To me, giving Mark Calaway the Undertaker gimmick was wrestling's equivalent of casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. Nobody else could've played that role. It was this magical thing where the performer and the character were perfect for each other.
And it wasn't even James Cameron's idea there, it was Arnolds idea himself. Cameron originally wanted someone who looked like absolutely anyone in the crowd with Arnold being the human hero.
Every time I see Pail Bear I instantly think about when he managed Steve Austin in USWA. It is always the same moment I think about, and it is when Percy and Austin are wrestling Chris Von Erich and Chris Adams. It is some of the funniest stuff ever in wrestling, and it is funny because of Percy. What i think is funny about it is Percy keeps whooping on Chris Von Erich, but while he is doing it he is talking to Fritz Von Erich. Fritz is not there, he is just talking to Fritz as he beats up his son. He says things like come get your boy Fritz, I told you Fritz. Just the way he does it is comedy gold. Here is the crazy part, when Percy is managing Steve Austin, Austin had just debuted a couple months earlier. If you go back and watch those Austin promos and matches from early 1990 when he is doing the angle with Chris Adams and Percy, there is no way anybody would think Austin had not been a pro for a decade, because he was that good. Austin always says how green he was, but you could not tell by watching him. Austin debuts in September of 89, Percy leaves for WWE in December of 90. So Austin had barely been in the business for a year, and he was a natural at it. I am not sure how Austin kept a straight face working with Percy, because everything Percy did in USWA was funny even when it was not meant to be. Nonetheless Percy manages a rookie Austin, and Austin becomes pro wrestling rookie of the year in 1990, then he jumps to WWE and manages the Undertaker, not a bad managing career. He managed two of the greatest back to back. Still yet Percy talking to Fritz while beating his son is still what I think about every time I see him. He never looks at the camera, he is just in his own world talking to an invisible Fritz Von Erich.
Mark Callaway is just a truly blessed man...I met him when he was Texas Red..and he was nice..I met him again as Undertaker and he remembered me..and was still just as nice... Everything truly fell into his lap and he made it work...And when he got that chip on his shoulder for being told he wouldn't draw a dime..He really made it work and showed everyone...This biography to me is the best, because Taker really did not let them embellish..But it was so great of a watch..
fell in his lap is so disrespectful...it looked easy. it worked perfectly. but watch what you say. the phrasing makes it seem like he didnt have to work for it.
First time I saw undertaker was as Mean Mark callous in WCW or old N.W.A. as one half of the skyscrapers. You could tell he was a real wrestler who could do damn near anything. With his size he was impressive moving around ring.
Just watched some of his stuff as half of the skyscrapers yesterday, and my first thought was “Wow, this guy can move for his size”… even before the Taker gimmick, I agree with you, you could tell he had “it”. The selfish part of me wishes he never aged and could still move like that and just continue performing until I die. Even my 12 year old daughter likes watching his matches with me and she rarely sits still for anything I like, lol.
I have been lucky enough to enjoy multiple versions of Undertaker's entrance from his classic, grey/purple gloves era to Ministry and it's true that there's nothing quite like it. The Ministry version in particular really sticks with me because they had the arena AC go way the fuck up so it felt like you were freezing and the guitar/bell tolls in that theme were so loud you could feel your bones shake each time. The combination with the darkness and lightning along with that eerie dark blue light they'd use and seeing Undertaker looking like Satan walk to the ring it's like some shit out of Revelations.
All I kept thinking while watching the A&E Undertaker Biography was, "I can't wait to hear Corney's review of this show!" We love and appreciate all the content you give us Jim.
It fustrates me till this day that everybody remembers Taker throwing Mick off of the cell, but nobody remembers Kane winning his only Wwf title immediately after....
When I was a kid in highschool I'd go on dates with girls who were afraid of seeing The Undertaker like he was a real horror monster. THATS how good he was.
I think Mankind was great for Taker. That, I think, is where UT' was really able to add a more varied moveset. Before then he was fighting giant monsters and had to wrestle like a giant monster. With MK he was facing someone who was just insane, pain made him stronger, and had to be entirely destroyed in order to be defeated. With that, Taker brought in more desperate flurry offense to go with his power moves, plus submission holds and escapes, like his chopping leg drops on the ground. It was a cool development of the character that happened entirely in-ring.
Partially true. Around the same time Taker was having great matches with Shawn Michaels. Him and Shawn had the first Hell in a Cell and people forget how epic that match was because of what happened in the next one vs Mankind. But it definitely helped from around '96 on that they changed the opponents that Taker was having..because he had some horrifically bad opponents until then. His earlier matches with yoko were decent, but even then yoko was getting fatter and fatter and losing athleticism and durability.
I hope the undertaker will one day do a documentary with someone else besides the WWE because there's so much stuff that we want to know about behind the scenes and certain stories we Done heard that you're not going to hear through the WWE produced content
He wants dirt lol. Not gonna happen. Undertaker is gonna be signed with WWE for life. The one time he tried to do something elsewhere they immediately gave him a 15 year deal. And honestly I doubt he’d offer dirt anyways.
Much as I'm a huge Undertaker fan his my second favourite of all time gotta call a spade a spade I used to think of Mark Calaway as a mans man a stand up guy(tho that locker room leader bullshit was always cringe as hell and that wrestlers court bullshit give me a break and BSK all lame childish and cringe as hell!!! ) but lets be honest the guy has just became another WWE butt kisser
I enjoyed the approx 1992-93 Undertaker feud with Harvey Whippleman. It was a manager trying to end a wrestler, feeding him consecutive people to defeat. I enjoyed Taker v Kamala a lot as a kid.
damn, Jim doesn't remember the main event after the Taker/Mankind cell match was Austin/Kane in a First Blood match? That was a crazy good match too, and Kane beating Austin in his prime for the world title!
