Phenomenal Facts

Real name: Mark Calaway

Birthday: March 24, 1965   (reports vary on year, but definitely an Aries!)   (?)
Height:   6'8"   (?)
Weight:   287 pounds (this is a new stat from Toxxic, has been stated for years as 328, but he has lost weight (grin))   (?)
Homestead: Houston, Texas

Signature moves: heart punch (circa-UT era), "Tombstone" piledriver, choke slam, arm wringer top rope walk into an overhand punch

Before beginning his wrestling career, Callaway established himself as a standout basketball center at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. Debuted in the summer of 1984 for Fritz Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling out of Dallas. Callaway's basketball coach did not like him wrestling part-time during the season and asked him to quit. Callaway, realizing that there was probably more potential for a career in wrestling than in basketball, refused and quit the team and dropped out of school. Callaway worked as a bouncer while continuing his climb up the wrestling ladder. While working in what was now United States Wrestling Association Texas (which is a another long story but since this is not the time nor place I won't get into it), Callaway was brought in to USWA Memphis (the other USWA territory) and given a push as a masked heel known as The Master of Pain. His push took him all the way to the USWA's Unified heavyweight title when he defeated Memphis favorite Jerry Lawler for the gold on April 1, 1989. His reign would not last long however as Lawler would regain the belt less than a month later (April 25, 1989). Callaway moved back to USWA Texas as the still-masked Texas Red, which lasted for all of about 10 minutes. Callway changed his ring name to The Punisher and won the USWA Texas heavyweight title from Eric Embry on October 5, 1989 only to lose it to the late Kerry Von Erich in November of the same year. While working in Texas, Callaway became friends with manager Percy Pringle III who would soon play a prominent role in his career. Callaway signed on with World Championship Wrestling during the early part of 1990 as "Mean" Mark Callous. When Sid Vicious suffered a punctured lung, Callous was programmed in as his replacement for The Skyscrapers tag team alongside Dan Spivey with Teddy Long as their manager. Spivey soon left the company and Callous returned to working singles matches. Callaway's contract with WCW soon expired and the company decided not to renew it. It would turn out to be the best thing to happen to Callaway in his professional wrestling career.

Pro debut: 1984 (wrestled sporadically at best until 1988)

Here is a little known fact-   Who Trained The Undertaker To Walk The Top Rope?
'the Spoiler' Don Jardine


Ring Monickers:
1989: (CWA/Texas): The Master of Pain also known as the Punisher (managed by"General" Skandor Akbar) and Texas Red (managed by "Dirty" Dutch Mantell).

1989: (USWA/Memphis): The Master of Pain (managed by "Dirty" Dutch Mantell and "Downtown" Bruno).

1990: "Punisher" dice Morgan (Japanese tour).

1990: (WCW/Atlanta, Georgia): "Mean" Mark Callous (managed by Teddy R. Long and later Paul E. Dangerously).

1990: (WWF/Greenwich, Connecticut); Kane the Undertaker (initially managed by Brother Love).

1991: (WWF): The Undertaker (managed by Paul Bearer).

WWF Debut: November 23, 1990, Survivor Series pay-per-view.

Tag-Team Affiliation: Competing as "Mean"Mark Callous, he replaced an injured Sid Vicious and teamed up with "Dangerous"Danny Spivey in the Skyscrapers tag duo (managed by Teddy R. Long).

In the WWF, he teamed with "Brother" Kane, his Ministry of Darkness, and most recently "Big Show" Paul Wight.

The Thrill of Victory:
October 5, 1990, Brownsville, Texas: Wrestling as the Master of Pain, he was awarded the USWA Texas heavyweight crown.

November 27, 1992, Survivor Series Pay-per-view: Defeated Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Championship.

March 23, 1997, Rosemont, Illinois: Pinned "Sycho" Sid for the WWF World belt.

July 26, 1998, Fresno California, Fully Loaded pay-per-view: The Undertaker & Steve Austin defeated Kane & Mankind for the WWF World tag-team belts.

May 23, 1999, Kansas City, Missouri: Pinned "Stone Cold" Steve Austin for the WWF World belt.

Toughest Opponents: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Rock Maivia, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Brother" Kane, Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Kerry von Erich, Ultimate Warrior and Dustin Rhodes.

Weirdest Feuds: Against Kamala the Ugandan Giant, voodoo master Papa Shango, Giant Gonzalez, and Yokozuna.

Cited Source for this information: Toxxic (Fanzine International, NY), Vol. l, n. 37, 1999, (480) p. 71