Who are The Undertaker’s closest friends in the wrestling world? The clearest firsthand accounts point to Kane performer Glenn Jacobs, Shawn Michaels, and Mick Foley, alongside the Bone Street Krew (BSK), a locker-room group associated with Undertaker. The available interviews document these relationships, but do not establish a definitive list or ranking of 15 closest friends. This is a sourced selection, not a top-15 countdown.
Glenn Jacobs (Kane): a friendship that began with advice
Mark Calaway, who performed as The Undertaker, and Glenn Jacobs, later known as Kane, became friends in 1996, when Jacobs was working as Isaac Yankem, DDS. Jacobs told Sports Illustrated that after a frustrating match, Calaway offered him advice. Jacobs used it as motivation, and said their friendship grew over the decades that followed.
Their characters were presented as storyline brothers; that scripted relationship is separate from Jacobs’s account of their real-life friendship. Calaway later expressed a high level of professional trust in Jacobs. In a 2024 report quoting his Six Feet Under podcast, Calaway said, “If I was to start a wrestling company on my own and I had to pick my first guy, I would pick Kane.” PWMania reported the remark alongside Calaway’s praise of Jacobs’s talent, professionalism, durability, and leadership.
Shawn Michaels: friction gave way to friendship
Michaels described the relationship as one that developed over time, not an instant bond. In a 2020 Sports Illustrated interview, he said they initially had friction, but did not point to a particular incident as the cause. He also spoke of mutual respect and strong in-ring chemistry.
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By the time they worked together again later in their careers, Michaels said their relationship had become a real friendship beyond wrestling. Reflecting on their 2018 match in Saudi Arabia, he described being in the ring with “my buddy” and with his friends one last time. In a separate 2015 interview excerpt, Michaels said they had not necessarily been friends or spent time together earlier in their careers, but later developed a friendship extending beyond the business.
Mick Foley: an early friendship before the famous matches
Foley recalled meeting Calaway during Foley’s early WCW run in 1990. Speaking to Sporting News, Foley said, “But we hit it off right away. I developed a good friendship with him.” He described driving and traveling together, including trips to different countries, and sharing rooms.
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That early personal connection is distinct from their later professional history. Foley also credited Undertaker’s willingness to work with his Mankind character as important to his own WWE career; their well-known matches and storylines were part of that work, not the sole evidence of their friendship.
Bone Street Krew: a locker-room circle, not a verified friends ranking
The Bone Street Krew was a 1990s locker-room group. WWE’s oral history gathers recollections from people associated with it, offering a picture of the group’s social history. Those accounts do not establish that every member or associate was among Undertaker’s closest personal friends.
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The recollections also complicate a simple origin story. Godfather disputed the popular claim that Undertaker started the group and credited Yokozuna with initiating the BSK name and call. That is Godfather’s account, rather than a definitive independent finding. Michaels also recalled that Undertaker disapproved of some of his behavior, while describing their later friendship as special: “To have the friendship that we have now is extra special.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why there is no reliable list of 15
The accounts above support several genuine friendships and a broader circle of wrestling associates, but they do not verify 15 individuals as Undertaker’s closest friends or rank those relationships. A famous opponent, strong match chemistry, on-screen family tie, or membership in a locker-room group is not by itself proof of a close off-screen friendship. The most careful answer is to name the relationships that people involved have described directly and leave the rest unranked.
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