Just finished watching this, loved the story from when Taker fought Sid Vicious w/Takers Family in attendance and she tried to intervene on behalf of her 'Baby Boy' and ended up covered in bruises from where she had to be dragged away from getting to Ringside... When I was a little boy it would have come as a shock that Taker had a mother as I believed he was genuinely raised from the dead
Mark is a gem of a human being (besides being an amazing wrestler). He respects everyone and I mean everyone. He doesn't care about your views, your beliefs, where you come from. He will spend time with you because you gave him your time as a fan, and he has never taken that for granted. People like him are now close to being extinct.
Jim Cornett's podcast by far is best one. I love hearing all the behind the scenes that goes on during the times I was an addicted fan. Back when I was a fan social media was not even close to a thought. Now in this time, something happens at a show, the how, what, when, and why is on Reddit in a hour.
The 1996 feud with Mankind took Taker to the next level in terms of matches. You could argue that the feud prior to this with Diesel was a good precursor but Mick Foley was the rival that the Undertaker needed.
Taker is a once-in-a-lifetime character in wrestling, he can never be imitated or duplicated. He had a few bad matches and losses but overall like Jim said he was always a top star. I agree they should have never ended the streak to Brock or Roman, but his legacy can not be denied. He also didn't need an insane amount of title reigns or live on Meltzer's 5 stars to cement his legacy. He is the greatest gimmick in wrestling of all time and I'm glad I've gotten to see him in person in the ring and thankful for everything he did.
Ole Anderson said he wanted Taker to be a modern day Johnny Valentine where he’s not flashy and is all around solid and Undertaker turned out to be one of the biggest stars in the business as a gimmick
Jim is exactly right! All my old school friends and I watch these wrestling bios every time they are on! None of us watch that shit they call wrestling now. Keep up the great bios A&E and Viceland!!
Well I think it's also because there was no social media back then where the older guys could "expose" their real lives on like they have now so there was a mystery to those older wrestlers.
Check out the Original Wrestling Documentaries channel and also Wrestling Bios here on RUclips. They cover stuff A&E and Vice will never get around to making.
Me too I love the season last year even the ones I didn't think we're going to be that good they were all good I'm looking forward to the rest of the episodes this season I was kind of surprised that they started off with the Undertaker then they had the episode of WWE Rivals with Bret and Shawn my 3 favorite wrestlers and they were all on the first night I'm 38 so as a kid I loved Bret and Shawn and as I got older you knew you could always look forward to seeing a great match from the Undertaker at wrestlemania
I gotta say something for Danny Spivey … In the late 90s, I had some friends in the women’s division of a powerlifting meet and Spivey’s wife was also in it. So, I sat with Danny during a lot of the meet and we caught up on WCW days and he was very pleasant. Maybe he had mellowed or maybe he was focused on his wife’s events but it was a cool afternoon.
Spivey said a lot of his issues in the 80s were due to alcohol and drug issues, he always seems pretty chill when you see interviews with him in the last 10 years but he was famously a bit of a lunatic in the 80s
I met Undertaker in 1991 at the Spfld Civic center. I was 11 and asked him for an autograph. In perfect Kayfaybe he gave me a death stare and just said NOOOOO! and walked away. The experience was way better than actually getting an autograph. Following him was Sgt. slaughter and Iron Shiek who called me a maggot and a puke and walked away haha. Didn't get too many autographs that day.
I have been getting the biggest kick out of Jim for the last few days, catching up on his commentaries. It's impossible to not like this man. I've been a wrasslin' fan since the early 60's as a kid, so I've seen a lot. Watched Jim back in the day on TBS, when it was the first superstation. OMG I'm old. Tons of respect. You're a survivor, and way to funny reminiscing. So many stories. Just one of my favorite human beings. You know there's a brain in there.
What I find most interesting about Undertaker's run is the number of top guys he worked with. I don't know that there is another wrestler in history that has his resume. One of the last outlaws of wrestling, Brusier Brody. In WCW, he mixed it up with Sting, Luger, and the Road Warriors. And then comes his WWE run where he faced one of the biggest stars in the pre-Hogan era in Jimmy Snuka. From there it's: Every guy to be the guy: Hogan, Warrior, Savage, Bret, Diesel, Shawn, Austin, Rock, Hunter, Lesnar, Batista, Orton, Cena, and Reigns. After then there's this list of superstars: Piper Dusty Rhodes (Survivor Series debut) Jake the Snake Kerry Von Erich The Bulldog Diesel Foley Punk Ambrose/Moxley Rollins Jericho Angle Styles Wyatt Vince & Shane McMahon
Ric Flair wrestled everyone. Literally everyone of any note from the 1950's all the way to guys wrestling today. Nobody is even close, though Taker is an impressive second.
Undertaker vs Diesel was Taker's first really good Wrestlemania match. After that, and then winning the world title, the next year, made the streak feel like a thing.
I usually agree with Jim on the "phony fake bullshit" assessments but I gotta say....Rumble 94 with Taker being locked in the coffin and then ascending to the heavens had my 10 yr old mark-self absolutely RIVETED. It was amazing and helped cement a lifelong love of the Undertaker for me.
Vince’s FAVORITE creations: Undertaker Wrestlemania Ultimate Warrior Million Dollar Man “The Rock” Monday Night Raw The massive phenomenon that was “Hulkamania” (more so than the actual character) The Austin vs McMahon feud
It was nice to see his journey to the WWE and him getting the gimmick and his personal life in this documentary.I've always said that they need to start doing documentaries on their current stars instead of the past ones but it's nice to see them do something different with there old ones and portrayed them just a regular people underneath all of the theatrics.Undertaker is arguably one of the top 5 all time gimmicks of time.
You know Cornette has some respect for Paul Heyman when he says positive things about him. They may not be the best of friends, but they may have some genuine respect for one another.
Terry Funk going out on his own to face Taker after the horrific Mankind cell bump was utter genius. I mean, today it is hardly remembered, as it happened after the two most memorable bumps in the entire history of pro-wrestling. But him thinking that his friend might be hurt and giving him time to either get up or be wheeled out, Funk decided to just go buy some time. What a legend.
