SUMMARY
- In 2020, The Undertaker took his retirement from the ring.
- However, he was not able to deal with his retirement.
Mark William Calaway, popularly known as The Undertaker, is a famous personality in the world of pro wrestling. He thoroughly entertained the fans as a member of the WWE roster for several years. Apart from that, his portrayal of various gimmicks was extremely adored by the fans.
Not to mention, The Undertaker has been a key figure in the Stamford-based promotion. Throughout his tenure, he participated in various storylines and headlined numerous pay-per-view events. With that, he has gained immense popularity among the fans.
However, it is worth mentioning that The Deadman has taken his retirement from the squared circle. His last match took place at WrestleMania 36. At the Premium Live Event, Taker fought against AJ Styles in a ‘Boneyard match’. During this, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson came to Styles’ aid; however, The Deadman defeated him and scored his 25th WrestleMania victory.
Meanwhile, several years have passed since then, and the beloved fans of The Undertaker are always eager to know more about him. In the meantime, The Deadman previously made an honest confession about retirement, which highlights the dark side of professional wrestling.
The Undertaker commented on not being able to deal with retirement
It’s been years since The Undertaker decided to hang up his boots once and for all. However, he previously opened up about his struggles with retirement. Earlier, Taker appeared for a conversation on his Six Feet Under podcast. During that, he answered some questions from the fans, and he has also commented on not being able to deal with retirement.
Taker said that he knew that his time to retire had come, but he wasn’t ready. He added that he knew that his body would not be able to deliver what his mind and his heart wanted to give the fans. He further added that his retirement from the ring left a “huge void” that he was unable to refill.
The Deadman went ahead and said that he took his retirement from the ring in 2020; however, he still finds himself “struggling.” He further talked about his struggles with watching WWE events. Taker said that he had to leave WWE events several times because he had the desire to step into the ring after watching others perform.
The Undertaker expressed still facing the struggle of not being an in-ring performer anymore, 4 years removed from retirement, stating that for a lot of times he’d be (visiting) in the venue for WWE events, he’d have to end up leaving because there’s that thing in him that’s… pic.twitter.com/VxRAY4fBtR
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) March 14, 2024
He said it’s tough for him, and he has been trying to accept it. Taker added that he had not so long ago told his wife that he was willing to make a comeback. However, the WWE legend mentioned that he had talked himself out of it and felt comfortable after saying it. But his fans shouldn’t expect him to return to the ring.
Finally, The Deadman clearly mentioned that there’s “not one more match.” Thus, it seems that though several years have passed since Taker announced his retirement, he is unable to come to terms with it. No wonder he had expressed his desire to make a comeback. While The Deadman mentioned that it’s not possible, it is to be seen if he will ever change his mind.
Undertaker has been attached to wrestling for over three decades
The Undertaker previously stepped foot into the world of professional wrestling in 1987. He wrestled his first match for World Class Championship Wrestling on June 26, 1987. Thereafter, he joined the Continental Wrestling Association in 1988 and wrestled under various gimmicks.
Moving ahead, Taker became a part of World Championship Wrestling in 1989. He then participated in various feuds and gradually rose to prominence. Thereafter, The Deadman signed a contract with WWF/WWE in 1990 and rose to fame with ‘The Undertaker’ gimmick.
Later, Taker introduced ‘The American Badass’ persona, which became extremely popular with the fans. Not to mention, The Deadman also teamed up with his storyline half-brother Kane as the Brothers of Destruction. However, after being a part of WWE for 30 years, he announced his retirement in 2020.
Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that throughout his career, Taker has bagged several championships to his name. This includes winning the WWF/WWE Championship four times, the World Heavyweight Championship three times, and more. Also, he has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
In addition to that, although The Deadman has taken his retirement from the ring back in 2020, he still makes sporadic appearances in WWE. He previously appeared on the 30th anniversary special episode of WWE RAW in January 2023. Thereafter, he also made an appearance on NXT in October 2023, much to the surprise of the fans.
Thus, it can be understood that the WWE Hall of Famer has been attached to professional wrestling for over three decades. With that, his fans will now look forward to more appearances from The Deadman in the largest wrestling promotion in the world.
Why do wrestlers struggle to let go of their physical prime and addiction to fame?
The Undertaker announced his retirement almost four years ago. However, he is still struggling to come to terms with his retirement. Similarly, several other wrestlers also struggle to let go of their physical prime and addiction to fame.
There are several wrestlers who have initially announced their retirement but have eventually made a comeback. Some of them include Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, and more. It seems many wrestlers struggle with retirement.
It might be attributed to the fact that these wrestlers have given several years of their lives to the world of pro wrestling. Meanwhile, as they grow older, they lack the physical prowess they once had, and thus they struggle to let go of their physical prime.
On the other hand, along with life inside the squared circle comes a lot of fame. However, once a wrestler takes retirement, they struggle with the lack of constant fame.
Apart from that, there might be several other reasons why wrestlers struggle with their retirement phase. One of those might be financial reasons. Since, during their time inside the ring, they used to receive a hefty amount, it might become difficult to lead an extravagant life after retirement.
Meanwhile, it is also worth mentioning that, after being in the limelight for several years, it indeed becomes hard for a superstar to let go of that. Thus, all the post-retirement struggles come into the spotlight. This also becomes the reason wrestlers keep coming back from their retirement. It remains to be seen which other former pro wrestling stars will decide to come out of their monotonous lives.