The Undertaker Explains Why He Struggles to Enjoy the Current WWE Product

The Undertaker (real name Mark Calaway) appeared as a guest on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan [...]

By Connor Casey

The Undertaker (real name Mark Calaway) appeared as a guest on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where he spoke for more than two hours on a wide variety of topics. At one point, in a clip that has started to make the rounds on social media, Rogan asks "The Deadman" if he still follows and enjoys WWE's current television product. He says he still watches but admitted enjoying the show is a struggle.

"I try [to enjoy it as a fan]. It's tough for me because the product has changed so much and it's kind of soft," Calaway said, immediately agreeing with Rogan that he'll "probably" get in trouble for the comment. "I'll probably piss a lot of people off but they need to hear it. It is what it is. But to the young guys, 'oh, he's a bitter old guy.' I'm not bitter, I did my time. I'm good, I walked away when I wanted to walk away. I just think the product is a little soft. There's guys here and there that have an edge to them, but there's too much pretty and not enough substance right now.

2020 saw Calaway announce his retirement during the finale of The Last Ride documentary series, then was given a "Final Farewell" send-off during Survivor Series back in November. He admitted in interviews that he'd love to keep wrestling, but his body won't allow him to physically stay in in-ring shape anymore.

"I think a lot of people saw this invincible character and what this year has done is given an air of vulnerability to me," Calaway said while speaking with Yahoo Sports. "It really wasn't my original goal, but I do think it encapsulates how important it was for me to be the Undertaker for our fans. From the time that we start the doc, I think it shows what it took me physically to go out and honor that. That was the gist of where we took the story, how important it was for me to go out and perform and it was a natural segway into the person."

"I still have the passion to do it, I wish I could do it forever," he later added. "When I watch the shows or I'm there live, the juices start flowing and I feel like I have to get ready to go out and perform. The reality of the situation is that I'm not physically able to perform at the level I want to perform at. I could go out there and cash in on all of the equity I've built up over 30 years, but I can't deliver physically what I think people pay money to see the Undertaker do."

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