WWE has a lot of plans in motion, but they can’t all come to fruition. Sometimes, someone returning to the mix can change everything as well.

WWE discussed the idea of Kevin Owens facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. The Undertaker instead confronted Shane McMahon in a Hell in a Cell match.

Kevin Owens vs The Undertaker Was Planned

The Undertaker battled Shane McMahon in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 32. That was quite a match, and it included a viral moment with Shane-O Mac falling from the side of the cage, but it wasn’t the original plan that they discussed for the show of shows that year.

Kevin Owens kicked off WrestleMania 32 by defending his WWE Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match against Zack Ryder, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Sami Zayn, Sin Cara, and Stardust. Ryder won the title that night, and started a one-day reign as Champion.

Owens told Joe Baiamonte of WrestleSphere that there was a plan at a certain time that Undertaker was supposed to be his first-ever WrestleMania opponent. Then Shane McMahon returned and that set up a Mania match against the Phenom.

“I think things just shifted and that was the year that Shane McMahon returned, so obviously at the time, my standing in the company compared to Shane McMahon coming back after all those years, the thought was probably ‘Shane McMahon versus The Undertaker is a huge match. I know it was on the table and it was heavily discussed and it would have been amazing. My first WrestleMania, to be in there with The Undertaker, would have been sweet. It didn’t happen, but I’ve been in the ring with him. I was actually in the ring with him in the main event of a Madison Square Garden show, so I got to do that with him which was really cool,”

What Happened Next

The Undertaker and Kevin Owens never had their WrestleMania match. Then, Taker retired from in-ring action with a Boneyard Match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.

Kevin Owens is booked in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 40 for the United States Title. Logan Paul will have quite a challenge ahead of him as he defends his title against Owens and Randy Orton.

Shane McMahon hasn’t been seen in WWE since last year’s WrestleMania event. He was injured during a short match, which Snoop Dogg had to finish for him.

WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker sees a bright future for GUNTHER, who continues to impress the Deadman each week. 

The Ring General has certainly proven to be dominant since coming to WWE. GUNTHER is one of the a handful of men to have held two championships for over one year, a group that includes Randy Savage, Pedro Morales, and Roman Reigns. 

The Undertaker on GUNTHER

On a recent edition of the Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker gushed about GUNTHER, who he believes has plenty to show in WWE. 

“The sky’s the limit for him. I think he’s a little bit of a throwback to a different era, but has the ability to work and tell stories.”

The former WWE World Champion spoke about GUNTHER’s recent match with Dominik Mysterio and praised the Austrian for remaining a heel without turning ‘Dirty Dom’ face in the process. 

GUNTHER Vs. The Undertaker? 

By the time GUNTHER made it to the main roster, The Undertaker had long retired from action, robbing fans of what’d be an epic showdown. Speaking about how such a match would go down, the Phenom predicted that they’d descend into a fistfight after two chops. 

What’s Next? 

GUNTHER will defend the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40 against Sami Zayn. The Underdog earned the match with a controversial gauntlet win. Many fans have argued that Chad Gable’s shoulders were not fully down for the decisive fall. On WWE TV, Gable has taken the Gauntlet match loss especially hard. 

More Gold? 

GUNTHER has no plans on losing the Intercontinental title, but fans may have to wait before they see him in a World Championship picture. Last year, GUNTHER said the time was not right for him to add another title to his collection. 

Pro wrestling fans have got to see a lot of dream matches over the years. Sadly, they can’t all happen, and that included Sting vs The Undertaker. Although there was a window of time when the match could have seen the light of day, Vince McMahon simply never booked it.

The Undertaker explained that the match between him and Sting never happened due to Vince McMahon not seeing it as a fit for WWE, despite fan anticipation. By the time Sting arrived, Calaway felt he was nearing the end of his career, and the timing didn’t align for the matchup.

Why Sting vs The Undertaker Never Happened

During his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker opened up a bit about why that legendary dream match against Sting didn’t happen. It seems that it was all Vince McMahon’s call, and he never went that direction.

In discussing why he never faced Sting, Mark Calaway mentioned that the opportunity simply didn’t materialize. Despite the anticipation from fans and artwork depicting the potential matchup, Vince McMahon didn’t see it as a fit for WWE, and Calaway felt it wouldn’t live up to the high expectations. He noted that by the time Sting arrived, he was already nearing the end of his career, and the timing didn’t align for the match to happen.

“It just didn’t work out. He had a short run in WWE and Vince didn’t want it. For whatever reason, I don’t know what it was. He didn’t feel it. Everybody else was clamoring for this match for quite a few years. A year or two into that character change, I mean, people were already sending me artwork with the billboard or the poster. It just never worked out. The match would have been good, but I don’t think it would have lived up to the expectations that people have for it. People always think about things in a certain sense. I think they thought in their mind of Undertaker, 2007 or 2008 versus Sting. It was later on than that. I can say I was way on the backside of what I was going to do when he got there.”

