Billed as the 'Undertaker' by the WWE, Mark Calaway, confirmed his retirement by stating that he was done with wrestling during the final episode of his docuseries “Undertaker: The Last Ride,” saying he is content not stepping in the ring again.
“Never say never, but at this point in my life and in my career, I have no desire to get back in the ring. I’m at a point, it’s time this cowboy really rides away,” he said during the fifth and final episode of the docuseries. “There’s nothing left for me to conquer. There’s nothing left for me to accomplish. The game has changed. It’s time for new guys to come up. The time just seems right. I think this documentary has helped me discover that. It’s really opened my eyes to the bigger picture.”
WWE made Undertaker's retirement announcement official by tweeting out a graphic of 'The Deadman' along with a very simple caption: “#ThankYouTaker for…” The graphic WWE included showed glimpses throughout The Undertaker’s legendary career.
The news of Undertaker's retirement created a freenzy among his die hard fans who have closely watch and followed his career which saw the Phenom achieve unprecedented popularity and attain a demi-god status in the WWE. Obviously, it is sad to see The Undertaker retire, but they are also very appreciative of what he gave to them during his career.
The Last Ride docuseries was a rare peak into the Undertaker’s real-life persona, as Calaway decided to allow fans a good glance into “the last few stages” of his wrestling career. If this is indeed time, Undertaker’s Boneyard match against AJ Styles will go down as the last of his career.
However, it will have to be very closely followed as to whether the Undertaker sticks to his decision of retirement. Calaway has teased retirement a few times earlier in his career but often said that he wanted to achieve a bit more in a career which saw him achieve lofty heights. “If there was ever a perfect ending to a career, that right there was it. If [WWE Chairman] Vince [McMahon] was in a pinch, would I come back? I guess time will only tell there. In case of emergency, break glass, you pull out The Undertaker. I would have to consider that,” he said.
Undertaker explained the plot going into his Boneyard match with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, revealing the Phenomenal One reached out to him regarding a match. It had stemmed from Taker saying on the Broken Skull Sessions podcast with WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin that he wanted to go out on his own terms.