Latest news with #MichelleMcCool
News.com.au
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
The Undertaker reveals ‘terrifying' heart condition he never knew he had
WWE legend The Undertaker has bravely opened up about how a lifesaving heart operation helped him escape death. The Hall of Fame wrestler, whose real name is Mark Calaway, retired back in 2020 after one of the most legendary careers in sport's entertainment. He was a staple piece of WWE for decades and has since continued to give back through his Six Feet Under podcast and ambassadorial role for the company. In the weeks leading up to the WrestleMania 41 weekend in April, Calaway was quietly battling something far more real than the on-screen storylines of the wrestling world. According to his wife Michelle McCool, the warning signs began in March, when routine cardiac tests flagged something off with her husband's heart, The Sun reports. Follow-up checks revealed Taker had likely been in chronic atrial fibrillation (AFib) for an unknown length of time. The 60-year-old had no noticeable symptoms beyond occasional breathlessness — something he'd chalked up to nothing serious. He was eventually hospitalised for four nights with an ejection fraction (a measure of how much blood the heart pumps with each beat) of just 30 per cent — a dangerously low number for a man of his size and age. And yet, even with his heart rate unstable, Taker insisted on going to WrestleMania two weeks later, to be there for McCool's Hall of Fame induction — and to induct her personally. McCool, a two-time WWE Women's Champion, said on the Six Feet Under podcast: 'You weren't supposed to go anywhere. You didn't want me to tell anybody. 'That's that old school mentality. I'm not mad at it — because I'd probably be the same patient — but it was terrifying. 'The next morning after returning home from WrestleMania, we were in the hospital in Las Vegas at 6am for a little bit of heart surgery.' Taker, whose older brother died from a heart attack in 2020, then begrudging admitted: 'I wasn't supposed to go to Vegas.' McCool, who is Taker's third wife, added: 'You didn't want me to tell anybody. I couldn't focus on anything else. 'All I wanted to focus on was you, your heart, getting the best cardiologists, a lot of phone calls, several nights in the hospital. And by the grace of God, you are here. 'But out of the words of the doctor himself 'it could have turned out badly if we had not found out that very day'.' Taker then coyly joked: 'Yeah, well now I'm as strong as a Bull.' Before McCool, who is 15 years his junior, joked back: 'And thankfully you can still pretend that you're a dead man. Because I saved your life.'
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
WWE legend The Undertaker reveals he had secret heart operation after WrestleMania and recalls doctor's chilling words
WWE legend The Undertaker has bravely opened up about how a life-saving heart operation helped him escape death. The Hall of Fame wrestler, whose real name is Mark Calaway, retired back in 2020 after one of the most legendary careers in sport's entertainment. 5 5 5 He was a staple piece of WWE for decades and has since continued to give back through his Six Feet Under podcast and ambassadorial role for the company. In the weeks leading up to the WrestleMania 41 weekend in April, Calaway was quietly battling something far more real than the on-screen story-lines of the wrestling world. According to his wife Michelle McCool, the warning signs began in March, when routine cardiac tests flagged something off with her husband's heart. Follow-up checks revealed Taker had likely been in chronic atrial fibrillation (AFib) for an unknown length of time. The 60-year-old had no noticeable symptoms beyond occasional breathlessness — something he'd chalked up to nothing serious. He was eventually hospitalised for four nights with an ejection fraction (a measure of how much blood the heart pumps with each beat) of just 30 per cent — a dangerously low number for a man of his size and age. And yet, even with his heart rate unstable, Taker insisted on going to WrestleMania two weeks later, to be there for McCool's Hall of Fame induction — and to induct her personally. McCool, a two-time WWE Women's Champion, said on the Six Feet Under podcast: "You weren't supposed to go anywhere. You didn't want me to tell anybody. 'That's that old school mentality. I'm not mad at it — because I'd probably be the same patient — but it was terrifying. 'The next morning after returning home from WrestleMania, we were in the hospital in Las Vegas at 6am for a little bit of heart surgery." Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker left stunned by 'savage' crowd reaction at WWE Money in the Bank Taker, whose older brother died from a heart attack in 2020, then begrudging admitted: "I wasn't supposed to go to Vegas." McCool, who is Taker's third wife, added: "You didn't want me to tell anybody. I couldn't focus on anything else. "All I wanted to focus on was you, your heart, getting the best cardiologists, a lot of phone calls, several nights in the hospital. And by the grace of God, you are here. "But out of the words of the doctor himself 'it could have turned out badly if we had not found out that very day'." Taker then coyly joked: "Yeah, well now I'm as strong as a Bull." Before McCool, who is 15 years his junior, joked back: "And thankfully you can still pretend that you're a dead man. Because I saved your life." 5 5
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
WWE legend The Undertaker forced to have emergency heart surgery as wife Michelle McCool reveals 'terrifying' ordeal