Sting vs The Undertaker in the Future

The Undertaker recently commented on how Sting retiring from in-ring competition “ruined” the idea of him coming back. It seems that a match against the Stinger is the only thing that could get The Phenom to wrestle again.

Only time will tell if Sting and The Undertaker ever share the ring for any reason. It would take a lot, but odds are we are years past the idea of that match ever going down for real.

SEScoops will have more on this story, and so much more. You never know what will happen next in the pro wrestling world, so keep checking back throughout the day for more updates!

The Undertaker carved out a big place for himself in pop culture. His iconic WWE entrance and all the pageantry that goes along with it is immediately identified as being a tribute to him. When Taker saw Michael Page’s entrance at UFC 299, he just had to say something.

Michael “Venom” Page’s entrance during 299 was a big time tribute to The Undertaker. When The Phenom was made aware of the clip, he responded by complementing the entrance and also congratulated Page on his win over Kevin Holland.

You can only make a first impression once 😮‍💨@MichaelPage247 is ready to put on a show! #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/8SSP0caOuC

— UFC (@ufc) March 10, 2024

The Undertaker Reacts

At UFC 299, Michael Page paid homage to The Undertaker with a tribute entrance. He walked out to The Undertaker’s iconic theme music, donning a robe with a hoodie that he discarded at the start of his entrance.

The Undertaker’s distinctive gong continued to resonate, accompanying MVP as he made his way to the Octagon. Making his UFC debut against Kevin Holland, Page delivered an impressive performance, emerging victorious in the fight.

The Undertaker responded to Michael Page’s tribute on Twitter/X, expressing appreciation for the tribute while congratulating Page on his big win over Kevin Holland.

Nice entrance & congrats on the W, @MichaelPage247 .

Nice entrance & congrats on the W, @MichaelPage247.@UFC https://t.co/cgSTfM1aw8

— Undertaker (@undertaker) March 10, 2024

What’s Next For The Undertaker

The Undertaker has seen plenty of tributes. His song is on regular rotation for many spots teams out there, and they have used his entrance theme for many introductions in the past. That doesn’t make it any less special whenever a new homage to Taker pops up.

WWE fans may not see The Undertaker wrestle again, but he’s still around. The WWE Hall of Famer’s One DEADMan shows have become a fan-favorite event that will usually accompany a WWE show. He will have another one during WrestleMania weekend for fans as well.

SEScoops will have any updates on this story as they are made available. For more on this story, and many more, please keep checking back on a regular basis.

The Royal Rumble event is going down at Tropicana Field on January 27th, and the big day is upon us. Big names are expected for the event, and now we know where The Undertaker is.

The Undertaker’s Current Whereabouts

The Undertaker wrestled his final contest at WrestleMania 36 as he faced AJ Styles in a Boneyard match. Although the Deadman hasn’t competed since then, he has made a few appearances on WWE television.

The WWE Hall of Famer may not be publicly announced for the 2024 Royal Rumble event, but he is around. Sean Ross Sapp noted on Fightful Select that Taker is in Tampa.

The Undertaker is in Tampa.

Michelle McCool’s Royal Rumble Status

You never know who will show up at the Royal Rumble. Since we’re speaking about The Undertaker, that brings up a natural question about his wife, Michelle McCool. She already noted on Twitter/X that WWE didn’t send her an invitation for the big match.

This year’s WWE Royal Rumble could be a historic night for the company, for many reasons. Not only are there huge rumors about The Rock’s return, but this huge event is also going down one day after Vince McMahon resigned from the company after a bombshell lawsuit brought a slew of terrible accusations to the forefront.

Haven’t been asked🤷🏼‍♀️ https://t.co/YLtYn9gKAq

— McCool (@McCoolMichelleL) January 19, 2024

SE Scoops will have ongoing coverage of the 2024 Royal Rumble event. Keep checking back for constant updates as we provide the biggest headlines from this year’s event.

The Undertaker is a WWE Hall of Famer who led the locker room for decades. While he led the troops for Vince McMahon backstage, he also saw many instances of tomfoolery along the way.

The Undertaker Speaks on Backstage Pranks in WWE

WWE Superstars spend their lives on the road, and sometimes they get bored. This was especially true during The Undertaker’s heyday, because WWE’s schedule was far more grueling. To pass the time, Superstars would often prank each other backstage.

The Undertaker is famously afraid of cucumbers. Owen Hart took advantage of this fact on several occasions, as he pranked the Deadman with the common vegetable. Through it all, things never got too intense as Taker remembers it. He did remember how The Rockers would tamper with other wrestlers’ belongings while they were busy in the ring.

During his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker was asked what was the most juvenile prank he ever saw backstage in WWE.

