WWE's Mick Foley Was Unsure About The Undertaker Documentary, Until He Saw The First Episode

Within wrestling, no character has remained more of a mystery than The Undertaker. Since debuting nearly 30 years ago at Survivor Series in 1990, the curtain has never been pulled back on the man behind The Deadman, until now. WWE Network's docuseries Undertaker: The Last Ride peels away the mystique of the character to follow the man behind the iconic trench coat and hat, Mark Calaway.

While fans may are very excited to learn more about Calaway as a person and wrestler, some wrestlers weren't sure if this was a good idea. "Prior to watching it, I was a little concerned because the mystique of that character has always been held so closely, tightly to the vest, but I knew that it was something that Mark wanted to do," WWE hall of famer Mick Foley told GameSpot. "I knew that it was something the company was really excited about. As soon as I saw the first five minutes, I realized it was a really intriguing look at the end of a remarkable career."

The idea of "protecting a character" is more of a notion from the wrestling's past, as you want the audience to believe that person in the ring is the same outside of the ring. The Undertaker was one of the last mysterious characters in wrestling. He was someone that didn't discuss much about his home life or speak in his normal voice, which has a Texas accent and is almost surreal to hear at first.

"With his career really coming down to an end, the decision was made to pull back the curtain and let the WWE Universe have a look," Foley said. "It's not a decision I would have agreed with going in, but now that I've seen the first episode, I believe, [The Last Ride is] a fascinating look and people deserve to see the man behind the curtain."

However, after learning more about who Mark Calaway is, everyone quickly realizes how much pain he was in. He sacrificed himself to put on a good show. "I think all of us went out of our way to protect that character," Foley continued. "I do live shows, and I speak almost reverentially about the Undertaker character. I guess I didn't know the extent of the pain he was in or the extent of how serious a concussion he suffered against Brock Lesnar was. I was finding out things as the audience did."

In his review of the first episode of Undertaker: The Last Ride, GameSpot's Chris E. Hayner said, "I can't recommend Undertaker: The Last Ride enough. Based on the first episode alone, this is WWE at its best and the honesty with which Calaway speaks about the ups and downs of his career is a refreshing reality check that often goes unseen in the over-the-top world of sports entertainment."

Chapter 1 is available to watch on the WWE Network right now. You can currently try the streaming service for one month free, and after that the WWE Network costs $10 a month.

The official synopsis for Chapter 2 reads, "The Undertaker’s greatest fear is realized as his disappointing performance against Roman Reigns during WrestleMania 33 fuels the Dead Man to rebuild and redeem himself in a match against John Cena at WrestleMania 34. Fans will get a glimpse into how he got ready for that match, his hip replacement surgery in 2017, and why that was both a blessing and a curse, a meeting with Vince McMahon at WWE headquarters regarding his future and much more." Chapter 2 of The Last Ride will air on the network on Sunday, May 17 at 8 AM PT / 10 AM ET.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.