Yeah except everyone at the time just watched the match with excitement because there wasn't internet in Pittsburgh in 1998. In our imagination it was real. Imagine a little over 2 decades later some schmoltz is online posting carnival talk. BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP. I'm literally nauseous 😫 how you managed to ruin 😪 everything with carnival talk. It's hard to believe that people used to just watch wrestling because it was fun
@@jeffmac9642 First, yes there totally was internet in Pittsburgh in 1998, what are you on? Second, what you posted was unnecessary and rude. Complaining about some "schmoltz" posting online? Don't read comments then, or just don't go online! SCHMOLTZ SCHMOLTZ SCHMOLTZ SCHMOLTZ SCHMOLTZ. I'm literally nauseous 😫 how you managed to ruin 😪 everything with being an online SCHMOLTZ yourself. 😝
Yeah when I seen HIAC live on pay-per-view when Terry came out to check on Mick I was like "holy shit he's got to be hurt really fucking bad if Terry's in the ring making sure he's ok.
Undertaker to me, hes like what Tim Duncan was in the NBA. Never the top player but always reliable, good leader, and played top level basketball for a very long time.
I like that analogy Bret and Shawn were my favorite wrestlers as a kid I looked at them as the top guys then Austin and rock but the Undertaker was just badass definitely best gimmick by far and he didn't need the belt cus he was the Deadman and couldn't be beat
I am sure the Dutch Montell part was edited out. Because WWE and Dutch are not on good terms right now. Dutch mentioned that. BUT I have heard UNDERTAKER MANY Times mention DUTCH. I THINK THE SKIPPING MICK FOLEY WAS an accident. Because I have seen the two together since that.
I love every second of these shows, because it makes me nostalgic for a wrestling business that I honestly believe is gone. What's left of the wrestling audience doesn't watch this to be immersed in the matches anymore or be angry at the "bad guys" anymore. They watch to be angry at creative and be critical of how a match ends. Look at MITB, they're angry that Theory won. Not because he's a jerk but because they didn't want McMahon to push him now. By keeping The Undertaker mysterious for so long he kept part of the wrestling business alive that is, sadly, gone now.
Really enjoyed it. Just a shame they skipped pretty much from his debut straight to Kane comimg in. Nothing about 1st title win and, likewise, nothing about the late 1998/1999 run and Ministry stuff.
Is anybody else not seeing the full episode on Spotify or anything? I was under the impression the RUclips clips came after the full upload on other platform. Am I mistaken??
There was a DVD on Mankind that came out in the UK around 99 in which the Undertaker spoke about the Hell in a Cell, which was pretty surreal for the time. Must have not been released in the US. Similarly he was pretty candid in an interview ahead of One Night Only in 97 too on Sky Sports
Was that the one where he said if Mankind wanted to do it again, he was up for it? Also before One Night Only, are you thinking of the promo he did in a black sweater as a 'shoot'?
I heard that Undertaker tried to talk Foley out of going off the top of the Cell. He said something like you don't have to do that. Are you sure ? And finally Taker said ok.
Mr. Cornette, listening to you talk about the business, and here about the Undertaker, is something I truly enjoy and I appreciate you doing this. Thank you so much.
If Rock, Austin, and Hogan are the three most iconic wrestlers in the , Undertaker is in the conversation for the number four spot with Andre and Savage, and I frankly think he beats both of them.
Never heard a bad word said about the guy. He's simply a very special individual. Nobody can top his career I don't care what you won, how many times you won it, you're simply not the Undertaker. The 1 true GOAT and he was my favourite the day he walked in.
The thing about The Streak, it was a total accident. It wasn't until 2000 that somebody realized "Wait a minute. Undertaker has never lost at WrestleMania." THEN they started marketing The Streak. And it drew, and it added to the gimmick, and made the Undertaker a little more supernatural. It's hard to beat the Undertaker on any day, but it's impossible to beat him at WrestleMania. When Vince decided to break it, for all the wrong reasons, then Undertaker was just a man. Same as any other. "Think (X) can beat the Undertaker?" "Who cares, Brock already did it."
So many emotions listening to this. Anger, humor, sadness, exhilaration, redemption, immortality. Greatest gimmick ever played by arguably the greatest worker of all-time.
@@potatoman305 Rey is fantastic. However, Rey wasn’t 6,8 300 lbs. When you can actually work like Taker, for decades,much of which included the old 300 plus dates a year schedule.
I can only remember Undertaker conducting two interviews out of gimmick was for Mick Foley's A&E Biography & Off the Record. Also, it was Kane vs. Steve Austin in a First Blood match for the WWF Championship after Undertaker vs. Mankind in the Hell in a Cell.
I remember a plotline on Memohis wrestling where Robert Fuller brought in the Master of Pain to fight Lawler, and then Lawler brought in Sid as Lord Humongous. I remember the promo where they both came out.
23:57 The Undertaker was having an amazing match with a more than decent Storyline against Shawn Michaels when Kane debuted. Sometimes Cornette is just way too biased.
Noooobody has bad words about Taker. He has just been that good all these years. It does feel weird calling him by his real name because he kayfabed that gimmick to the wheels fell off. Even after his HOF speech he told his family “you’re killing my gimmick” 😂
I always loved The Undertaker however I do think that after a career where Mark Calaway barely gave any glimpse into his real life he now seems to turn up to the opening of an envelope and talk talk talk. To begin with, like the WWE Redemption special it was really interesting. Seeing him on Broken Skull Sessions was good too but then he starts to go on everything and before you know it every Tom, Dick and Harry who have a wrestling podcast has got him on. And that for me starts to take the mystique and interest out of it. I would rather he had just released a real killer of an autobiography and save all the stories for that.
Truly one of the best that there will ever be. He was never the most guy. He wasn't the tallest even though he towered over most. He wasn't the biggest, but he was big. It was simple, he was more than the sum of the parts. He shouldn't have been able to move like he did or be as agile. Just an outstanding guy. I agree that the streak should have never ended. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the BikerTaker phase, but he did it well and I was overjoyed when he went back towards the dark side. How he could sail over the top rope was superhuman. Then when the Kane story started, wow it was just about my favorite time ever. Great review this week guys, I could listen to these stories forever. Cheers.