“When I first started with WWE, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. They were a couple little turds. That’s what they were. They were just bad. I would go out and have a match. Back then, we’d have somebody there that would bring our ring gear back. Every time I’d come back from a match, there would be my hat sitting on a case somewhere, and it would be poked. The top of it would be poked in. It’d be like sugar poured all over the top of it, flowers put in it. Just silly things that they would do to my hat. I didn’t know who was doing it. One thing with a rib when you’re in the wrestling business is, you don’t sell it. You don’t sell the rib. You don’t let anybody know that the rib’s getting to you. Because if it’s bothering you, it’s only gonna get worse. So I’m just playing it cool and I kind of set it up like a trap one day. I had my hat sitting out on the case. My coat was lying next to it and I’m kind of hiding.”

“This is kinda juvenile in its own right. I’m kind of hiding behind the curtain backstage, watching. I set a trap [and] here comes Shawn Michaels, just be-bopping down the hallway, and he stops. He walked in, he sees my hat and he stops. I remember him looking both ways like ‘Is there anybody around?’ I remember him pushing my hat, the top of my hat, caving my hat in, and I caught him right away. I was like, ‘You son of a bitch.’ And he about pissed himself like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ That was some of the more juvenile. I’ve been fairly lucky.”

“There’s only been a few guys that would rib me. Paul Bearer would rib me and Brian Adams would rib me. Those are the only two. Yeah, those are the only two guys or whatever. I mean Vince. Yeah, he went out of his way to rib me. He would spend thousands and thousands of dollars just to rib me and get a kick out of it. But as far as the talent, though, the only two guys that would rib me were Paul Bearer and Bryan Adams.”

The Deadman was also asked if he ever saw a prank go too far. That is when the former judge of Wrestlers Court was candid in his response. There were what he called “close calls,” and cucumbers were involved. In the end, those ribs were relatively harmless.

“There were a couple of close calls with cucumbers, that got a little bit too close to consumption, which would have been really bad. But most of them were pretty harmless.”

History of Practical Jokes in Pro Wrestling

Another notable instance of a famous backstage rib went down during a European tour in 1993 when Owen Hart switched his brother Bret Hart’s wrestling gear with a smaller-sized version, so the Hitman had to go out alone. Owen Hart also put sliced cucumbers in The Undertaker’s boots, which caused quite a reaction from the Deadman.

Mr. Fuji, who was a legendary prankster backstage, was known for mischievous ribs. He did things like filling babyface wrestlers’ water bottles with salt. Bobby Heenan was also legendary for his outlandish ribs, one that would entertain Superstars for hours on the road.

The infamous “Plane Ride from Hell” in 2002 saw various disruptive ribs, including Ric Flair’s naked antics, which did not age well at all. A wrestling match also broke out between Brock Lesnar and Mr. Perfect, who also allegedly dosed wrestlers with halcion tablets for giggles at times as well. 

WWE knows that they can make a ton of money if they put out the right piece of merchandise. The upside of a custom title belt taking off in the company’s sales ranks is a very lucrative one. So, WWE has posted more than a few variations of WWE Titles in the past. It appears The Undertaker is not a fan of this practice.

The Undertaker Speaks His Mind on Custom WWE Titles

During The Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast, The Deadman addressed a question about whether he had contemplated having a personalized championship belt during his reign as a world champion, akin to John Cena’s spinner belt or Daniel Bryan’s eco-friendly belt. This was not something that ever crossed The Phenom’s mind.

The Undertaker said that his perspective aligns with old-school traditions. He holds the belief that championship titles should adhere to a more traditional and conventional design, and not have custom variations that are unique to the person holding the title.

No. I’m a traditionalist. I’m old school. Whatever the world title is, that’s what I wanted to represent. As cool as [the custom belt] is, it’s one of the nicest looking belts I’ve seen, I would have wanted one of the traditional belts, unless it was the spinner belt, which was awful. If I had my choice, the spinner belt or [custom belt], I would have gone with the [custom belt]. I always like the traditional championships. Back then, it was more about being the champion than marketing. I’m not opposed to making money. I just think there are certain traditions and things that should be untouched. The championship should be the championship.

They say that the title makes the man, but The Undertaker is not a fan of the man making his own custom championship title belt.

It should also be noted that WWE has released custom limited edition Undertaker tribute titles in the past. The Deadman didn’t speak about that merchandise, but he’s not a fan of changing the actual WWE Title to fit the talent.

The Undertaker’s Championship History In WWE

The Undertaker won many championships in WWE, with four WWE Championship runs and three World Heavyweight Championship wins. His tag team accolades include six WWF World Tag Team Championship wins, where he partnered with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Big Show, The Rock, and Kane. The Undertaker also claimed the WWF Hardcore Championship, and not one of those title belts was custom to The Deadman.

