Ok, this did my heart good, and my eyes are still watering as I type:
I'm a sucker for the Make A Wish things, but it's really indescribably cool to see Callaway just being a nice guy. I thought this was worth sharing with anyone who's a fan and hasn't seen it.
Undertaker's clearly an awesome guy.
The WWE does so many good things like this that I wish they didn't promote it all the time on Raw. It's so self-serving and distracts from how awesome it really is.
ReplyDeleteIt's like the NFL wearing pink all month and throwing pink flags for breast cancer. It's less about awareness for cancer and more about awareness for the NFL. Rubs me the wrong way.
Callaway is one of the guys I'd actually like to meet, even if for only a moment and to thank him for all the great memories.
ReplyDeleteHell in a Cell is going to look SO DEMONIC with pink ropes
ReplyDeleteI really don't like that WWE only focuses on Cena when it comes to Make-a-Wish things. I wish they showed others making wishes.
ReplyDeleteKAYFABE, MARK! Jesus...
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic, I think it's awesome so many of the WWE wrestlers do these Make A Wish meets. And from what I've seen they all seem to really be trying to make this experience great for the kids. My one negative is I didn't like how there were camera people/reporters constantly taking pictures throughout this video. You want the good publicity, fine, take a shot or two when they first meet then just leave them alone.
ReplyDeleteWhat if the cage is pink?
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered if any of these kids have ever asked to meet Vince himself. I suspect WWE would publicize the hell out of the event if such a meet ever took place, but you never know...
ReplyDeleteIt really shows UT's commitment to the character that this is only the second time I've seen something where he is just being Mark Calloway (The other being a UFC interview). Even his voice is different.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Bryan got a famous one earlier this year when he let a Make-A-Wish kid tap him out in his own Yes Lock
ReplyDeleteI love Taker. He might have the most over-the-top gimmick of anyone on the roster, yet he seems like the realest dude in that company.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading a story online of someone encountering him after a show and calling him Mark, and getting a death glare in response, and all I could think was it'd be like looking into the mouth of Hell and living to tell the tale. Come to think of it, the story was secondhand, IIRC. So maybe he didn't live.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is I wouldn't be able to call him anything else but "sir."
i imagine if you're in a position to make a wish, the last thing you wanna do is meet someone who's entire career is predicated on fucking people over, considering nature has already done that to ya.
ReplyDeleteI met Taker. He was cool, I asked him if he still had the urn.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how I'd feel toward that
ReplyDeletei remember seeing clips of a signing taker did during that time period (bikertaker) and whoever came up to the table was clearly really moved by meeting him and taker took a moment and held her hand and was all like "ya a'ight?"
ReplyDeletei wonder what taker is like *now,* tho (or maybe when he was more active, but post wmxx) with the dead man back in full effect
yeah, i love the southern drawl
ReplyDeletethat was here in pittsburgh. assuming he hasn't passed, :( i wonder if dbry will meet with him again
ReplyDeletehonestly from everything you hear about vinces magnanimous nature, i wouldnt be surprised if if was kept ultra hush hush
ReplyDeleteupvote then removed just to upvote again
ReplyDeleteHa, I got cold chills just reading that.
ReplyDeleteDid he?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that WWE has always done a lot of charity stuff in general is something that Vince has gotten right.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the dude was a "Mean" Mark Callous fan and hadn't really followed his career after WCW. Tragic misunderstanding.
ReplyDeleteI agree. You hear lots of stories about him quietly helping former wrestlers in need, and the story only comes out when the wrestler mentions it.
ReplyDeleteHe looked confused and asked who he was feuding with when he last had the urn. I talked about how he was feuding with Mankind and Paul Bearer turned on him.
ReplyDeleteTaker: Oh right. Yes, I do.
I'm pretty sure I'd go with "Mr. Callaway."
ReplyDeleteBack in late 1998, a friend of mine and I wound up watching nearly all of the roster arrive for TV tapings at the San Diego Sports arena. The only guy who truly intimidated me was 'Taker. Dude just had a presence. He got out of a vehicle and stood up; he was maybe 30 or so feet away and didn't even look in my direction, and I took a step or two backwards. We also saw Tenta, Kurrgan, and Silva, and I stood maybe 2 feet from Glen Jacobs. None of the other big men - or wrestlers, actually - had a similar effect. I don't know why; it just happened. It's not like he was in costume or anything.
I've read a few accounts of people meeting him and asking for pictures, and they weren't exactly flattering. But, who knows what actually happened? Besides, life on the road ain't easy, and I'm sure I'd be a cranky bitch if a fanboy approached me while I was having a late dinner after X number of hours spent travelling and doing whatever is required during matches/TV tapings.
Only acceptable if the Hart Foundation - or any of their offspring - is somehow involved.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've never heard any wrestler say a bad word about him, ever. The worst that could possibly be said is that even other workers often find him intimidating.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite moments from the clip were when he asked if the stuffed turkey the girl had was as TX turkey (fucking thing was huge!) and when he said he didn't want dad whupping the Undertaker's butt.
ReplyDeleteRandom thought...anyone else think maybe the little girl didn't quite recognize him out of costume?
Yeah...cause you want the intimidating reaper character showing up to meet dying children.
ReplyDeleteTwas awesome.
ReplyDeleteProbably about as ridiculous as it did last year...
