The Rumor Mill and Respect for the Man

Things started flaring up on a few message boards after the announcement that Mark Calaway's wife is going to have another baby. This announcement was made by someone who is supposed to be the president of his official fan club, my opinion of which is discussed further down this piece and topic of another opinion piece. And, another rumor that made the rounds was that he's getting married in July which is one that turned out to be true.

People are going to want to believe what they want to believe, and it wasn't needed to spend countless time being on the offensive and defensive sides of the argument. And, who gives a shit? If you only liked the Undertaker because you thought the man behind the character was single, then you're not a true fan. Plus, the Internet isn't exactly the greatest source of legitimate information, either. I take what rumors I find on the 'net with a grain of salt. On there, you can be anyone you want to be and say anything you want to, due to having a certain degree of anonymity.

The man gives us the Undertaker; what he does off camera and out of the arena is his business, not ours. As all true Undertaker fans know, the man behind the character likes to keep his personal life just that- personal. He is cloaked in mystery, and it should stay that way. He's done a damn fine job of separating his wrestling existence and personal life. That I respect him for, because he's one of the few who still believe in that old-school using of kayfabe. He's the King of Kayfabe, so to speak. I think it's a great thing to separate the man and character into two different entities, because it's such a lost art anymore. And, he's given us nearly 15 years in the wrestling business, and 10 of those spent as The Undertaker. I don't know about the rest of you, but that's enough for me. I'm a fan of The Undertaker and respect Mark Calaway for doing what he does. And, that's where I draw the line.

Regarding the baby rumor, I find it completely unusual that a man, who has guarded his personal life incredibly well for many, many years, would suddenly start spewing out personal information such as that through a mouthpiece. And, the argument over this situation brought many people into the fold, including those who are totally against bringing any aspect of Calaway's personal life into public view, those tired of all the rumor bullshit that pollutes the Internet, and those who might not want to believe that's the man's married. And, having factions such as that is like bringing weather fronts together; it can cause a major storm.

And, I'm not done yet. There will still be people out there who feel that if you're in the public eye, you give up all rights to a personal life. I strongly disagree with that, and find it completely disturbing that, from what I've heard, people have gone as far as to try and run background checks on him and stalking him. And, people wonder why a guy as big as him would need a bodyguard. Now, just for a minute, put yourself in his place. Would you feel safe knowing that people are trying to dig up personal information on you when you attempt to keep things such as that away from the public, for your own safety, and those of your loved ones? I doubt you would.