The Undertaker’s viewpoint reflects a respect for the rich history and traditions embedded within the world of professional wrestling. He is old-school, and still has that mentality. After all, The Phenom kept that Deadman gimmick up 24 hours a day during his heyday, with Paul Bearer around to literally be his mediatory to the real world he tried so hard to keep kayfabe alive for.

On Saturday afternoon, the Number 6 ranked Tennessee Vols will face the Number 3 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

On SEC Nation, The Undertaker’s famous entrance music hit and there was a closeup of an orange casket that read “Your Number Has Been Called” on the side. Six pall bearers (Paul Bearers, if you will) dressed in Vols garb carried the Vols casket to the stage while Undertaker’s gongs continued.

Two other SEC Nation hosts opened the casket and Paul Finebaum did his best ‘Taker impression and proclaimed, “Tennessee’s not dead! The Vols win!” while waving a pom pom and wearing a Vols jersey.

Undertaker entrance wasn’t Finebaum’s idea

Finebaum is a Vols alum. Tennessee hasn’t beat Alabama since 2006. However, it wasn’t his idea for the Undertaker entrance. Baron Miller, the show’s producer, came up with the idea.

Liv Morgan’s Dream to be Killed by Chucky Will Come True

He spoke with AL.com and said “It was a suffocating feeling being in there, but I wasn’t in it long enough for it be an issue. It was a relief to be able to get out of the casket. Most people aren’t that fortunate.”

WWE under Vince McMahon had the habit of coming up with the most atrocious gimmicks for the most unlikely of performers. One such gimmick was when Brodus Clay was repackaged as a fun-loving dancing character dubbed as The Funkasaurus. WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker had the most hilarious response to it.

The former WWE star who now goes by the name Tyrus recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho. Speaking about his Funkasaurus character, Clay revealed how the dead man reacted to it before his debut:

“Taker never liked it. Taker’s advice to me was, he came up to me. He was like ‘Fall’. [I’m like] ‘What?’ He’s like ‘When you go out there, you debut tonight, fall. You fall on the stage; they’ll scrap the whole thing and you can get back [to being a monster].’ I just loved that. When I said ‘Would you fall?’, he said ‘No'”

– Brodus Clay

Brodus Clay was originally introduced as a monstrous bodyguard for Alberto Del Rio on Raw in early 2011. This stint lasted for a few months before Clay took time off from WWE programming for a movie. When he returned, Vince McMahon decided to repackage him. Needless to say, the new character never caught on, and he was released from the company in June 2014.

The former WWE star has since made a name for himself in the independent circuit as Tyrus and he is the current NWA TV Champion. He will be looking to add the NWA world title to his collection as well when he takes on Trevor Murdoch at NWA 74.

More Originals From SEScoops:

• ‘People Are Fickle’: Shane Thorne Weighs In On If WWE Can Revert To Old Programming
• Karrion Kross Reveals His Reaction To WWE Return
• Wrestling Veteran Describes His New Role with AEW
• Hangman Page Reveals the Most Difficult Matches of His Career
• Becky Lynch Reveals How Much Creative Freedom She Has On The Mic

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Kevin Nash reveals what WWE legend he wanted to jump ship to WCW, and join the now deceased company’s top faction, the New World Order (nWo).

The Hall of Famer was a guest on his old boss Eric Bischoff’s 83 Weeks podcast to discuss all things WCW, which is where the former world champion revealed how he had talks with the Undertaker about changing sides during the height of the Monday Night Wars.

Nash states that his pitch to Taker was that he had no bargaining power in WWE as long as he remained under the Deadman gimmick.

“The Undertaker was the one that I was trying to get. That was the one and I’m not saying – I just told him ‘You gotta switch up your gimmick man.’ I said ‘You’ve got no bargaining power whatsoever as long as you stay in that Undertaker gimmick.”

After a temporary hiatus Undertaker would return to WWE as the iconic American Badass character, a completely different tase from the Phenom. Nash says he doesn’t credit himself for Taker’s gimmick change, but does acknowledge that the character was more likely to succeed outside of WWE.

“I’m not saying that made him turn into the American Badass, I’m just saying that American Badass you can take pretty much wherever you wanna go. They had to pay those guys money, if they wanted to keep them they had to pay them.”

On the same episode Bischoff revealed his fantasy booking plans for Undertaker had he joined WCW, which would have seen him oppose the nWo rather than join it. You can read about that here.

Nash also discussed this topic on the latest edition of his Kliq This podcast. The big man was asked about Shawn Michaels potentially being the third-man, an idea that Nash couldn’t even really wrap his head around due to Shawn being the world champion in WWE at the time.

“Shawn just got the world title in the WWE so he’s not coming f***ing anywhere. Two years in after he had dropped it I made a push to get him in but by then they were giving guaranteed money. I thought Taker was a great one. I tried to get Mark to come over.”

