WWE Rumors: This Year’s ‘WrestleMania’ Will Be The Retirement Match For The Undertaker
When The Undertaker didn’t show up at the Royal Rumble, everyone wondered about it, but then let it go. He was expected back a week or two later, at least by Fastlane. Finally, he showed up a couple of weeks later on Monday Night Raw after learning that he would face Shane McMahon inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 32.
Now, Vince McMahon has put a very interesting stipulation on things, so could this really be the last WrestleMania and a retirement match for The Undertaker?
In an odd twist, it was Vince McMahon who put his son in harm’s way by pitting him against “The Deadman” at WrestleMania. Making things even bigger is that he put Shane-O-Mac into the demonic Hell in a Cell structure, which is even more dangerous.
If Shane wins, he gets control of Monday Night Raw and essentially has control of WWE. If The Undertaker wins, he doesn’t really get anything.
Now, if The Undertaker wins, he doesn’t really get much of anything but keeps his WrestleMania record with just one blemish. If he loses, then it could be something much bigger for the man who has made a career of winning at the biggest wrestling event every single year.
On Monday Night Raw, Vince McMahon made a huge announcement as recapped by WWE.com, and it had to do with The Undertaker.
McMahon put Shane McMahon in a match with The Undertaker because he figured his son could never beat the phenom. Well, to put a little extra fire underneath his hired gun, Vince announced that if The Undertaker doesn’t win, he will never wrestle at WrestleMania again.
“If there were some sort of a miracle of some kind and Shane were actually to win his match, it means that Shane McMahon would be running ‘Monday Night Raw.’ And it means that in all likelihood my son-in-law and my daughter would probably quit the business. Even more unfortunate, it means that you’ve probably seen the last of me.
“Will Undertaker defeat Shane? Well he damn well better. If Undertaker does not defeat Shane then this WrestleMania will be The Undertaker’s last.”
This now has people wondering if The Undertaker’s final match ever is taking place in less than two weeks.
The match on April 3 is in Dallas, so The Undertaker will be wrestling in his home state of Texas before all of his closest fans. It’s not very likely that WWE would ever give a stipulation of a flat-out “Retirement Match” like others get, so it could keep the spectacle of The Undertaker.
Many have wondered when The Undertaker would officially wrestle his final match, and now, that may be known.
The International Business Times reports that it’s hard to believe the 51-year-old Undertaker will end his career with a match against Shane McMahon, but that wasn’t the original plan. WWE has originally planned for The Undertaker to face John Cena or even possibly Sting at WrestleMania 32.
Both of those superstars are out due to injury, but either certainly would have been a big way to go out and end a career. Sting still wants the match with The Undertaker and doesn’t quite feel his career is done yet.
Still, if The Undertaker is done, then he’s done. The streak ended a couple of years ago. He’s wrestled at every WrestleMania since 1991 except for 1994 and 2000. He’s done every single thing a superstar can possibly do, and he’s an icon in wrestling.
Not being able to wrestle at WrestleMania ever again may end things for him. That’s one of the only times he appears every single year, and taking that away could be a career killer.
When Undertaker is seen in fan pics when he’s not on WWE television, he is looking old and frail. Sure, he’s still in great shape and working out, so how he looks at random times in fan photos really means nothing. Perhaps he is just done.
The Undertaker will be taking on Shane McMahon inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 32, and it is taking place in his home state. There is speculation that it is the end, and Vince McMahon may have just added a “Retirement Match” stipulation without actually calling it that.
[Image via WWE]
