The Undertaker on Holding Back Tears During His WWE Retirement Speech

The Undertaker gave his "Final Farewell" speech to the pro wrestling business back at the 2020 Surivivor Series pay-per-view in November. Fans may recall that his promo that night was incredibly short, especially compared to the speeches and highlight packages that played before he arrived. "The Deadman" recent appeared on the Victory Over Injury Podcast and said that was a deliberate choice on his part, as he didn't want to have the opportunity to start crying.

"I'd already come to peace with my decision, but it was really real once I put the hat and coat on," Undertaker said (h/t Fightful). "Knowing I was putting the hat and coat on for the last time and walking to the ring in that capacity, it was tough. It was probably best that I didn't say much more than I did or I would have killed 30 years of work and turning into a blubbering idiot. It was a tough moment. I had already come to grips with the fact that I had gotten everything out of this sponge that you're going to get, but when I put the hat and the coat on, things feel different. 'I might have one more in me.' No, that was it."

In a separate interview with ESPN leading up to WrestleMania 37, "The Deadman" described what it was going to be like to have to watch the event after being apart of nearly every installment for more than two decades.

"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."