ReplyDeleteDid seem like she was a little confused at first. He should've rolled his eyes up in his head.
ReplyDeleteThe only issues I've had with him is that he always got all this cred for being loyal to Vince when WCW had no interest in him because the UT gimmick was copyrighted. That and the DDP feud and I don't know how much of that was him not wanting to put over anyone or Vince just wanting to bury WCW.
ReplyDeleteTaker did say in that WWE Unscripted book that before he met Sara he was a bit of a "grim" person and that he wasn't all that different from his on-screen character, as frightening as it sounds.
ReplyDeleteFuck me. That *is* frightening.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the nature of his relationship with Vince. 'Taker is one of the few characters we've seen that hasn't suffered from numerous lengthy absences. How much of that is Mark, Vince, or a combination of the two plus how great Mark makes the character?
ReplyDeleteAs for the DDP thing...I wasn't watching at the time and I don't know a thing about any politicking that may have happened. I have seen the blowoff cage match with Bros of Destruction vs DDP/Kanyon, and it was pretty horrid.
I agree...Probably wouldn't even call him by any name. Just a positive greeting like "I just wanted to let you know I've been a big fan for a long time" and leave it at that.
ReplyDeleteI remember that Elimination Chamber match when his pyro went awry and he basically worked with second-degree burns to his chest.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have wanted to be the guy in charge of his entrance...All I could think was that poor guy needed to disappear...quickly...and Taker was a pretty tough dude.
If Taker jumped, it would have been a huge deal. He probably goes to his Biker Taker gimmick and goes right into main eventing.
ReplyDeleteI know the mother, as far as I know the kid is still fighting.
ReplyDeleteThat happened while I was not watching consistently, but I may have watched on DVD. Not sure.
ReplyDeleteRemember when his entrance included stopping at the top of the ring stairs, pausing, then pointing upwards with both hands, which was timed with an explosion/pyro? I'm pretty sure this was prior to his being able to sloooowly bring up the house lights. The former stopped when he did it one night and someone set off one of Kane's ring post flames/pyros...and damn near burned 'Takers face off. He just gave a rather angry look and headed into the ring.
Anyone else recall this incident? It was televised (obviously), but I do not remember if it was regular TV or a PPV.
It's a joke, dumbass.
ReplyDeleteThis was the Chamber incident. It's played off well but you can see him throwing water on himself while he's in the pod and you can clearly see the red burn marks on his chest once he's in the ring.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEvz8LBX_cY
No. He is speaking on another incident. I remember 'take raised his hands and they were supposed to turn up the lights but Kane's pyro went off and he turned his head real fast at the last second.
ReplyDeleteRe: Vince/Taker relationship
ReplyDeleteI always theorized that Taker was Vince's lifelong pet project. He was the guy that was going to be "Andre", because basically after 92-93 that's how he was booked.
I mean you didnt beat Hogan a year after debuting. I understand he had been wrestling as an underneath guy since 84, but 89-90 was his national break between Turner and New York, so I consider that his "rookie year."
I always thought that he was being booked for the LOOOONG HAUL. He was being booked for this time of deal right now. Because his booking has been very similar to Andre. Especially towards the ends of their careers.
I highly there were any lifetime plans for Taker at that point. They wanted a title change for the Tuesday PPV and set up the vacated title angle. He was the hot undefeated heel at the time. The Taker being the Andre thing just evolved naturally. Remember, Vince wanted Hogan and then Bret for that spot before Taker.
ReplyDeleteSee you are looking at it from a night in, night out standpoint, whereas I'm looking at it as a macro-vision standpoint.
ReplyDeleteThere are two different cars Vince wanted specific people to drive.
-The car that can make every town, every media app, every ppv, every social event. That car is for your Hogan/Austin/Rock/Cena... Hart/Michaels/HHH/Foley.
Then there is the special car that that is only brought out on the grandest stage. This car is a spectacle. Its only for car shows and the like. THe occasional drive through town. It can be used as Car A, but not for very long. That car was for Andre, and now for Taker.
Again, this is what I believe. I believe the idea he had for Taker was to be the 20 year long draw. He'd get runs with the belt if needed, or if people left. He'd get time off for extended periods of time early into his tenure. Which is unheard of post-steroid trial.
He was immediately plugged into the top of the card, but never a constant title picture guy... but always consider a threat.
He was always in a top program.
He was ALWAYS protected.
Just like Andre. (sans the belt part)
Yeah, he said that was probably the biggest reason the Undertaker character was so successful - he was talking about stuff that he was actually interested in. All of the scary tattoos and shit that he has aren't for the sake of his character's appearance - those are just personal stuff that he likes.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'll ever get used to seeing Undertaker out of character. The Dead Man gimmick has been so hugely burned into my mind.
ReplyDeleteHe seems like a great guy....as long as you STAY OUT OF THE DEADMAN'S YARD
ReplyDeleteYup. That's it. I'm almost sure the slow fade up on the lights was a direct result of that incident. But, I have been known to be wrong.
ReplyDeleteSounds about right.
ReplyDeleteI think you're a bit off. He was doing the slow raising of the lights way before 1998. I don't know exactly when it began, but I'm pretty sure he was doing it in 1996-97, probably earlier as well.
ReplyDeleteNow it may be that after that incident, he quit doing the pyro thing and went back to raising the lights, but he definitely had done it in the past.