Mark William Calaway, aka the Undertaker, may be retired from in-ring action, but his life is anything but quiet. The WWE legend and Hall of Famer was front and center during WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas this April, appearing at WWE World and supporting his wife Michelle McCool-Calaway during her Hall of Fame induction.
But while the cameras caught smiles and celebrations, the reality behind the scenes was much more serious.
The Undertaker Opens Up About Post-WrestleMania Surgery
On a recent episode of his podcast, “Six Feet Under,” “The Deadman” and his new co-host, McCool-Calaway, revealed a major health scare that unfolded during the biggest weekend in pro wrestling.
According to McCool-Calaway, the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 41 were filled with anxiety, as Calaway had been dealing with heart issues that were growing more serious. “I couldn’t focus on anything else other than my dear husband,” she said. “That was a rough five weeks.”
The situation reached a breaking point the morning after WrestleMania 41. While the WWE Universe was still buzzing from the weekend’s action, The Phenom quietly checked into the hospital at 6 a.m. for heart surgery.
McCool-Calaway admitted that she was barely holding it together during her own Hall of Fame induction. “People would come up to me and congratulate me and be like, ‘How you doing?’ And I’m almost in tears, or like, ‘I’m OK,’ but they could tell I wasn’t OK,” she stated on the podcast.
“But they thought it was probably just because of the speech. No, it was because of the heart issues you had been having weeks prior, which, by the grace of God, we found out just by a God thing. But it ended up being terrifying,” she added.
Thankfully, the situation was caught in time. The surgery was successful, and Calaway is now on the mend. Despite dealing with a ticking time bomb in his chest, “The Dead Man” didn’t miss a beat at WrestleMania weekend.
He appeared at WWE World, mingled with fans, and stood proudly by McCool-Calaway’s side as she was honoured for her legendary career. That level of dedication is vintage Undertaker. Even off the clock, he’s still one of WWE’s most reliable figures.
His one-man show, the Undertaker 1 deadMAN Show, continues to draw strong crowds, and his backstage presence at major WWE events is still felt. His greatest battles may no longer be inside the ring, but he’s still standing tall.