We know he wanted closure, and now we know a bit more as to why: The Undertaker didn’t approach his WrestleMania 36 match with AJ Styles as his last ride.
We hear it all the time, about how talent prepare for matches or athletes prepare for big games. Especially as these icons grow older, and they know they may not have many more big moments left. Some tell us that they prepared for a major event knowing that it was their swan song. Sometimes they even tell us in advance that this will be their farewell. But for other times? Not so much.
The Undertaker has long been known for WrestleMania moments. His streak, finally broken by Brock Lesnar, was as big a deal as any championship match on the card. The pandemic messed up a lot of lives and a lot of plans, and WWE was no different. WrestleMania 36 shifted from a massive event in Tampa, to a taped two night event in the Performance Center. The Undertaker had AJ Styles lined up for a Boneyard match. It was one of the better cinematic matches in recent memory-even though Styles wanted to do more.
And That Was A Career
The match ended up being The Undertaker’s final one, but according to the Phenom, he did not approach that WrestleMania 36 match as his last ride. Speaking via his own podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer recalled that famous clash. He said that going into the match, his sole focus was on being in great shape to work with AJ Styles. He wanted to make sure that the two put together a performance worthy of WrestleMania. It was not until the match was completed that he came to realize that he was done.
It was unfortunate for someone who’s career was so legendary, to end in such a way. He got no live audience to pop one last time. There was no typical pomp and circumstance, thanks to the pandemic. WWE had him appear at the Performance Center Survivor Series later that year, another milestone for the Dead Man. That marked his formal retirement, but again had to happen without the level of fanfare it deserved.
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