The Undertaker’s in-ring career is in the rear view. The Deadman officially hung up his boots after WWE WrestleMania 36, literally riding off into the sunset following his victory over AJ Styles. Taker’s retirement would be confirmed the following month in the Undertaker: The Last Ride docuseries. After live crowds returned to WWE programming in Summer 2021, Taker would make it known every now and then that he still yearned to be an active competitor. Even just this past March, Taker admitted that he still had internal thoughts about how he “should be getting ready to go to the ring” when he stopped by WWE venues to watch the show backstage.
The Undertaker Opens Up About Retirement Transition
The Phenom has not made any efforts to act on his internal impulses.
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Speaking to Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez, The Undertaker admitted that despite his desires to still be competing, he has not “taken any bumps” since his retirement.
“There’s nothing that I’d rather do than be in the ring performing. I mean, that’s who I am,” Taker said. “I tell people this all the time: I haven’t woken up the next day sore one time; I haven’t taken any bumps yet.”
Taker has still been able to scratch that performative itch. He has been fronting 1 deadMAN SHOW for a couple of years, a event that operates as a live podcast of sorts where Taker tells stories from his career to a crowd during a WWE premium live event weekend.
“I had a great run, but my time is done, and it is time to do something different. That’s where the One Dead Man show comes in,” Taker explained. “This has been a really cool transition because I’m still out there in front of my fan base. I’m giving them something new. It’s putting me out there.”
Through 1 deadMAN SHOW and his Six Feet Under YouTube series, Taker has shown fans a side of himself that is much closer to the real-life Mark Calaway than his Deadman wrestling gimmick. Embracing reality has translated to his on-screen appearances for WWE as well, as Taker’s cameos at WWE Raw is XXX in January 2023, WWE NXT, and most recently WWE WrestleMania 40 have seen him donning black street clothes rather than his signature trench coat and wide-brimmed hat.
