Wrestling is full of more superstars than the real thing, and no one has done better than that Undertaker. We can argue about who is the best wrestler of all time, but there is no argument that Undertaker is the best character ever created. The gimmick about zombie-like Western Treasurer would never have worked, but it was a success for Mark Calaway. He was a WCW wrestler, but under Vince McMahon’s creative direction in WWE, he was able to ultimately meet his potential. Calaway transformed the Undertaker into a legend, not only because of his talent and charisma, but also because of his size. At 6’10” and over 300 pounds, Undertaker was one of the most impressive wrestlers stepping into the ring, but did that size come naturally?
Undertaker has an athletic background
Mark Calaway played basketball in college
- The Undertaker played basketball at Angelina University and Texas Wesleyan University.
- He once played the game with Hakeem Olajuwon.
- He gave up the opportunity to play professional basketball in France to pursue wrestling.
Born in Houston, Texas, Undertaker grew up playing basketball. Why haven’t you become a 7-foot tall teenager? He played at Waltrip High School in Houston, and after graduating in 1983 he first played basketball at Angelina University and Texas Wesleyan University. Mark Calaway was good enough, so the scouts offered him the opportunity to go professional in France, but Calaway said no and decided he wanted to become a wrestler instead. An article in Bleacher’s report on his basketball era interviewed his teammates who called him “the Giant among boys” and “very athletic.”
Although Mark Calaway never went professionally in basketball, he got the opportunity to play for future NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon. The Houston Rockets also grew up in Houston, and in high school, Undertaker was once on his team. He spoke about handing the ball to Hakeem at 6 feet under the podcast.
“(He) ran and caught the ball, dived into the guy, the guy. …Hakeem made me look like a magical Johnson.” (H/T Kron)
Before he was a wrestler and packed the pounds of muscle, Mark Calaway was already an athlete. But basketball and wrestling are very different sports with different demands on the body, so did the immediate undertaker give the seduction of steroids?
Undertaker has approved taking steroids
The wrestler was pressured to keep growing
- Undertaker spoke about using steroids with Joe Rogan.
- He was shocked that the wrestler could grow so big now without taking drugs.
- Anabolic steroid wellness program test.
In 2021, when it appeared in the Joe Rogan Experience, the topic of steroids and wrestling came into play. The Undertaker admitted that he had used the drugs during his career and did not grant the host the following:
“There were times when we had to jack, especially in the big names, there was stigma. You had to be 300 pounds, and that was in our minds.
“It was the way wrestlers think, but now it’s being tested for everything I don’t understand. (h/t wrestlettalk)
The drug has been so popular in wrestling since the 80s and early 2000s that it’s not a big surprise to hear that Undertaker took steroids. WWE tested wrestlers with drugs such as painkillers and anabolic steroids until Edie Guerrero died in late 2005 for WWE to establish a wellness policy program.
Mark Calaway also lifted it heavily in his training.
Fans allow the enforcer to use steroids
- The Undertaker was extremely muscular, even after the wellness policy program was launched.
- In his fifties, the Undertaker was lifting heavy weights.
- He recently set up a new gym in his home.
Since 2006, wrestlers have not been able to escape by taking steroids, and many celebrities have failed drug tests for a variety of reasons, leading to suspension and termination. Considering that he was even more muscular in one of the best runs of his wrestling career in the mid- to late 2000s, John Cena, who started out as a bodybuilder, was never among them.
Like most muscular wrestlers today, Undertaker has improved his physique thanks to his dedication to weightlifting. Even in his 50s he was lifting very heavy things, and in 2022 he posted an thanks to his Instagram page for the solin exercise equipment to build his new home gym.
It’s a shame that Undertaker was taking steroids, but that may have been wrong, but it’s something that most fans can easily forgive him. It was a different era, and wrestlers were under intense pressure to see certain ways or risk losing their spot. Thankfully, he escaped from the steroids before hurting his health.