He then explained how Bischoff wanted it to look like WWE was invading WCW, so Hulk Hogan being the third-man was the perfect option.

“The thing with Hulk was that Eric’s idea was that he wanted it to look like the WWE was invading Turner. We’re going back and forth with the skits and all this other sh*t…there was nobody that was more branded as WWF (WWE) than the yellow and red Hulk Hogan. “

You can check out Nash’s full quotes below.

(Please credit Sescoops if any quotes are used)

The Undertaker believes current RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair has only just “scratched the surface” of her star potential in WWE.

“The Dead Man” was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated, where he offered his thoughts on the current landscape of the WWE’s women’s division. Taker spoke on two stars in particular that stand out to him.

The first being “The Man” Becky Lynch, who Undertaker says is “so dialed in right now.”

“Becky is so dialed in right now,” ‘Taker said. “You’re on TV as much as they are, you can get used up really fast—but Becky is constantly evolving. She’s doing that on the mic and in the ring.”

Second, Undertaker praised current RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, who he believes has only “scratched the surface” of her star potential within the company.

“The women’s division is really, really good,” Undertaker said. “Bianca has only scratched the surface of the star she’s going to be. She’s got such an incredible personality. She’s someone I really want to see succeed.”

Both Lynch and Belair have big weekends ahead of them. They’ll both be in action at WWE’s Money In The Bank event Saturday from Las Vegas.

Lynch will compete in the Money In The Bank Ladder match against several other women, while Belair puts her RAW Women’s Title on the line against Carmella.

The Undertaker had a lot of influence on John Cena’s career. From the famous handshake segment that told people he was someone to keep an eye on, to the multiple matches they had, The Dead Man helped Cena become the wrestler he is today in a big way.

The Cenation Leader had a Q&A with GQ. He discussed things such as donning the Peacemaker costume everywhere for the promotion of Suicide Squad and more.

Speaking about the last Outlaw, Cena revealed what he is like backstage. He claimed that there wasn’t much difference between Taker’s on screen and off-screen character, up until a couple of years ago:

“Mark backstage is very much like The Undertaker — like, that’s how dedicated he is. He’s very stoic, and very calculated, and does speak softly and carry a big stick, until like now.

Two years ago, he started relaxing, letting loose, and having fun.” said John Cena, “But that role consumed him. And that’s what led to his long-term success.”

The 16-time world champion continued by saying that he has great respect for The Undertaker’s ability to be the same person on and off-screen.

He explained that Taker knew he wouldn’t have the same opportunities to live in a sense of normalcy but he believed that he was going to have the opportunities that normalcy doesn’t provide.

Vince McMahon revealed recently that he would be the one to induct Undertaker into Hall Of Fame. Though The Dead Man himself is nervous about this because he has no idea what Vince will say.

The wrestling legend recently had an interview with Dallas Morning News. He mentioned how the boss loves to play practical jokes:

“I have absolutely no clue what he’s going to say, I’m a little bit nervous,” said The Undertaker, “there’s no one that Vince loves to play practical jokes on more than me.

The fact that the Hall Of Fame is on April Fool’s Day, who knows what’s going to happen. I do know it’s going to be emotional; I am not sure to what lengths he will go to not to completely fall apart and be emotional.”

• The Undertaker’s WrestleMania 38 Prediction: Lesnar or Reigns?

Undertaker also noted that it was him who asked Mr. McMahon to induct him. Though according to him there has been radio silence between the two since then:

“We’ve almost had radio silence here for the last few weeks after I asked him to induct me. So, I have no idea what to even begin to expect from him,”

Apart from this, Taker discussed how he turned down the Hall Of Fame induction the first time he was offered. You can read his comments on the matter here.

Thanks to WrestlingInc for the quotes

The Undertaker was apparently planned to make an appearance during the Elimination Chamber PPV from Saudi Arabia at one point.

Per PWinsider, WWE originally wanted The Dead Man to make a physical appearance on the show from Jeddah after the announcement of his Hall Of Fame induction.

There were no specific angles planned for the Undertaker. It was just supposed to be a cameo appearance which was nixed for some reason.

The plans seemed to have been canceled at least a few days before the show since the former world champion did not travel to the country with other stars.

The Undertaker did make a public appearance over the weekend. Though it was during a Bad Bunny concert from Dallas as seen in the video below:

After his appearance at the show was nixed, WWE showed a video package highlighting the career of the Attitude Era star during Elimination Chamber.

Taker last wrestled in a cinematic match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36. He announced his retirement from active competition afterward.

WWE announced the Last Outlaw as the first inductee for the 2022 class of Hall Of Fame earlier this month.

