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The Undertaker Requested To Have Jim Ross Announce His Final ‘WrestleMania’ Match

By Andy Slawecki
Published on: 02:31 PST, Apr 3, 2017

The Undertaker seemingly put a bow on his professional wrestling career Sunday night at WrestleMania. After weeks of speculation about whether the Undertaker-Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg, or Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt matches would headline the big show, fans finally got an answer more than six hours into the evening. As the Inquisitr reported as “probable” on Friday turned out to be the case as the Undertaker and Reigns closed out WrestleMania 33.

As a matter of fact, the WWE Championship and Universal Championship matches were booked back-to-back, prior to the SmackDown Women’s title match and the main event between the Undertaker and Reigns. It marked Reigns’ third consecutive (and overall) WrestleMania main event, while the Undertaker closed a ‘Mania for the fourth time in his 25 WrestleMania appearances.

It wasn’t built as such, but before the match got underway, it was announced that the match between the Undertaker and Roman Reigns would be a No Holds Barred match. The spot on the card and the new stipulation further fueled speculation that this would be the Undertaker’s final bout. It was cemented afterward when the Undertaker left his hat, jacket, and gloves in the middle of the ring and walked off into the night right as it reached midnight in the east.

Throughout the night, the WWE Universe was treated to several surprises and special moments, which wasn’t restricted to things just inside the ring. As advertised, Al Roker of NBC fame was the special guest ring announcer for the mixed tag match between John Cena and Nikki Bella and The Miz and Maryse. But also, the WWE brought in Jerry “The King” Lawler to help call the action alongside JBL and Tom Phillips.

As if that weren’t enough, the WWE brought in Jim Ross to work with Michael Cole and JBL for the main event bout between the Undertaker and Roman Reigns. It had been known for several days that J.R. was going to return in some capacity for WrestleMania, but it wasn’t totally confirmed which match he’d call until he came down the ramp to the Oklahoma fight song.

Some had speculated that Ross was being brought back to call the Universal Championship bout between Lesnar and Goldberg. After all, he was on the mic for their first WrestleMania encounter back in 2004 right before both superstars infamously walked away from the WWE. However, 13 years later, the RAW announce team was kept intact, and J.R. had the honor of calling the Undertaker’s last ride.

According to a new report from Sportskeeda, that’s because the Undertaker personally requested Jim Ross be at the announce table for his match with Roman Reigns. The last time J.R. called an Undertaker match was in 2012 when the Deadman battled Triple H inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 28. The match, which also featured Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee, was billed as the “End of an Era” and Ross returned to the booth for the occasion.

The Undertaker, as it happened, would continue performing, albeit on a part-time basis, for five more years before seemingly calling it a career Sunday night. J.R. had a plethora of commitments over WrestleMania weekend, capped off by the most memorable of all. Many wondered whether he would appear in Orlando at all after losing his wife the previous week in a tragic accident. But it seemed fitting that Good Ole J.R. called the Undertaker’s last match in WWE, and likely, ever.

The Undertaker took his gloves off last year after the match with Shane McMahon but was convinced to stick around for one more year. Fans may never get to see the WrestleMania dream match between the Undertaker and John Cena that has been rumored for years, but he was given the royal treatment on the grandest stage of them all. And Jim Ross was there to provide the soundtrack.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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