Neckbeards from all corners of basements far and wide come to hear Brian Last's wrestling facts and +1's on Mr. Cornette. I want to congratulate him. This is an awesome platform and thank you for bringing Mr. Cornette to the tube.
Mark Callaway. Awesome performer no doubt. He's on my top 10 list of All Time. Let's not forget though, the WWF/E did a lot to keep his character fresh. From constantly changing his attire. To switching him Face to heel...heel to face. The Biker part of the gimmick was very enjoyable. I actually wish he would have retired as the Biker. Also, having Paul Bearer as a mouthpiece didn't hurt. Bearer also was the one who was the most important part of diving deep into Takers character. Telling the back story of the family and introducing Kane.
To me, giving Mark Calaway the Undertaker gimmick was wrestling's equivalent of casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. Nobody else could've played that role. It was this magical thing where the performer and the character were perfect for each other.
And it wasn't even James Cameron's idea there, it was Arnolds idea himself. Cameron originally wanted someone who looked like absolutely anyone in the crowd with Arnold being the human hero.
Ironically, I Believe that Glen Jacobs (Kane) could have Played the ‘UnderTaker’ Role Perfectly ….
@@constablekennedy7705 I don't even think he was wrestling at that time was he? Hell he didn't even get much of a break in wrestling until SMW.
Perfect comparison
@@maxxdahl6062 oj Simpson was almost cast by the studio Cameron pointed out having a black male killing white women wasn’t a good idea.
"Everybody knew he was human but nobody could prove it!" My new favorite quote of Jim Cornette.
@Noah 1217 Smith wtf man. Lol
I love that!👍
@Noah 1217 Smith That sounds like some low key gheyyyyyyy stuff. SOrrry lmbo
What? Such a stupid quote. Undertaker was phony as a football bat
@@fatalsniper3413 ok FATAL SNIPER 34 LOOL
This made me miss Paul Bearer..
What a fuckin legend Percy was even before he was in WWF
Every time I see Pail Bear I instantly think about when he managed Steve Austin in USWA. It is always the same moment I think about, and it is when Percy and Austin are wrestling Chris Von Erich and Chris Adams. It is some of the funniest stuff ever in wrestling, and it is funny because of Percy. What i think is funny about it is Percy keeps whooping on Chris Von Erich, but while he is doing it he is talking to Fritz Von Erich. Fritz is not there, he is just talking to Fritz as he beats up his son. He says things like come get your boy Fritz, I told you Fritz. Just the way he does it is comedy gold. Here is the crazy part, when Percy is managing Steve Austin, Austin had just debuted a couple months earlier. If you go back and watch those Austin promos and matches from early 1990 when he is doing the angle with Chris Adams and Percy, there is no way anybody would think Austin had not been a pro for a decade, because he was that good. Austin always says how green he was, but you could not tell by watching him. Austin debuts in September of 89, Percy leaves for WWE in December of 90. So Austin had barely been in the business for a year, and he was a natural at it. I am not sure how Austin kept a straight face working with Percy, because everything Percy did in USWA was funny even when it was not meant to be. Nonetheless Percy manages a rookie Austin, and Austin becomes pro wrestling rookie of the year in 1990, then he jumps to WWE and manages the Undertaker, not a bad managing career. He managed two of the greatest back to back. Still yet Percy talking to Fritz while beating his son is still what I think about every time I see him. He never looks at the camera, he is just in his own world talking to an invisible Fritz Von Erich.
Couldn't warm up to him if we were cremated together
Yes that’s one person who was legendary early on because he was so good, another one was Andre and Randy Savage
Mark Callaway is just a truly blessed man...I met him when he was Texas Red..and he was nice..I met him again as Undertaker and he remembered me..and was still just as nice... Everything truly fell into his lap and he made it work...And when he got that chip on his shoulder for being told he wouldn't draw a dime..He really made it work and showed everyone...This biography to me is the best, because Taker really did not let them embellish..But it was so great of a watch..
fell in his lap is so disrespectful...it looked easy. it worked perfectly. but watch what you say. the phrasing makes it seem like he didnt have to work for it.
U never met him. Stop making shit up
First time I saw undertaker was as Mean Mark callous in WCW or old N.W.A. as one half of the skyscrapers. You could tell he was a real wrestler who could do damn near anything. With his size he was impressive moving around ring.
Just watched some of his stuff as half of the skyscrapers yesterday, and my first thought was “Wow, this guy can move for his size”… even before the Taker gimmick, I agree with you, you could tell he had “it”. The selfish part of me wishes he never aged and could still move like that and just continue performing until I die. Even my 12 year old daughter likes watching his matches with me and she rarely sits still for anything I like, lol.
WCW completely missed the boat on Mark but then again, they missed the boat on a lot of guys so no surprise there
@@tomhood7343ea Hulk Hogan got him the job at WWF it’s crazy all the talent that WCW had it’s mine boggling….
He burst on the scene with his "Heart Punch" taking out jobbers. Great time in wrestling history
I have been lucky enough to enjoy multiple versions of Undertaker's entrance from his classic, grey/purple gloves era to Ministry and it's true that there's nothing quite like it. The Ministry version in particular really sticks with me because they had the arena AC go way the fuck up so it felt like you were freezing and the guitar/bell tolls in that theme were so loud you could feel your bones shake each time. The combination with the darkness and lightning along with that eerie dark blue light they'd use and seeing Undertaker looking like Satan walk to the ring it's like some shit out of Revelations.
Wow that's the sort of thing (the AC) you'd never know from watching on tv or vhs as I did. It's one of my favourite eras as well.
Notice that Mark Callaway in his early-mid twenties looks more like an adult than Omega does at nearly 40.
To be fair my 6 year old niece, who seems to spend most of her time licking windows and giggling, is more of an adult than Omega
I mean that's true but it helps mark is a foot taller
He lives in your head rent-free, doesnt he? Can't stop thinking about his body?
Lmao this is why I say Kenny is the goat.
@@totallybored5526 Omega is a ballet trained prissy "wrestler".
