During an interview with ComicBook.com this week, The Undertaker (real name Mark Calaway) was asked to list off his Mount Rushmore of professional wrestling. Without hesitation “The Deadman” listed off his first three as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, all three of whom were men he had major feuds with throughout his decades in the business. However when it came to the fourth man Calaway had a big of internal debate, naming off former stars like Bruno Sammartino, Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes before choosing WWE Hall of Famer Andre The Giant.
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“You got to have [Ric] Flair. You got to have [Hulk] Hogan. Stone Cold [Steve Austin]…. That fourth one’s tough. It could be Harley [Race]. It could be Dusty [Rhodes]. It could be Bruno [Sammartino],” Calaway said. “And I base that on contributions to the business. Not so much if they were a great worker or this or that, but… Oh, I know my fourth, it’s Andre [The Giant]. I don’t know why I forgot Andre. So yeah, it would probably be Flair, Hogan, Stone Cold and Andre.”
He then addressed fans and fellow wrestlers who put his name on their respective lists.
“Well, obviously I’m flattered and honored and my legacy is what it is and I guess that’s another one of those conversations of who’s better, Jordan or LeBron? In that conversation, I always put Kobe [Bryant] in too so… I’m flattered and obviously I know what my contributions to our industry is, but I think when you look at those four guys and I think they really captivated… I think Flair was the standard and then obviously when WWF took off, it was Hogan that was at the top, and then we had the drop-off,” h said. “And then when it came roaring back, it was Stone Cold. And then Andre is just the 8th Wonder of the World.
“So I’m humbled and honored to even be in the conversation, but I think those are my four,” he added.
During Sunday’s Undertaker: The Last Ride finale, Calaway stated that he considered himself retired from pro wrestling.
“My career, my legacy, speaks for itself. At the end of the day that’s really all that matters,” Calaway said. “And I have this other life that I need to go and experience and enjoy the fruits of my labor, enjoy the blessings that I have — my wife, my children.”
“I believe I’m at a place now post-Boneyard, it’s like I just one a hellacious battle against one of the best in the business,” he added. “Here you are climbing on your motorcycle and taking off. There was a lot of thought and a lot of emotion that went through my head. One of those being, are you happy enough with that? It was just a powerful moment, and you don’t always necessarily get those. If there was ever a perfect to a career, that right there is it. If Vince was in a pinch, would I come back? I guess time will only tell there. In case of emergency break glass, pull out The Undertaker, I would have to consider that. Never say never. But at this point in my life and my career, I have no desire to get back in the ring.”
He concluded — “I’ve got a pit in my stomach right now (chuckles). This time the cowboy really rides away.”
