and the other guys for that matter, are not going to tolerate B.S. or bad attitudes. So overall, I'm glad that people look at me like that because they respect what I bring to the locker room and what I bring to the company. But, there are a number of guys who could be considered locker room leaders. Triple H, Kurt Angle, those guys are looked up to not only for what they do in the ring, but for how they treat younger talent. They help people and they always have and ear for you if you have a problem.

I think there are only a few of us still around who went through the old territory system. So, a lot of guys come to me and ask how to deal with certain situations. I can give people insight on how to handle problems relating to this industry.

WWE: Do you ever feel conflicted in your relationship with the guys and Vince McMahon?

MARK: I don't think it's too much of a problem. First and foremost, I never play one against the other. If anybody tells me something in confidence, they know it stops right there. Everybody's pretty much aware of the relationship Vince and I have, but we've also had problems professionally. They know that I'm not above anybody, that I don't get special treatment. It's not like that. But, I never use my "stroke."

Back in the old days, if you went out and partied all night long, whatever happened stayed there. Today, if I saw somebody doing something that I thought would conflict with business, I would take care of it personally. I don't that anyone feels that I go tell Vince if I see something. But, they do know that we have to do what's best for our industry, or they will deal with me and the other guys. The entertainment industry is so competitive that we can't afford to stumble.

WWE: You have your fair share of critics. Some followers of the genre, especially those who like to voice their opinions on the internet, have been particularly critical of your performance/posistion in WWE. How do you respond to them?

MARK: These people really don't have any effect on what I do. What those people on the internet forget-and need to realize-is that they are only fans. They're entitled to say what they want, but nobody puts themselves under more scrutiny then I do, especially at this point in my career. It's very important to me not to be out there if I can't compete with anybody on the card. When somebody is holding back out of respect for me, then, hopefully, someone else will come up to me and say, "You've lost step. You shouldn't be out there." I don't think I'm there yet.

These internet people think they know so much about this business, but they don't know shit. They know what they're allowed to know, but they don't sign my paycheck. I've read where they say, "He won't move over. He won't do business." I'm waiting for someone to move me over. Vince McMahon is a smart businessman and, regardless of our relationship, if I'm not in a position where I am drawing fans, then I'm not going to be out there. I wouldn't want to be out there.

I think a lot of these people are so geared to the smaller wrestlers, the guys that jump around, that's the only thing that entertains them. I don't use wrestling moves as and end all be all. I'm out there to tell a story.

So, these critics don't affect me. When they say I'm old or that I'm slow, I think they forget that I'm six foot eight and over 300 pounds. Even at this point in my career, I would go against anyone my size and go move for move with them any day. If I worried about what they said, I would have retired a long time ago. I worry about what the guys in the locker room say, what the real fans that pay their hard earned money for our shows say, and what Vince McMahon says.

WWE: Despite your critics, you are unquestionably one of the most popular Superstars in WWE history. Did you ever think Undertaker would attract such a loyal pronounced and almost cult like following?

MARK: I never would have foreseen that happening, especially with the initial reaction I received when I first came out. I remember small kids crying and wondering whether I was really dead. I never thought I would have been received the way I have been. Undertaker fans are the most loyal people in the world, no matter how I've changed over the years. They've always respected what I've tried to give them. I'm sure most of them would prefer the old, gothic, darker Undertaker, but they all appreciate what I bring and my vision of where Undertaker needs to go.

I think fans in general like to go with the flavor of the week. Shawn Michaels was the hot thing for a while, then Stone Cold, and then The Rock. Where my fans are concerned, they've never wavered. They've stuck with me through thick and thin. It's really amazing that I've been recieved that way, and it really inspires me when my hips are hurting so badly. It helps me gear up and do what I'm supposed to do.

WWE: You've accomplished everything that one could accomplish in this business. What motivates you to keep competing now?

MARK: For years, my personal life was in such a disarray, my whole release was work. I enjoyed work. I enjoyed being on the road. I enjoyed the nightlife. I think right now what motivates me is that my personal life is in check. My marriage to Sara has changed me as a person. I'm happy. Being around for so long and being able to perform at a level with today's Superstars, the 25 year olds and their style is a real challenge. To be able to come from the era I did, and to be able to compete with these athletes, to be able to perform at their level, and to be able to pass on my knowledge so that myabe they can have careers similar to mine, motivates me. It's fun trying to keep up.

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