All I kept thinking while watching the A&E Undertaker Biography was, "I can't wait to hear Corney's review of this show!" We love and appreciate all the content you give us Jim.
It fustrates me till this day that everybody remembers Taker throwing Mick off of the cell, but nobody remembers Kane winning his only Wwf title immediately after....
@Noah 1217 Smith Exactly 🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️
It was one of the best calls ever by Howard Finkle as well.
*frustrates
Kane had the heavyweight belt for a couple months before to when he wrestled with his shirt off
Yep Kane lost it the next day.
When I was a kid in highschool I'd go on dates with girls who were afraid of seeing The Undertaker like he was a real horror monster. THATS how good he was.
I think Mankind was great for Taker. That, I think, is where UT' was really able to add a more varied moveset. Before then he was fighting giant monsters and had to wrestle like a giant monster. With MK he was facing someone who was just insane, pain made him stronger, and had to be entirely destroyed in order to be defeated. With that, Taker brought in more desperate flurry offense to go with his power moves, plus submission holds and escapes, like his chopping leg drops on the ground. It was a cool development of the character that happened entirely in-ring.
Partially true. Around the same time Taker was having great matches with Shawn Michaels. Him and Shawn had the first Hell in a Cell and people forget how epic that match was because of what happened in the next one vs Mankind. But it definitely helped from around '96 on that they changed the opponents that Taker was having..because he had some horrifically bad opponents until then. His earlier matches with yoko were decent, but even then yoko was getting fatter and fatter and losing athleticism and durability.
I hope the undertaker will one day do a documentary with someone else besides the WWE because there's so much stuff that we want to know about behind the scenes and certain stories we Done heard that you're not going to hear through the WWE produced content
The VAST majority of Undertakers career was in the WWE, what could they possibly put out that had more than this biography had?
He wants dirt lol. Not gonna happen. Undertaker is gonna be signed with WWE for life. The one time he tried to do something elsewhere they immediately gave him a 15 year deal. And honestly I doubt he’d offer dirt anyways.
*Death of wrestling in a nutshell *
Fans: “There’s so much stuff we want to know!”
Who knew they were right all along keeping everything from us.
he wont bury vince or wwe/wwf.
Much as I'm a huge Undertaker fan his my second favourite of all time gotta call a spade a spade I used to think of Mark Calaway as a mans man a stand up guy(tho that locker room leader bullshit was always cringe as hell and that wrestlers court bullshit give me a break and BSK all lame childish and cringe as hell!!! ) but lets be honest the guy has just became another WWE butt kisser
I enjoyed the approx 1992-93 Undertaker feud with Harvey Whippleman. It was a manager trying to end a wrestler, feeding him consecutive people to defeat. I enjoyed Taker v Kamala a lot as a kid.
Best Feud ever...Kamala vs Taker
“If you try me, I will make you famous.” - The Undertaker
If you make me famous, I will try you
-The Overgiver aka the AliveWoman
@@meninblack3585 If I make you infamous, you might try me
- An inbetween giver/receiver
Famous as in what.
damn, Jim doesn't remember the main event after the Taker/Mankind cell match was Austin/Kane in a First Blood match? That was a crazy good match too, and Kane beating Austin in his prime for the world title!
Plus Foley did a run-in with all his injuries!
I actually forgot that this was on the same Pay Per View but what an Awesome Time for Professional Wrestling …. 🔥
@@smarkslowplay3512 both Foley & Taker did a run in
It was ‘Taker that busted Austin open with a chair while the ref was down, when he got up and saw Austin bloodied, he called for the bell.
@@smarkslowplay3512 I think taker had at least injured ankle too
Just finished watching this, loved the story from when Taker fought Sid Vicious w/Takers Family in attendance and she tried to intervene on behalf of her 'Baby Boy' and ended up covered in bruises from where she had to be dragged away from getting to Ringside...
When I was a little boy it would have come as a shock that Taker had a mother as I believed he was genuinely raised from the dead
Mark is a gem of a human being (besides being an amazing wrestler). He respects everyone and I mean everyone. He doesn't care about your views, your beliefs, where you come from. He will spend time with you because you gave him your time as a fan, and he has never taken that for granted. People like him are now close to being extinct.
Plus he’s the best pure striker in WWE history!
@@markfroman738 Michael Cole says that all the time what does it even mean 😂😂
@@markfroman738 Michael Cole says that all the time what does it even mean 😂😂
He respects everyone...even when wearing his Blue Lives Matter and the I Stand for the Flag shirts. Taker=great. Mark=bit of a dick.
Jim Cornett's podcast by far is best one. I love hearing all the behind the scenes that goes on during the times I was an addicted fan. Back when I was a fan social media was not even close to a thought. Now in this time, something happens at a show, the how, what, when, and why is on Reddit in a hour.
The 1996 feud with Mankind took Taker to the next level in terms of matches. You could argue that the feud prior to this with Diesel was a good precursor but Mick Foley was the rival that the Undertaker needed.
I remember being a kid and being terrified of the undertaker. I was a Mark and thought he was going to kill Hulk. Lol. It was great.
When they locked warrior in the coffin I was absolutely terrified as an 8 year old 😆
My favorite Hulk Hogan moment was when Undertaker tombstoned Hulk's bald dome off a steel chair
You got me, brother!
@@soljwf5664 You mean almost tombstones his bald head off the chair. He missed by a foot.
@@lodi70005 Hogan - you spiked me brother, necks broken :(
Taker is a once-in-a-lifetime character in wrestling, he can never be imitated or duplicated. He had a few bad matches and losses but overall like Jim said he was always a top star. I agree they should have never ended the streak to Brock or Roman, but his legacy can not be denied. He also didn't need an insane amount of title reigns or live on Meltzer's 5 stars to cement his legacy. He is the greatest gimmick in wrestling of all time and I'm glad I've gotten to see him in person in the ring and thankful for everything he did.
taker feuding with goldust and mankind from 96 is still some of my favorite stuff and it always gets glossed over. that boiler room brawl was lit.
