I was an amazon compared to my classmates. As much as I tried to make friends, I always seemed to be singled out by my peers to be someone to pick on. I was at least half a foot taller, if not more, than everyone else. I was not only ridiculed, but often times ganged up by others as well. I watched the WWF to get my mind off of things. November of 1990 was when I first saw him. I did not see the actual match on the Pay Per View (I was too young to get it), however, I saw him on the show the day following the Pay Per View. I saw someone just like me. He was not liked by others, he was huge compared to all the others, he (at least in my eyes) seemed to be misunderstood and for some features even looked like me. Being at a rather impressionable age, I took to him as a brother, best friend, and as someone I wanted to be like with all my heart. It did not matter to him who got in his way. He just never cared about what others thought about him. He was his own person expressing who he was. I really did not think it was wrong to represent death, because death was not really an evil thing. However, people thought differently than I did.

As time passed, and I got older, The Undertaker turned into a hero character for everyone by joining the �good guys�, however his deathly attitude and dark personality still stayed. I was halfway glad that he did. It was near then that my dear grandpa died. I was crushed and I was flown to Chicago for the funeral. Papa had lived with us so long, my soul seemed to be ripped to pieces. I was in a separate room for the wake. I could not stand seeing my papa dead� not for a moment. I thought if I pretended I might feel better. I thought about The Undertaker and his message:

�Without death� you see there can not be life.� ~ The Undertaker I finally took a peek from the room at my papa. He lay there in the coffin surrounded by multiple flowers, but� at peace. Just like as if he was asleep and happy. I did not cry for the rest of the funeral.

It is many times when myth overshadows the true man behind it. Sometimes it is better that way. The Undertaker is played by Mark Calloway, however, it is his very own heart and soul that has made the �spirit� of The Undertaker last for as long as it has. While not always a �hero� in the storyline, the concept of accepting the darkness and dealing with it in our own way is the main theme of what The Undertaker is about. For this reason, he continues to be a main role model for my life, even in my teen years. He will most likely stay a hero until I am an adult. One day, I hope to meet the man behind The Undertaker. I would tell him how, by merely playing a part so well, that he has given much hope to me for the future.

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