WWE Rumors: Backstage Update On The Undertaker Possibly Retiring Following ‘WrestleMania 36’
Rumors of The Undertaker retiring following a WrestleMania pay-per-view are nothing new, but according to the Wrestling Observer Radio‘s Dave Meltzer, last night’s Boneyard Match against AJ Styles could have been his WWE curtain call.
As quoted by WrestlingNews.co, the positive response to last night’s match may have marked his final in-ring appearance for the company, as the 55-year-old finally ended his recent streak of poor matches at WWE’s biggest show of the year.
“There’s been a lot of talk that he wanted to retire on a good note because he’s had these bad matches. If that’s the case, this would be the way to retire.”
The match also contained some symbolism which suggested it was “The Phenom’s” last ride. After literally burying Styles during the match, he climbed onto his motorcycle and rode into the night, but not before illuminating his trademark logo into a barn. However, the image of “The Deadman” vanishing into the darkness was very ambiguous, though he has a tendency of hinting at retirement at WrestleMania shows.
After losing to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33, the superstar left his hat, coat and gloves in the middle of the ring, which led many fans and pundits to believe that he’d wrestled his final match for the company. However, “The Phenom” returned the following year and beat John Cena in a squash match.
"This is what you asked for, right?" – #Undertaker@AJStylesOrg #WrestleMania #BoneyardMatch pic.twitter.com/moGhONZeWH
— WWE (@WWE) April 5, 2020
While Meltzer and others have suggested that WrestleMania 36 was the veteran superstar’s final outing, Sportskeeda‘s Tom Colohue has another theory. During a recent episode of the site’s Dropkick DiSKussions podcast, he revealed that last night’s match could be a sign of “The Phenom’s” new character going forward.
While the superstar has more days behind him than in front of him, some are speculating that he has a few matches still left in the tank. The Boneyard Match also suggested that he’s brought back his “American Bada**” gimmick for his final run, but Colohue that his future will see him portray a combination of the different characters that he’s showcased throughout his career.
“People may refer to it as the ‘American Bada**’ but it really is just the amalgamation of the two, more ‘Deadman’ than the ‘American Bada**’ was but more ‘American Bada**’ than the actual classic ‘Deadman’ was. Some combination of the two that may well see him through the next few years which will probably be his last few years.”
Furthermore, it’s also worth bearing in mind that The Undertaker is a legend and it’s always been customary in wrestling for iconic stars to put over a younger talent before they hang up their boots for good.