• Quote: Michelle McCool Gave Undertaker Peace In His Life

A new interactive horror film starring the Undertaker and New Day is set to debut on Netflix next month. “Escape the Undertaker” will feature the New Day inside a haunted mansion where the Undertaker has set a trap for them. It will premiere on the streaming service on October 5th, 2021.

“The Undertaker has set a trap for the decorated tag team The New Day at his mansion. What they don’t know: The Undertaker’s mansion is an extreme Haunted House, packed to the brim with supernatural challenges. It’s up to viewers to decide the fate of these three poor souls trying to survive the wrath of The Undertaker,” a description of the movie reads.

Netflix announced the project today and included several screenshots of the film.

Netflix has been toying with interactive projects in recent years. These include Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and several other projects. Netflix did not reveal what interactive aspects will be part of the film, however.

For the 56-year-old Undertaker, this project will be his first with WWE since Survivor Series last year. Taker has officially retired from in-ring competition.

AJ Styles was the Undertaker’s final opponent. Taker defeated Styles in a Boneyard match at WrestleMania 36. He would then officially announce his retirement during the “Last Ride” docuseries on the WWE Network.

During a recent appearance on Ryan Satin’s “Out of Character” podcast, Styles talked about wanting to give Taker a memento from their match.

“I called his wife [Michelle McCool] and I was like, ‘Hey, what does he want? Because I need to get him something,’” Styles said. “She was just like, ‘Hey, well, give him your gloves. That would mean a lot to him if you signed a glove.’ I was like, ‘Alright.’ Michelle hooked me up.”

As he continued, Styles noted that Undertaker sent him his gloves as well and also included a nice thank you letter.

“Hopefully that was a gift that he enjoyed. He actually sent his gloves to me with a very nice thank you letter, which meant the world to me.”

During a previous interview with Sports Illustrated last year, Styles spoke about just how long it took to shoot the cinematic style match.

“I don’t know if everyone knows how long it actually took,” Styles said. “We started around eight o’clock, and we didn’t get finished ‘til about 4:30 in the morning. It was basically a movie, so we needed to get cameras in the right spot and walk through some stuff that was going to happen. I have a lot more respect for actors after working on those fight scenes.”

If there is one superstar above all others who is synonymous with Wrestlemania, then it is the Undertaker. From The Streak to his cinematic boneyard match with AJ Styles, the Undertaker has seen and done it all.

The fact that the Undertaker was not on the card at Wrestlemania this year was not lost on fans, and it was not lost on the man himself.

In a recent interview with Sports Interactive, Mark Calloway admitted the WrestleMania weekend stirred that familiar itch.

“I was fine all the way until that first ballyhoo of fireworks,” he said. “I kept thinking to myself, ‘You should be there.”

The Undertaker: Time To Step Aside

A Wrestlemania without the Undertaker certainly felt strange. Yet, despite the itch, Calloway is a man who knows when it is time to step aside. Revered by all backstage, his respect was someone every man on the roster wanted to earn. However, there comes a time when the torch needs to be passed, and at 56 years old, that time came. The Undertaker officially retired on November 22nd, 2020.

“There was a bit of an emotional tug of the heartstrings watching this year, but it’s time for me to step aside and let this next generation have the reins and go where they’re going to go.” Calloway said.

It remains to be seen whether the Undertaker will ever be seen back in WWE, in a non-active capacity. For now, the deadman is content to take some much needed time off to adjust to the next stage of his life.

WWE Executive Vice President Triple H recently held a media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event taking place during the WrestleMania week. During the interview, the Game who has a long history with The Undertaker was asked about the Dead Man’s comments about today’s product being ‘soft’ which received negative reaction from a lot of people.

Triple H first mentioned how the wrestling business is always changing and different people have different opinions which you can agree and disagree with. He praised the former world champion saying that he is bluntly honest with his opinions. However, the Game then said that Taker’s comments always have the best intention:

“His comments and his intention are always with the best of intent, or desire, to improve and I do believe he has a wealth of knowledge, that if he speaks… you know, there’s certain guys in the business that if they speak, they’ve been around a long time, seen a lot of things, and they’ve earned the right to, if they speak, you listen and you take the point of view, and you work with it. He’s one of those guys, for sure.”

The former DX member continued by comparing the whole debate to the debate about the music of different generations. He mentioned how everyone believes that a certain generation of music is better than the other but at the end of the day, they are all just opinions:

“So, if he says it and believes it, there’s something to it, then yeah, every generation is different and what people are willing to accept in generations. You know, everybody believes certain generations of music are better than others, too, and at the end of the day all of this is opinion. We all like what we like, we all dislike what we dislike, and we give our opinions on it, and it really comes down to what do the masses of people like.”

After the Final Farewell segment at last November’s Survivor Series event, there has been some talk of The Undertaker possibly coming to the Performance Center to help talent. Commenting on this possibility, Triple H said that he is looking forward to working with Taker and “making it all better at every level.”

