The Undertaker had his final match at WrestleMania 36, taking on AJ Styles in a cinematic "Boneyard match." The bout went the cinematic route due to the pandemic and WrestleMania 36 being held in the WWE Performance Center with no fans.
In June, during his "Last Ride" series special on WWE Network, Undertaker hinted at his retirement and an official retirement ceremony was held at WWE Survivor Series 2020.
Speaking to Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Undertaker explained when he knew it was time to walk away.
"In my heart, I wasn’t ready to do it but in my mind I knew I had to. It’s been a difficult transition because if I physically could, I would still be going. But I can’t put on a match the way people expect to see The Undertaker wrestle. There’s no sense in tarnishing the legacy, or cashing in on the equity that I built up," he said.
Undertaker noted that he came to the realization that it was time to retire during the early hours of the shoot. "My back is completely locked up, I’ve got pain shooting down my legs. That’s when I knew I was done," he said. "It was physical, we did some really big stunts, but I shouldn’t have felt the way that I did. It was just that moment of clarity."
Undertaker remains part of WWE with the 1 deadMAN SHOW, which is typically held during WWE premium live event weeks.
WWE is set to hold its WWE Money in the Bank event on July 1. Fans can check out the current lineup for the show by clicking here.