WWE legend The Undertaker was forced to undergone heart surgery just days after Wrestlemania earlier this year. The Undertaker, whose real name is Mark Calaway, retired back in 2020 after one of the most legendary careers in sports entertainment. He had been a staple piece of WWE for a number of decades and has since continued to give back to WWE through his Six Feet Under podcast and working in an ambassadorial role for the company. Speaking on the podcast, his wife Michelle McCool admitted she had been emotional during her own WWE Hall of Fame induction in April. The Undertaker had inducted McCool into the Hall of Fame as part of Wrestlemania 41. McCool admitted she had been emotional due to her husband's heart problems, which she labelled 'terrifying', adding that he had undergone surgery the day after they had returned from Las Vegas. 'I felt that when people would come up to congratulate me and ask how I was doing, I was almost in tears. I would say I'm okay, but they could tell I wasn't,' McCool said. 'They thought it was probably just because of the speech, but it was because of the heart issues you had been having weeks prior, which we found out by the grace of God. 'It ended up being terrifying, the day we got home from WrestleMania, the next morning at 6 a.m., we were at the hospital for heart surgery.' The Undertaker then admitted 'I wasn't supposed to go to Vegas.' 'You weren't supposed to go anywhere,' McCool responded. 'We were in the hospital for four nights, two weeks before WrestleMania. Yeah, you weren't supposed to go. That's that old school mentality. 'I'm not mad at it, because I'd probably be the same patient, but it was terrifying. I couldn't focus on anything else. All I wanted to focus on was you, your heart, getting you in with the best cardiologist, which we eventually did.' McCool explained that routine tests in March had flagged problems with his heart, with follow-up checks revealed he had likely been in chronic atrial fibrillation (AFib) – a heart rhythm problem - for some time. He underwent surgery to correct heart problems after suffering from chronic atrial fibrillation The Undertaker's only symptoms had been an occasional breathlessness. McCool added that the Undertaker had spent four nights in hospital with an ejection fraction – the measure of blood the heart pumps per beat – of just 30 per cent. He again suffered from AFib after returning home from hospital, leading him to be readmitted two days later. McCool added that her husband's heart problems have been resolved following surgery.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The morning after WWE WrestleMania 41 took a serious turn for The Undertaker
Image via WWE The Undertaker did not have the best mornings right after the grand spectacle, WrestleMania 41. The Undertaker has left one of the most incredible legacies in WWE history and continues to serve with the company in a non-wrestling capacity. The Demon from Death Valley is often seen at major events behind the scenes and even takes part during those festivities with special appearances and his own one-man show, the 1deadMAN show. He was present in Las Vegas for the entire WrestleMania 41 festivities. However, it was the morning after The Show of Shows that things got a little serious regarding his health. What happened with The Undertaker on the morning after WrestleMania 41? In a conversation on his Six Feet Under podcast, his wife, WWE Hall of Famer Michelle McCool, revealed that five weeks heading into WrestleMania 41, her only focus was The Undertaker, who was not doing well. She said, 'The five weeks leading up to the Hall of Fame and then WrestleMania… you know what I'm talking about. I couldn't focus on anything else except my dear husband. That was a rough five weeks." McCool revealed that she was very worried from the inside and concerned about her husband's health, who was facing heart issues, that she was not able to enjoy her WWE Hall of Fame induction that took place. She also added that the morning after WrestleMania 41, The Phenom underwent surgery for his heart condition. She said, When people came up to me to congratulate me and asked how I was doing, I was almost in tears. I'd say 'I'm okay,' but they could tell I wasn't. They thought it was because of the speech, but it was really because of the heart issues you were having just weeks earlier. We found out by the grace of God—it was a total God thing—but it was terrifying. And the day we got back from WrestleMania, the very next morning at 6 AM, we were in the hospital for a bit of heart surgery.' Undertaker and Michelle McCool reveal his health scare & current WWE favorites | Six Feet Under Despite dealing with a serious health scare, The Undertaker made it to all his scheduled appearances, including the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to induct his wife. It shows the love and passion Taker has for the business even today. At the same time, it also gives a glimpse of the love he has for Michelle McCool, who took her rightful place in history in Las Vegas this year. Also read: John Cena vs Randy Orton: Who dominates the Net Worth battle iconic WWE rivals?
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelle McCool left 'speechless' after WWE Hall of Fame news
Michelle McCool says she was "speechless" after learning she's a WWE 2025 Hall of Fame inductee. McCool, who's also married to wrestling icon The Undertaker, appears with him on the new A&E show "WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats)." (Feb. 25) (AP interview and production by Gary Gerard Hamilton)
