We know him as The Deadman, The Phenom and as the man who makes his opponents 'Rest in Peace.' The Undertaker has more aura than any other wrestling personality in the history of the business. Even today, just watching the multiple-time world champion make his way to the ring is something fans would pay for.
But how much do we know about the man behind the legendary character. Mark Calaway has remained away from public glare for much of the period he portrayed the supernatural character. But that didn't stop interesting information about the superstar from becoming public knowledge. Since, his landmark match against Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 33 which was supposed to be the end of his career, he has been more willing to appear on camera as his real self.
Some of these interviews have revealed interesting stuff about Calaway and his personality. Here is a look at five interesting facts about the real person behind the character that you will be surprised to know.
He is a devout Christian
For somebody who has often been portrayed as a dark character, if not Satanic, it is strange to be devoted to a religious creed. But that's exactly what Undertaker has been – a devout Christian. In an interview last year, the 54-year old revealed that, thanks to his wife, he has become a more religious person and has started to make regular Church visits. He stated that the belief in a higher power was always there in him, but it was his wife that got him to attend church and eventually become a devoted follower of the faith.
He is a patriot
Most of you would be aware that there was a brief phase when Mark Calaway left his supernatural character aside and donned a bike-riding and smooth-talking persona. This American Badass or Big Evil character saw him put aside allusions to paranormal abilities. It also allowed him to present some of those aspects of his personality which had been hidden for a long time. One of them was his patriotism. At Wrestlemania 19, The Undertaker came out for his match with an American flag on his motorbike. The commentators revealed that a cousin of Calaway is serving in Iraq as part of the USA Army and hence, he decided to show his love for his country.
He is equally dangerous in real life
The Undertaker is a scary character in WWE but even in real life, Calaway is a person you don't want to mess with. Being trained in the Brazilian martial art of Jiu-Jitsu, he can take down most men with ease and has done so in the past. In fact, he once choked out Kurt Angle, an Olympic gold-medal winning wrestler. This shows that he is the last person to pick a fight with.
He is an ultra-protective father
While it's hard to imagine The Undertaker walking around the house with a baby in hand, he is actually a very protective father. One of the facts we discovered about Calaway when he appeared in an interview last year was that he doesn't like people taking pictures of his children. This is in contrast to some other wrestlers who have even made their children part of the storyline.
He is politically a right-winger
Lately, Calaway has become politically active also and generally supports right-wing causes. This may be seen as linked to his Christian faith also. Apart from lending support to Republican Party, he also opposed athletes in American Football League (AFL) who decided to kneel during the playing of American national anthem, as a protest against alleged discrimination targeted at racial minorities.
