The Undertaker Explains Why He Didn’t Work More With John Cena When Both Were Full-Time WWE Superstars

Even though they were two of the biggest names in pro wrestling, The Undertaker and John Cena didn’t cross very often when the pair were both working as full-time wrestlers in WWE. As “The Deadman” pointed out in Undertaker: The Last Ride, the two only ever worked two singles matches on pay-per-view — Vengeance in 2003 (long before Cena had hit his stride as the face of the company) and WrestleMania 34, which Taker was unhappy with given the match didn’t even last a full three minutes.

In an interview with ComicBook.com last week, Undertaker (real name Mark Calaway) was asked if he was ever given a reason why he and Cena weren’t paired up for more matches or feuds over the years.

“No, honestly it was just the booking,” he explained. “And that time period when I was still working all the time, we were both babyfaces so you didn’t really want to do that. And then it just came down to at the end there, John wanted to work with me and do something and it was fresh. And like I said, at this point in the career, it’s hard to come up with fresh matches. It’s just difficult because you have to cycle through everybody so many different times, but no there was never really reason why, it was just the way things were booked.”

During the same interview, he shot down previous rumors of WWE trying to get him in a ring with “The Icon” Sting.

“Not to my knowledge,” he said. “I know the temperature got turned up on that I don’t remember which Mania it was, but Sting and I were on the same flight after a Mania. It was well after 27, but anyway we were standing in line together talking and someone obviously in this day and age, everybody has a camera and someone snapped a picture as we were just having a casual conversation. … No one ever approached me with any serious like, ‘Hey, what do you think about Sting at this?’ or it’s never been presented to me other than by our fans.”

Calaway announced during the The Last Ride series finale that he was retiring from competing in the ring.

“My career, my legacy, speaks for itself. At the end of the day that’s really all that matters,” Calaway said. “And I have this other life that I need to go and experience and enjoy the fruits of my labor, enjoy the blessings that I have — my wife, my children.”

“I believe I’m at a place now post-Boneyard, it’s like I just one a hellacious battle against one of the best in the business,” he added. “Here you are climbing on your motorcycle and taking off. There was a lot of thought and a lot of emotion that went through my head. One of those being, are you happy enough with that? It was just a powerful moment, and you don’t always necessarily get those. If there was ever a perfect to a career, that right there is it. If Vince was in a pinch, would I come back? I guess time will only tell there. In case of emergency break glass, pull out The Undertaker, I would have to consider that. Never say never. But at this point in my life and my career, I have no desire to get back in the ring.”