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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed The Undertaker’s Final Farewell at Survivor Series 2020.

Henry of course had multiple bouts against the Deadman throughout his career. This included their WrestleMania 22 Casket Match, which saw ‘Taker go 14-0 in his historic ‘Mania streak.

“Deservedly so” Mark Henry began on Busted Open, agreeing to how the Undertaker’s Final Farewell was as grand in scale as it could be at WWE’s ThunderDome. “I mean like outside of Andre [The Giant], Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin? There’s never been a more exciting presence that you look forward to in wrestling.”

Henry would then discuss how ‘Taker’s presence and character outweigh any physical or in-ring weaknesses he may have. “There have been better grapplers, there have been better [in-ring]. There’s Shawn Michaels for example, as far as how many titles he’s won? But the Undertaker didn’t need titles.”

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“The Undertaker was the Undertaker, he was the backbone of the business” Mark Henry would continue. “If his name was on the card? Your money went up dramatically. It wouldn’t be a couple of dimes here in there. I’m talking about being on a card with the Undertaker and not being on the card with Undertaker could have made a difference of whether you make 5 or 10 grand a week difference. He was the guy that changed everything.”

Do you think that we’ll ever see The Undertaker on WWE television again? Let us know in the comments

The name of Undertaker has become synonym with the Hell In A Cell match as he has wrestled in more than a dozen such bouts and the Dead Man was also one of the two competitors of the first-ever Hell In A Cell match.

During his recent appearance on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions, the former world champion talked about this match against Shawn Michaels and revealed the reason why they had created the bout. According to Taker, the main reason for Hell In A Cell was Kane. He explained that the whole thing was designed for keeping the interference out so then Kane can come out and do what nobody else could.

“The main reason for Hell in a Cell was Kane,” he revealed. “It was all about Kane, the whole thing was designed for Kane’s debut. You’re gonna keep all outside interference out, and boom, here comes Kane. For Kane to come in and do what no one else could do, which is rip the door off and come face-to-face with his brother. I still think it’s one of the most iconic stare downs ever. It’s a story that lasted 23 years, and one of the greatest stories ever told.”

Undertaker had been feuding with Shawn Michaels in 1997 after Michaels caused the Last Outlaw to lose his WWF world title match against Bret Hart at SummerSlam that year. The first ever Hell In A Cell match was announced between the two stars for Badd Blood: In Your House PPV with the intention of saving the bout from outside interference.

However, Paul Bearer had been teasing the arrival of Kane in the weeks prior to the event and the monster finally made his debut during the show. Kane ripped the door of the Cell structure and he then confronted The Dead Man. The event ended with Kane executing a Tombstone Piledriver on Undertaker, allowing Michaels to pick up the victory.

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All Elite Wrestling star Ricky Starks recently appeared on Chris Van Vliet’s podcast. The current member of Taz’s on-screen stable discussed a number of topics during the show; these included including how signed with AEW and being friends with The Undertaker.

“So back in Austin? There’s a gym called Onnit” Ricky Starks began, as he told the story of his meeting Mark Calloway. “I only started going to Onnit because I thought I would have a [WWE] tryout back in 2016. So I was training way before I fully had my tryout.”

Ricky Starks on The Undertaker

“And so I was there, barely making it by because the fee is $194 a month, and I was making minimum wage” Ricky Starks continued. “So I would go at the same time that ‘Taker was there. Undertaker was preparing for his match against Shane [McMahon] in Dallas for WrestleMania 32. He was there constantly.”

Ricky Starks would then confirm that Undertaker was filming what would become The Last Ride documentary for WWE Network. “He was filming a documentary, but he was filming a documentary just for his family, because he figured that would be the last one. I’d befriended the the guy who was doing the documentary, his name is Brandon. He’s a really nice dude, I told him like ‘Taker one of my favourites, and I would talk to ‘Taker. I went up to him say thank you for everything, and so since I was there all the time? Undertaker would come and make small talk with me.”

The AEW star would finish by saying how he actually trained with Undertaker before his match against John Cena at WrestleMania 34. This was especially surreal for Starks, as he has mentioned how he is a ‘mega fan’ of the Deadman.

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“‘Taker was getting ready for his match against Cena at ‘Mania 34 in New Orleans. He had us up and wanted to train, so WWE sent this ring to this location, it was a sick setup. I’ll never forget, we were in there, I want to say for two days or three days? I was in the ring sparring with Undertaker and I, I cannot fathom it. I cannot understand it!?”

Do you think that we’ll ever see Ricky Starks in WWE? Let us know in the comments

The Undertaker has been on the top of the wrestling world for over three decades and he has had great matches with wrestlers from several different generations.

During his recent appearance on Hot Ones, the Phenom talked about a number of things such as what it’s like competing with Brock Lesnar and more.

