After 34 years – and numerous injuries – the 6ft 10in star finally retired from wrestling yesterday. But will he come back from the dead yet again?
There’s not a day I wake up something doesn’t hurt,” says a matter-of-fact Mark Calaway. “I’ve already got metal in my hips; I’ll walk with a limp for ever; the range of motion of my head is not what it was.” It doesn’t take a doctor to diagnose why. Since first stepping into the wrestling ring 34 years ago, this 55-year-old’s body has taken a staggering amount of abuse. Donning his trademark Stetson, leather coat and perfectly applied black eyeliner, Calaway – known by all as the Undertaker – has spent a career expertly clotheslining and chokeslamming his way to glory. Since his debut WWE (then WWF) appearance back in November 1990, he has become its longest-serving performer; a literal and figurative giant of the wrestling world.
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