The Undertaker, real name Mark Calaway, made an appearance on Complex’s Sneaker Shopping this week as part of the promotion for tonight’s 30th anniversary special edition of Monday Night Raw and this weekend’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. “The Deadman” discussed his decades-long history with sneakers, including playing in leather Dr. J’s while playing collegiate basketball, chokeslamming Terry Funk out of his shoes inside Hell in a cell and his love of the original Adidas Top Tens. He also talked about when LeBron James created special themed shoes dedicated to him, the Lebron 14 Undertaker.ย
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“Anybody with LeBron’s stature in the sneaker world, those were really cool. Anytime you see some kind of homage paid to yourself, it’s kind of humbling to know that kids are out there wearing their little LeBron Undertakers. It’s a cool feeling. Those shoes turned out nice,” Undertaker said.ย
He also discussed the special Puma Clyde “Undertakers” released back in 2017 as a tie-in for WrestleMania 33. At the time, Undertaker’s match with Roman Reigns at that event was positioned as the former world champion’s final bout, but it only managed to cause years of him chasing a match he felt would be the proper send-off. That didn’t come for another three years when he’d wrestle AJ Styles in the cinematic Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36.ย Calaway noted that, despite the Pumas being named and designed after him, he never got his hands on one of the 23 pairs.ย
“They did a very limited number of those. Really classic black, streamlined shoe. It’s a really cool shoe. I’d be curious about what they’re worth now. I didn’t even get a pair. I thought I had some juice. I didn’t get even get a pair. That’s how limited they were. If you got them in a (Size) 15, we can talk,” he said with a laugh.ย
Calaway has admitted in interviews in the years since his retirement that he feels he physically could wrestle another match, but worries it wouldn’t live up to the standards of fans who cheered him on for so many years.ย
“I think it’s always in my head and in my heart, especially getting ready for WrestleMania here at AT&T Stadium it’s just like … man. But it’s just at a point where physically, I can’t perform at a level,” Undertaker told The Dallas Morning News back in 2021. “I mean, I could go out and walk through something and I could get through a match. But I can’t give people what they expect at this point. When you see Undertaker, you pay money to see that guy wrestle. I can’t deliver physically on what people’s expectations are. … The passion is obviously still there. I think that will always be there. It’s just the physical side of it. … My time has come, my time has gone. This is the WWE and things happen, you never know. But I know that my time has passed and it’s time for these young guys to step up and take over and lead us to where we’re going.”
