5 WWE stars who earned The Undertaker's respect in real life

The Undertaker, real name Mark Calaway, is widely viewed as one of the most respected WWE Superstars of all time. Throughout his 30 years as a WWE in-ring competitor, many of The Deadman's peers considered him to be the leader of the locker room.

Over those three decades, Calaway crossed paths with more wrestlers than anyone else in the company. While he occasionally disagreed with storyline ideas presented to him, the WWE icon developed a reputation as someone who was easy to get along with backstage.

In front of the cameras, WWE Superstars achieve success by capturing titles and eliciting loud crowd reactions. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, it could be argued that there is no greater honor than earning the respect of one of WWE's all-time greats.

In this article, let's look at five WWE Superstars who won Calaway over in real life.

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#5 Booker T earned The Undertaker's respect

In 2001, Booker T joined WWE after Vince McMahon purchased WCW. Despite his undeniable star power, the Harlem Heat member chose not to change in the WWE locker room until he had earned the right.

On a 2021 episode of Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Booker said Mark Calaway approached him backstage one day. The Phenom asked why he did not change with the rest of the WWE roster in the regular locker room for television tapings.

At that point, Booker felt like his hard work paid off, and he earned the legendary star's respect.

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#4 CM Punk earned The Undertaker's respect

In 2009, CM Punk defeated The Undertaker in a Submission match at Bragging Rights before losing to The Deadman inside Hell in a Cell a month later. The two also faced off on SmackDown several times in 2009 and 2010.

WWE producer Michael Hayes discussed the rivalry on Punk's Best in the World DVD in 2012. The Hall of Famer said The Straight Edge Superstar "earned The Undertaker's respect inside the ring" during the feud. He also claimed Mark Calaway initially had doubts about his opponent, but later "admitted he was wrong."

In 2013, The Phenom defeated Punk again at WrestleMania 29 in a match that many viewed as the best of the night.

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#3 The Big Show earned The Undertaker's respect

Throughout his two decades in WWE, The Big Show frequently shared the ring with The Undertaker. They even held the Tag Team Championship together twice in 1999 while working as The Unholy Alliance.

In an interview with talkSPORT in 2020, The Big Show credited Mark Calaway for teaching him how to wrestle as a big man. The seven-foot star also admitted he "had to fight really hard" to earn his co-worker's respect.

One day, Big Show knew he won over his real-life friend after they competed against each other in a 40-minute match in Paris, France. Impressed with his opponent's performance, Calaway said after the event, "Good job, kid. You made it."

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#2 Shawn Michaels earned The Undertaker's respect

It is no secret that Shawn Michaels could be difficult to deal with behind the scenes earlier in his career. In 1998, Mark Calaway famously threatened to beat up The Heartbreak Kid if he sabotaged Steve Austin's big moment in the WrestleMania 14 main event.

Despite their differences, Michaels said in a 2020 interview with the Metro that he and The Undertaker gained respect for each other in the ring. Calaway disliked his rival's bad backstage attitude, but he knew they would produce quality matches every time they faced off.

The two men are now good friends in real life, largely thanks to their epic on-screen battles. To this day, the WrestleMania 25 match between the two is considered one of the greatest WWE encounters in history.

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#1 Bray Wyatt earned The Undertaker's respect

In 2015, The Undertaker defeated Bray Wyatt in his comeback match at WrestleMania 31 after a year out of the ring. Eight years later, Mark Calaway whispered something in Wyatt's ear during the 30th anniversary episode of Monday Night RAW.

Wyatt posted on Twitter that his memorable moment with The Deadman "justified a lifetime of sacrifices." The three-time world champion also noted how he was proud that he never changed himself to fit anyone else's narrative.

Calaway responded with the message, "Respect is earned!"

Do you have any Mark Calaway stories to share? Let us know in the comments section below.