Mark Calaway is probably best known for his WWE alias as The Undertaker. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years, you’ll probably know that he’s one of the best known wrestlers of all time and has been synonymous with the rise of the company. However, as with most wrestlers, less is typically known about his personal life.
We’ve done some digging and have found out a story from 2011 which stated that The Undertaker was awarded his BJJ black belt in the same year. This story originates from an interview with the UFC pundit Ariel Helwani which took place before a UFC event. It turns out that Calaway was given his black belt by the legendary Rolles Gracie, from the iconic Gracie family. This was highly controversial at the time as The Taker earned his black belt in roughly one year…which is completely unheard of in the art. Speaking on the matter, Rolles said “the guy thoroughly deserves it.”
Typically, a BJJ black belt takes around 10 years for the average person to achieve. Even most World Champions in BJJ won’t get it before 5 years. Understandably, members of the Jiu Jitsu community at the time were confused by this and some claimed it was an example of ‘watering down’ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Even in the present-day, many BJJ practitioners can act defensive when people jump the proverbial queue when promotions are concerned and it can be taken very seriously.
However, in fairness to The Undertaker – there are a few factors that go in his favor. The first is that he’d been a genuine fan of MMA for a while. Fast-forwarding to 2021 in an interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Calaway claimed that he got into MMA around the Randy Couture era which was around 2004. As MMA heavily features Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when fighting on the ground and by using submissions, it’s very possible that The Undertaker at least developed a theoretical knowledge of how certain moves worked by watching fights.
The best literal example of this is one of his finisher moves, named ‘Hells Gate’. This is a variation of the Gogoplata choke which is a choke that uses your shin whilst holding down the head of the opponent. Sometimes the Hells Gate even leans into being a shoulder lock, which is more akin to the Omoplata, again this is a common move in BJJ. With this said, it’s clear that The Undertaker certainly has applicable knowledge of BJJ, but whether he’s a genuine black belt is still unclear.
However, there are still a few more points that act in his favor. Firstly, there is a culture with celebrity practitioners within BJJ where they don’t spar and basically get a soft version of training. This certainly wouldn’t have been the case with Calaway who is genuinely tough and would have been down for sparring.
It’s no secret that pro-wrestling is physically tough on the body and takes both mental and physical strength to endure. With this said, the attitude of The Undertaker would have been ideal for learning BJJ as he definitely wouldn’t hold back.
Not only this, but he’s also a professional wrestler which is the obvious factor here. This means he would be highly strong and athletic as well as having a natural rhythm and body awareness that most newcomers lack. For instance, it wouldn’t be hard for him to understand the theory and put it into physical practice. An example of this is that a wrestling pin is often referred to as side control in BJJ, which would come naturally to The Undertaker. Undoubtedly, his wrestling background would give him a distinct background over the vast majority of BJJ practitioners.
Lastly, there is more evidence in the favor of The Undertaker. Firstly, he has never bragged or really spoken about his black belt, nor are there pictures of him flaunting it online. This shows the right attitude and shows his humble side which hints at the belt being more genuine.
Having said this, talking recently to Joe Rogan he mentioned “We used to have a ref that I’d get in there and roll with him. I would get there early and just pick his brain. By the time of the shows, I used to be exhausted. I did it because I like to understand why things are done, in everything. In boxing, in wrestling, in everything else.” Secondly, the belt was awarded to him after exclusively training without the gi. As he put it “I was in the singlet, it feels more natural”.
Whilst no gi promotions are commonplace these days, remember 2011 was a different era. Back then no gi was more frowned upon and seen as less technical. This means that there’s every possibility that he was awarded a black belt more out of respect rather than a formality.
Skipping to the present day, it’s unsure whether we will ever see him training BJJ as he’s a lot older now and has other priorities. Nonetheless, it’s nice to see someone come to the world of BJJ from the outside and keep an open mind. As a final thought, irrespective of his belt rank – you wouldn’t want to mess with him regardless.
If you’re a fan of his career, then check out his Last Ride DVD that documents the later stages of his legendary career.
