The Undertaker Opens Up About Missing WrestleMania 37

04/09/2021 08:51 pm EDT

After being a staple of WrestleMania for well over two decades, The Undertaker will play no role in WrestleMania 37 this coming weekend. "The Deadman" announced last year that he was officially retiring following his Boneyad Match with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, then had a "Final Farewell" ceremony at Survivor Series in November. Undertaker (real name Mark Calaway) spoke with ESPN's SportsNation earlier this week and admitted he had to fight the urge to start training for another WrestleMania match.

"It's definitely going to be surreal because I'm going to think that I need to be there. And it's funny because it kind of started around October because usually around October is when I go to camp and start training and start training and start getting my body for Mania and I purposely kind of took it easy this year after the Boneyard Match, just trying to heal up," Calaway said. "But it did, around October, man, my mind and everything just started going and I'm like nope. It's not going to happen this year, you have to come to grips with it. Then in November, when I finally said that was it, I've been good. I'm at peace with my decision.

"But once the ballyhoo and all that starts for WrestleMania, man, I'm sure I'll be sitting in my chair, rocking back and forth, thinking, 'Oh man, I should be out there. Something's not right,'" he continued. "But, it's evolution. It's time for me to step aside and let this young crop of Superstars do their thing and take this thing and take it to a new level. I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish and I'm anxious to see where this crop of superstars takes our industry."

Check out the full card for WrestleMania 37 below:

Night One

Night Two

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