Ole Anderson said he wanted Taker to be a modern day Johnny Valentine where he’s not flashy and is all around solid and Undertaker turned out to be one of the biggest stars in the business as a gimmick
Jim is exactly right! All my old school friends and I watch these wrestling bios every time they are on! None of us watch that shit they call wrestling now. Keep up the great bios A&E and Viceland!!
Well I think it's also because there was no social media back then where the older guys could "expose" their real lives on like they have now so there was a mystery to those older wrestlers.
Check out the Original Wrestling Documentaries channel and also Wrestling Bios here on RUclips. They cover stuff A&E and Vice will never get around to making.
Me too I love the season last year even the ones I didn't think we're going to be that good they were all good I'm looking forward to the rest of the episodes this season I was kind of surprised that they started off with the Undertaker then they had the episode of WWE Rivals with Bret and Shawn my 3 favorite wrestlers and they were all on the first night I'm 38 so as a kid I loved Bret and Shawn and as I got older you knew you could always look forward to seeing a great match from the Undertaker at wrestlemania
@@northofnashira2575 if you haven't seen it, check out the bio about Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy. It's great.
I gotta say something for Danny Spivey … In the late 90s, I had some friends in the women’s division of a powerlifting meet and Spivey’s wife was also in it. So, I sat with Danny during a lot of the meet and we caught up on WCW days and he was very pleasant. Maybe he had mellowed or maybe he was focused on his wife’s events but it was a cool afternoon.
Spivey said a lot of his issues in the 80s were due to alcohol and drug issues, he always seems pretty chill when you see interviews with him in the last 10 years but he was famously a bit of a lunatic in the 80s
I met Undertaker in 1991 at the Spfld Civic center. I was 11 and asked him for an autograph. In perfect Kayfaybe he gave me a death stare and just said NOOOOO! and walked away. The experience was way better than actually getting an autograph. Following him was Sgt. slaughter and Iron Shiek who called me a maggot and a puke and walked away haha. Didn't get too many autographs that day.
awesome haha
I have been getting the biggest kick out of Jim for the last few days, catching up on his commentaries. It's impossible to not like this man. I've been a wrasslin' fan since the early 60's as a kid, so I've seen a lot. Watched Jim back in the day on TBS, when it was the first superstation. OMG I'm old. Tons of respect. You're a survivor, and way to funny reminiscing. So many stories. Just one of my favorite human beings. You know there's a brain in there.
Hated him at the time with that tennis racket. True Heel. Now I could listen to him for hours. What a walking wealth of knowledge
Can't wait to hear Jimmy's thoughts on wwe going tv-14
Little too late for them to do that ..and the booking and formatting is still shit so it won't change anything..still will be a shit product
@@Sky_Blaze #datfacts
@@Sky_Blaze the word positive doesn't exist in the english language. Yea.
You and me both Fella 💯
So they'll be doing their same boring shitty show, but with swear words. That'll fix everything!
The match that followed the Taker vs. Foley Hell In The Cell match (in which Mick did the run-in) was Steve Austin vs. Kane.
What I find most interesting about Undertaker's run is the number of top guys he worked with. I don't know that there is another wrestler in history that has his resume.
One of the last outlaws of wrestling, Brusier Brody.
In WCW, he mixed it up with Sting, Luger, and the Road Warriors.
And then comes his WWE run where he faced one of the biggest stars in the pre-Hogan era in Jimmy Snuka. From there it's:
Every guy to be the guy: Hogan, Warrior, Savage, Bret, Diesel, Shawn, Austin, Rock, Hunter, Lesnar, Batista, Orton, Cena, and Reigns.
After then there's this list of superstars:
Piper
Dusty Rhodes (Survivor Series debut)
Jake the Snake
Kerry Von Erich
The Bulldog
Diesel
Foley
Punk
Ambrose/Moxley
Rollins
Jericho
Angle
Styles
Wyatt
Vince & Shane McMahon
Don’t forget Goldust
Got Diesel in there twice. Tho the 2nd Diesel was Kane, so...I guess that's still accurate lol.
Ric Flair wrestled everyone. Literally everyone of any note from the 1950's all the way to guys wrestling today. Nobody is even close, though Taker is an impressive second.
Also, Edge.
B. Love: 'Brother Bearer, what is your first name?'
Paul. Bearer - 'Paul...'
LOL!
I would love to be a fly on the wall if Cornette ever crosses paths with Dan Spivey....
Spivey is 70 years old and happy to be alive. He’s been asked a few times about Cornette burying him and said he doesn’t care.
@@runnerbean6166you can’t bury someone after their career lol cornette is just being honest about his skills he’s not “burying” him
Undertaker vs Diesel was Taker's first really good Wrestlemania match. After that, and then winning the world title, the next year, made the streak feel like a thing.
Damn, this is the earliest I've been for these videos
I usually agree with Jim on the "phony fake bullshit" assessments but I gotta say....Rumble 94 with Taker being locked in the coffin and then ascending to the heavens had my 10 yr old mark-self absolutely RIVETED. It was amazing and helped cement a lifelong love of the Undertaker for me.
As an adult I was pissed beyond words
You were 10… enough said
I agree with George
I remember seeing Undertaker at the COW PALACE in like 1993/94 and I swore the arena was cold like they always said on tv lol
Imagine being Taker's mother and seeing all 30 years of his career firsthand
MotherTaker should be proud.
Imagine how proud Joey Janela’s parents must feel.
Good for her, I imagine it's difficult to give birth to a deadman
Imagine undertaker mom being banged by Paul bearer
@@wilcee238 I bet he doesn't have a dad
I can just remember being absolutely **terrified** of the Undertaker in the early 90s 👍
You and me both Fella …… 👍🏿
I would always have a recurring dream that Undertaker was chasing me lol
@@carter3369 me too lol him and Kane
Vince’s FAVORITE creations:
Undertaker
Wrestlemania
Ultimate Warrior
Million Dollar Man
“The Rock”
Monday Night Raw
The massive phenomenon that was “Hulkamania” (more so than the actual character)
The Austin vs McMahon feud
Probably because they all made him an awful lot of money!! I agree with you 100%.
