Undertaker On How Lack Of Crowd Made Retiring Easier
The Undertaker reflected on his November 2020 retirement and discussed how special it will be to have fans at his Hall of Fame induction.
Arguably one of the most influential men to ever set foot inside a wrestling ring, The Undertaker officially retired from WWE competition in November 2020, exactly 30 years after making his debut at Survivor Series in 1990.
The farewell ceremony included a hologram of The Deadman’s long time manager and kayfabe father Paul Bearer, who sadly passed away in 2013. Fans were touched by the image of Paul Bearer holding the iconic urn one more time, even if they weren’t in the arena to see it happen.
Speaking to CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Undertaker compared his retirement to his upcoming Hall of Fame induction and spoke about how he feels knowing fans will be in the crowd to celebrate with him.
“The short answer is extremely special. The long answer is it’s extremely nerve-wracking. I’ve wrestled in front of 100,000-plus crowds [and] not bat an eye about it. I can get in front of thousands and thousands of people as The Undertaker and cut a promo on somebody. I don’t think twice about it.
“But what’s going to happen at the Hall of Fame is, yes, you’re going to get a kind of a retrospective of The Undertaker and his 30-plus years with the company, but you’re going to get a look behind the curtain at Mark Calaway. What all of those things that people have been so attached to for all those years, you’re going to find out what those things have meant to me personally.
Undertaker went on to say that retiring in the Thunderdome was actually easy compared to trying to keep his composure in front of fans who’ve supported him throughout his entire career, but he’s still excited to share the moment.
“The retirement was during the pandemic and it was what it was. That was easy. I mean, it was hard for me to say that I’m retiring, but it was easy because there was nobody there. Now I’m going to be making eye contact with 15,000 to 20,000 people and try to keep my composure. There are going to be some emotional moments, I’m sure.
“At this point, I’m extremely honored that I’m being inducted. I’m honored and I’m excited to be able to share some things with the fans who have been with me all these years. It’s really exciting.”
The Undertaker’s final match also took place in front of zero fans when he fought AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36. The first of two cinematic matches filmed for that WrestleMania, the Undertaker and AJ Styles fought around a Boneyard compound and saw the return of Undertaker’s motorcycle. Despite interference from AJ Styles’ friends The Club, The American Badass was victorious in his final bout.
Vince McMahon is set to personally induct The Undertaker into the Hall of Fame in Dallas. The Steiner Brothers are the most recent entrants to be revealed for the Class of 2022 that will also include Queen Sharmell and Vader.