Ahead of his “Final Farewell” celebration scheduled for this month, WWE legend The Undertaker further emphasized his retirement as a pro wrestler. Back in June, The Undertaker had seemingly announced his retirement in an episode of WWE’s documentary series Undertaker: The Last Ride, suggesting that the cinematic-style match he had with A.J. Styles at WrestleMania 36 serves as a perfect bookend to a 30-year career. Now, in a new interview with the New York Post, the Deadman confirms he has no desire to return to the ring.
“I realized I have taken every physical gift, tool that I have and have used it up,” the seven-time world heavyweight champion tells the publication. “There’s no water left in the sponge, if I can use that analogy. I’ve rung everything I could get out of that sponge.”
Cinematic matches like the “boneyard match” between The Undertaker and A.J. Styles could potentially extend the wrestler’s career, as these kinds of matches take less of a toll on the human body compared to constant bumps inside the wrestling ring. The Undertaker admits he could have definitely participated in more of these matches, but feeling that this would be “cheating,” he also says he’s not interested in ever doing another cinematic-style match.
“It really doesn’t appeal to me because basically what it is, is working around my limitations,” said The Undertaker. “It’s capitalizing on some of my ability and some of my creative ability to tell a story but basically it’s trying to mask some of the lack of my physical abilities at this point.”
Thirty years to the day The Undertaker made his debut in WWE, he will be making his exit. In a business that sees wrestlers frequently switching wrestling organizations or territories, The Undertaker’s career is significant in that he remained very loyal to WWE as the longest-tenured wrestler in the company. The wrestler first appeared at the Survivor Series pay-per-view on Nov. 22, 1990, revealed as the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team. This year’s Survivor Series is also scheduled for Nov. 22, and the show will feature a “Final Farewell” celebration to honor The Undertaker. The event can be viewed on the WWE Network.
Even if The Undertaker opts not to compete inside of the squared circle anymore, that doesn’t mean fans won’t be treated to an occasional appearance from the character. Just recently, the Deadman returned in full gear for a special appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing his Tombstone piledriver finishing maneuver to a lifeless scarecrow. Chances are, he may continue to make the odd appearance on WWE programming for some time to come, even if he isn’t booked in any matches on the card.
Amid his professional retirement, The Undertaker has also been opening up a lot more about his personal life. In years past, he would always stay in character outside of the arena to keep the spirit of The Undertaker mysterious. New video and print interviews with the man behind the character, Mark Calaway, have seen the world-famous wrestler speaking much more openly and candidly about his experiences in the wrestling business. This news comes to us from the New York Post.