It was nice to see his journey to the WWE and him getting the gimmick and his personal life in this documentary.I've always said that they need to start doing documentaries on their current stars instead of the past ones but it's nice to see them do something different with there old ones and portrayed them just a regular people underneath all of the theatrics.Undertaker is arguably one of the top 5 all time gimmicks of time.
Nobody would watch bios on the new guys 🙄
@@joelsteelerswildlifeadvent2293 And you know this how?
In terms of gimmicks Undertaker is universally known as the number 1 gimmick of all time.
Would have loved to have heard Paul Bearer speaking on this.
Agreed Bro and Nice Username …. 👍🏿
I recommend the short documentary called “The Mortician” on Peacock about Paul Bearer, great little hour long documentary about his life and career
Brother Love was over as a slimy heel personality. He was a parody of a slimy crooked preacher. I think initially it did work. "I loooove youuuu"
You know Cornette has some respect for Paul Heyman when he says positive things about him. They may not be the best of friends, but they may have some genuine respect for one another.
10:00 they should’ve paired Mark and Sid as the New Skyscrapers.
Terry Funk going out on his own to face Taker after the horrific Mankind cell bump was utter genius.
I mean, today it is hardly remembered, as it happened after the two most memorable bumps in the entire history of pro-wrestling. But him thinking that his friend might be hurt and giving him time to either get up or be wheeled out, Funk decided to just go buy some time.
What a legend.
Yeah except everyone at the time just watched the match with excitement because there wasn't internet in Pittsburgh in 1998. In our imagination it was real. Imagine a little over 2 decades later some schmoltz is online posting carnival talk. BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP BUMP. I'm literally nauseous 😫 how you managed to ruin 😪 everything with carnival talk. It's hard to believe that people used to just watch wrestling because it was fun
@@jeffmac9642 First, yes there totally was internet in Pittsburgh in 1998, what are you on? Second, what you posted was unnecessary and rude. Complaining about some "schmoltz" posting online? Don't read comments then, or just don't go online! SCHMOLTZ SCHMOLTZ SCHMOLTZ SCHMOLTZ SCHMOLTZ. I'm literally nauseous 😫 how you managed to ruin 😪 everything with being an online SCHMOLTZ yourself. 😝
Yeah when I seen HIAC live on pay-per-view when Terry came out to check on Mick I was like "holy shit he's got to be hurt really fucking bad if Terry's in the ring making sure he's ok.
Terry getting chokeslammed out of his shoes is hillarious too, that match made taker even more of a monster
Undertaker to me, hes like what Tim Duncan was in the NBA. Never the top player but always reliable, good leader, and played top level basketball for a very long time.
I like that analogy Bret and Shawn were my favorite wrestlers as a kid I looked at them as the top guys then Austin and rock but the Undertaker was just badass definitely best gimmick by far and he didn't need the belt cus he was the Deadman and couldn't be beat
Great comparison.
Plus Tim's nickname was the "Big Fundamental" which is EXACTLY what made Mark so great, his fundamentals.
💯💯💯💢💯💯💯
The championship match in question was Steve Austin vs Kane in a First Blood match where, if Kane lost, he would set himself on fire.
Thank you for doing these Jim & Brian 🙏🏼 found the love for wrestling again
Undertaker with the Kamala paint & Corny doing a sit-up! 😂
I am sure the Dutch Montell part was edited out. Because WWE and Dutch are not on good terms right now. Dutch mentioned that. BUT I have heard UNDERTAKER MANY Times mention DUTCH. I THINK THE SKIPPING MICK FOLEY WAS an accident. Because I have seen the two together since that.
The undertaker. One of the greatest gimmicks in WWF/WWE history. This was a great A&E documentary!
I love every second of these shows, because it makes me nostalgic for a wrestling business that I honestly believe is gone. What's left of the wrestling audience doesn't watch this to be immersed in the matches anymore or be angry at the "bad guys" anymore. They watch to be angry at creative and be critical of how a match ends. Look at MITB, they're angry that Theory won. Not because he's a jerk but because they didn't want McMahon to push him now. By keeping The Undertaker mysterious for so long he kept part of the wrestling business alive that is, sadly, gone now.
Did you miss the American Badass and Big Evil years from 1999-2003?
@@Speedyreedy1218 I did, probably saw Undertaker's whole run. Even The Giant Gonzalez match.
Brian's hate of Bruce Prichard is ridiculous
Yeah brain can go to hell it sounds like jealousy i like bruce im sure he stretch the truth but so has 90% wrestlers
Really enjoyed it. Just a shame they skipped pretty much from his debut straight to Kane comimg in. Nothing about 1st title win and, likewise, nothing about the late 1998/1999 run and Ministry stuff.
The Undertaker's A&E's Documentary was great!
Favorite Wrestler of all time!
Taker said he was afraid of being the "EGG MAN". He could have made it work.
Is anybody else not seeing the full episode on Spotify or anything? I was under the impression the RUclips clips came after the full upload on other platform. Am I mistaken??
There was a DVD on Mankind that came out in the UK around 99 in which the Undertaker spoke about the Hell in a Cell, which was pretty surreal for the time. Must have not been released in the US. Similarly he was pretty candid in an interview ahead of One Night Only in 97 too on Sky Sports
Was that the one where he said if Mankind wanted to do it again, he was up for it?
Also before One Night Only, are you thinking of the promo he did in a black sweater as a 'shoot'?
@@JeremiahEcks777yes mate think you're on the money!
I heard that Undertaker tried to talk Foley out of going off the top of the Cell. He said something like you don't have to do that. Are you sure ? And finally Taker said ok.
@@scottroberts7103 He did, according to Foley's book.
"Does Spivey look like death, or what?"
"He sounds like death too!"
😂
Loved it when Carmen did the Undertaker sit-up in GLOW.
that plug for the cereal was rambling insanity 🤣😂🤣
Can't wait to hear reviews of heyman's promo & gunther on smackdown.