When asked which matches he would put in his Mount Rushmore of best matches to hook in a fan new to wrestling, Taker named several bouts, including his own match against Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 25:

“I would go with Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat, any match between Ric Flair and Harley Race. Little bit of an ego-maniac here but I would put Undertaker / Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania 25.

Modern day, the recent match between Edge and Randy Orton. Those are four that kind of encapsulates what we do, at its highest level.”

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The Dead Man claimed that Anderson was solid in every facet. He cut unbelievable promos and had the technical ability.

When asked who is the best technical wrestler he has ever seen, the Undertaker took the name of former WCW and current AEW star Arn Anderson.

Watch The Undertaker on Hot Ones below:

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the retirement of the Undertaker. ‘Taker of course had his ‘Final Farewell’ at Survivor Series this past weekend, with several legends and even a hologram Paul Bearer paying tribute to the WWE icon.

There has been talk of Undertaker potentially returning for one more bout, especially when there are crowds allowed in arenas once again. Bully Ray however believes that this is really it for the Deadman.

Bully Ray on The Undertaker

“After what Steve [Austin] said to him on the Broken Skull Sessions about ‘you’ve had your last match? I think that this could be it” Bully Ray would begin on the show. “I think ‘Taker now goes into the ‘in case of extreme emergency break glass’ category.”

Bully Ray would elaborate on this point, saying how Undertaker is a last ditch attraction now if all else fails. “I think Taker has now become an adrenaline shot to WWE. If someone’s dying and you can’t bring them back with the heart paddles? You stick a needle in their heart that’s full of adrenaline. I think that ‘Taker goes into that category now.

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“Only if there’s some kind of disaster and Vince needs something? Do you call the Deadman” Bully continued. “But for the most part? I think, yep, that’s it. And you know what? It should be. What else is he going to do? What else is there left for him to do?”

Do you agree with Bully Ray? Do you think that Undertaker is finally finished as an in-ring competitor? Let us know in the comments

A lot of people still believe that Brock Lesnar was not the right choice to end the undefeated WrestleMania streak of The Undertaker and during a recent interview, The Dead Man revealed who he thinks should have done the job.

The former world champion recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated where he talked about many things and discussed the ending of his famous WrestleMania Streak in detail.

Taker first mentioned how he thinks that Brock Lesnar did not need the victory and the Last Outlaw later went on to explain that the win would have done much more for Roman Reigns:

“I don’t think Brock needed that victory,” said Taker. “Brock was huge. Brock was just coming back from UFC and he’s an attraction all to himself. And whether he loses to The Undertaker isn’t gonna hurt his stock one bit. He’s still gonna be the Beast Incarnate.

“It would’ve done much more for Roman Reigns than it would’ve for Brock Lesnar.” said The Undertaker, “Roman Reigns would’ve made a lot more sense for me than Brock.”

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The WWE Legend was asked if he ever tried to change Vince McMahon’s mind about the decision and he mentioned how they have had several disagreements about various storylines over the years.

The Undertaker then recalled how Vince McMahon came down to the dressing room on the day of the show. The two had a discussion and it was there that they made the final decision to end the Streak.

You can check out Taker’s full interview at this link.

WWE is promoting 30 Days of the Deadman on the WWE Network at the moment. A new documentary “Meeting the Undertaker” premiered on the network Sunday night and features interviews with wrestlers about the first time they met the Undertaker.

Winner of the original Tough Enough, Maven, appeared recently on WWE the Bump. He spoke about not only meeting the Undertaker but finding out he would be eliminating him from the 2002 Royal Rumble.

“Are you f’n kidding me?”

“I got the call literally the day before,” Maven said.

“Tough Enough had just ended. I think I had been on programming probably a handful of times, maybe 2 or 3 times, I wrestled Taz a couple of times. I think I wrestled Booker on Smackdown once. And the day before they called and were like ‘You’re going to Atlanta’ which is where the Rumble was.”

“At that point, I’m not an idiot, I knew I would probably be in the Rumble but I knew I would probably come out, get a quick whatever pop Tough Enough was going to get, and then I would be thrown out and gotten rid of as soon as possible.”

Maven then spoke about the backstage meeting where he was told he would be eliminating Undertaker from the match.

“When I got there and they called me to the ring and it was Shane and Taker,” Maven continued. “They called me to the ring and at the time, I’m terrified. I’m the rookie, I’m young, I’m in my mid-20s and I’m standing there with Shane McMahon and with the Undertaker. Scared to death. And then he tells me ‘Maven, you’re going to come in and eliminate him’ and I thought he was completely joking.”

“Well then Taker turns, looks at me, and he says ‘Are you f’n kidding me? And at that point, I wanted to run, I wanted to just leave.”

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Maven’s full story can be heard in the player below: