What happened to The Undertaker? Mark Calaway’s health struggles explored as WWE legend reveals having heart surgery

WWE icon Mark Calaway, known to fans around the world as The Undertaker, opened up about a frightening period in his life during a recent episode of Six Feet Under. The wrestler was accompanied by his wife, Michelle McCool, for the podcast episode.

The 60-year-old Hall of Famer, who ended his storied in-ring career in 2020 after facing AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match, admitted that he had been getting out of breath from normal, everyday activities.

Despite the health scare, The Undertaker accompanied McCool to Las Vegas in April for her WWE Hall of Fame induction. But, as they later revealed, the trip wasn’t recommended.

"It's because of the heart issues you've been having weeks prior. Which, by the grace of god, we found out just by — It ended up being terrifying. The day we got home from WrestleMania, the next day at 6 am, we were at the hospital for a little bit of heart surgery." shared McCool

During the Six Feet Under podcast episode, Michelle McCool shared a deeply personal look into the recent health crisis that unfolded just weeks before WrestleMania.

Referring to their trip to Las Vegas, McCool told The Undertaker:

“You weren’t supposed to go anywhere,”

She revealed the toll it took on her emotionally, admitting it was hard to keep the situation private.

“We were in the hospital for four nights. Not fair to me, not fair... It was terrifying. I couldn't focus on anything else.” she shared.

The couple described how The Undertaker had experienced unusual breathlessness, first brushed off as fatigue from light activity.

"Yeah, you came in a few times out of breath and I'd give you a hard time like, 'Dude, you were just throwing the ball with the dog, why are you so out of breath?' Or going up the stairs to pray with the kids, 'Why are you out of breath', not thinking it was an actual heart issue. So, yeah. Medicines didn't work and we ended up in the ER " shared McCool

But the symptoms worsened, and a hospital visit revealed troubling numbers.

"We went to the hospital, numbers were out of whack. Heartbeat was out of whack. Your ejection fraction of how the blood was pumping was 30%, it wasn't much. Supposed to be 100%, obviously. We ended up staying in the hospital for four nights where they actually had to cardiovert you and shock you back to a normal rhythm. That sadly lasted, what, 24 hours. Maybe 48. After four days we go home, two days later you're back in AFib. Man I was stressed." shared Michelle.

Despite the stressful experience, the couple confirmed that the issue has now been resolved.

Undertaker reveals physical toll wrestling took on his body

The physical toll of Mark Calaway’s career has long been known, but a 2020 interview with The Guardian laid it bare in his own words.

“There’s not a day I wake up something doesn’t hurt, I’ve already got metal in my hips; I’ll walk with a limp for ever; the range of motion of my head is not what it was,” the man behind The Undertaker shared.

For Calaway, the cost of staying in the ring extended well beyond missed opportunities outside of wrestling. Pointing to years of punishment taken by his body in the name of entertainment, The Undertaker shared:

“It’s really physical work, the human body isn’t made to take what we do on a nightly basis,”

His iconic finisher, the Tombstone Piledriver, summed up the brutality:

“I pick someone up, and with all their weight and mine jump down straight on to my knees.”

And while the action may be scripted, Calaway emphasized that the physical wear was all too real.

“One day, both his knees will need replacing,” the piece noted.

Still, there was no regret in his voice.

“I don’t say this for sympathy, I chose my path and wouldn’t change it, even with all the metal I have in my body today,” he added.