The Undertaker Reveals Why He Struggles to Advise Younger WWE Superstars
Taker still wants to be in the ring himself.
The Undertaker's swan song is about to turn four years old. Taker officially retired from professional wrestling following his victory over AJ Styles at WWE WrestleMania 36 in the highly-praised "Boneyard Match." This bout was a long time coming for The Undertaker, as he had been searching for one last match that he deemed worthy of retiring on for over six years. Taker's first hints at retirement came back in 2014 after Brock Lesnar broke the streak, but a mid-match concussion during that contest left the Deadman operating as a shell of himself throughout. This led to Taker returning for a match or two for the rest of the 2010s.
Some went over well, like his WWE Extreme Rules 2019 tag match with Roman Reigns against Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre, while others were total disasters, most notably his past-prime clashes with D-Generation X and Goldberg. Regardless of the varying levels of quality, Taker going out on a high note against Styles has him still thinking about what he can contribute to the squared circle.
The Undertaker's Teaching Struggles
The Deadman still wants to be the student.
Speaking during on Six Feet Under, The Undertaker admitted that he struggles to advise younger generations because internally he still wants to be "out there doing it."
"It's really tough being backstage because there's that part of me that wants to kind of pass it on to the guys that are there now and then, there's the part of me that's like, 'You should be out there doing it. You could do it better,'" Undertaker said. "Physically I can't anymore, but those are all those little battles that I play in my head. It's hard to give advice anymore. Just for the fact that these guys are freaking killing it, business-wise. You guys are making more money than we ever made, what can I tell you?"
WWE has given Taker the opportunity to advise in a more regular role, even offering him a coaching position at the WWE Performance Center. As documented in his The Last Ride docuseries, Taker has held a couple of classes for WWE's heavyweights, helping guide them on how to refine their characters.
"I've been approached about doing it," Taker said about possibly coaching down the line. "My deal is trying to take what I did in my era and applying it to where the product is now. It's tough. It's tough for me."