Mr. Cornette, listening to you talk about the business, and here about the Undertaker, is something I truly enjoy and I appreciate you doing this. Thank you so much.
Imagine taker, the Harris brothers and Lee walking into the local bar😂
If Rock, Austin, and Hogan are the three most iconic wrestlers in the , Undertaker is in the conversation for the number four spot with Andre and Savage, and I frankly think he beats both of them.
He said "shave your neck & button up your shirt", Jesus Brian... ☠🤣😭
I didnt k mark calliway was so young when he started wrestling wow.
Never heard a bad word said about the guy. He's simply a very special individual. Nobody can top his career I don't care what you won, how many times you won it, you're simply not the Undertaker. The 1 true GOAT and he was my favourite the day he walked in.
There will never be another wrestler with the talent..longeivity..respect or aura of the undertaker...one of the best ever..
I find it spectacular that this channel has so many subscribers and views and the only thing on the screen is the art. Brilliant idea.
How is the best part the ad at the end. 😂 love this guy!
Undertaker talked about the 98’ HIAC on his VHS doc in 2001 “This is My Yard” before this current bio.
The thing about The Streak, it was a total accident. It wasn't until 2000 that somebody realized "Wait a minute. Undertaker has never lost at WrestleMania." THEN they started marketing The Streak. And it drew, and it added to the gimmick, and made the Undertaker a little more supernatural. It's hard to beat the Undertaker on any day, but it's impossible to beat him at WrestleMania. When Vince decided to break it, for all the wrong reasons, then Undertaker was just a man. Same as any other. "Think (X) can beat the Undertaker?" "Who cares, Brock already did it."
That undertaker was great to watch this was nice to watch.
So many emotions listening to this. Anger, humor, sadness, exhilaration, redemption, immortality.
Greatest gimmick ever played by arguably the greatest worker of all-time.
Bro, Rey Mysterio's episode hasn't come out yet tho
@@potatoman305 Rey is fantastic. However, Rey wasn’t 6,8 300 lbs. When you can actually work like Taker, for decades,much of which included the old 300 plus dates a year schedule.
Where's the podcast!!!!!????????
Show was literally Taker's HOF speech with wrestling clips
Thankyou
Cornette is right about Bruce…no one gave a shit about brother love😂
I can only remember Undertaker conducting two interviews out of gimmick was for Mick Foley's A&E Biography & Off the Record. Also, it was Kane vs. Steve Austin in a First Blood match for the WWF Championship after Undertaker vs. Mankind in the Hell in a Cell.
I cannot recall any other wrestler having such a Lou Thesz like aura than The Undertaker. He commanded respect without asking it.
For as funny as this show is Jim reading the ads is just comedy gold
"Shave ya neck!" pretty sure I heard some New York in that. Are we sure Last is from New Jersey?
I remember a plotline on Memohis wrestling where Robert Fuller brought in the Master of Pain to fight Lawler, and then Lawler brought in Sid as Lord Humongous. I remember the promo where they both came out.
Dammit Jim... We all Loooooved Brother Love, and Brother Love, Loooooves YOU!
23:57 The Undertaker was having an amazing match with a more than decent Storyline against Shawn Michaels when Kane debuted. Sometimes Cornette is just way too biased.
Noooobody has bad words about Taker. He has just been that good all these years. It does feel weird calling him by his real name because he kayfabed that gimmick to the wheels fell off. Even after his HOF speech he told his family “you’re killing my gimmick” 😂
0:43 Fair comment. Whom would you rather watch? Mick Foley? Abdullah the Butcher? Mark Calaway? Or Roman Reigns? AJ Styles? Brooooooo?
I always loved The Undertaker however I do think that after a career where Mark Calaway barely gave any glimpse into his real life he now seems to turn up to the opening of an envelope and talk talk talk. To begin with, like the WWE Redemption special it was really interesting. Seeing him on Broken Skull Sessions was good too but then he starts to go on everything and before you know it every Tom, Dick and Harry who have a wrestling podcast has got him on. And that for me starts to take the mystique and interest out of it. I would rather he had just released a real killer of an autobiography and save all the stories for that.
So Buzz Sawyer did that to BOTH Martin Calaway (Undertaker) ANNND Magnum P.I?? Thats crazy.
Truly one of the best that there will ever be. He was never the most guy. He wasn't the tallest even though he towered over most. He wasn't the biggest, but he was big. It was simple, he was more than the sum of the parts. He shouldn't have been able to move like he did or be as agile. Just an outstanding guy. I agree that the streak should have never ended. Personally, I wasn't a fan of the BikerTaker phase, but he did it well and I was overjoyed when he went back towards the dark side. How he could sail over the top rope was superhuman. Then when the Kane story started, wow it was just about my favorite time ever. Great review this week guys, I could listen to these stories forever. Cheers.
Neckbeards from all corners of basements far and wide come to hear Brian Last's wrestling facts and +1's on Mr. Cornette. I want to congratulate him. This is an awesome platform and thank you for bringing Mr. Cornette to the tube.
It was Kane vs Stone Cold First Blood match at LOTR 98.
Excellent! Loved the show. Loved the follow up y’all did
24:00,it was started with mick foley in 96, then bret hart .
On TV, the ascension from the screen was actually pretty cool 😅
I was out of ear shot a couple of times. What did I miss that Travis has him dressed like Kamala?
Just a goofy visual as Jim talked about Lawler working with both when they were green and getting matches out of the
That’s it…
Undertaker was so badass he made the switch from the dead man to the badass and it worked without the name change
Undertaker's legacy is that there wont be another.
The match at the end of where Mankind interfered was an Austin Kane first blood match for the WWF title.
Mark Callaway. Awesome performer no doubt. He's on my top 10 list of All Time. Let's not forget though, the WWF/E did a lot to keep his character fresh. From constantly changing his attire. To switching him Face to heel...heel to face. The Biker part of the gimmick was very enjoyable. I actually wish he would have retired as the Biker.
Also, having Paul Bearer as a mouthpiece didn't hurt. Bearer also was the one who was the most important part of diving deep into Takers character. Telling the back story of the family and introducing Kane.