The Undertaker’s Last Ride

The Undertaker’s Last Ride

  With the annual Royal Rumble in recent news, the Wrestlemania season ‘fever’ has quickly crept up on the wrestling community. While many fans are fantasy booking the highly anticipated returns of Finn Balor and Goldberg, the Undertaker has controversially come back into the news; as recent photos have surfaced showing “The Deadman” in states of poor physical health. At Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas, it looked as though ‘Taker was in the best shape he’d been in recent memory, but only seven months later – time may be ticking faster than expected.

Aging before our eyes, The Undertaker has certainly evolved through his fair share of character transitions since his acclaimed debut in the fall of 1990. Following eerie promotional vignettes airing weekly on Monday Night Raw leading to Royal Rumble 2011 (which we all once mistook for Sting’s highly anticipated WWE debut), Undertaker has become limited to being an annual attraction. Wrestlemania 30 was a wakeup call to wrestling fans, as not only did the Undertaker’s famed 21-0 winning streak on the ‘big stage’ come to a screeching halt at the hands of Brock Lesnar, but Taker sustained multiple injuries during the bout; including a serious concussion. But turning the clock to 2015, ‘Taker appeared in much better shape to the WWE spotlight. Fans were ecstatic to see one of the all-time greats working multiple dates throughout the year, against opponents such as Brock Lesnar and Bray Wyatt; even reforming an alliance with his kayfabe brother Kane.

Every year it seems new pictures mysteriously surface of “The Deadman” looking worse than ever. While some of these may be doctored, or outdated, it’s entirely possible ‘Taker is in serious pain. In 2014 it was reported by Wrestling Figure Observer’s Dave Meltzer that ‘Taker sported baggy pants at Wrestlemania 31 to hide a massive knee brace supporting his right knee as result of multiple injuries sustained over his career. It has been surmised by many that during the Undertaker’s run as the American Badass during the late Attitude Era, he stopped using the infamous Tombstone Piledriver in favor of the “Last Ride” powerbomb due to consistent wear and tear on both of his knees. ‘Taker’s in ring style has slowed down tremendously over the past few years, most notably in his Wrestlemania 31 match vs Bray Wyatt. Though to many the sight of Undertaker competing in the ring is enough, ‘Taker has significantly lost the agile attributes of his in-ring persona that once shaped his legendary rivalries.

Although ‘Taker rarely took time off during the height of his career, he has now spent the past six years away from the regular, demanding WWE road schedule. Even longer before that many fans were questioning when ‘Taker’s career would wrap up. Reportedly, The Undertaker was telling friends after Wrestlemania 32 that he had wrestled his final bout in a WWE ring. With his iconic career’s conclusion clouded in mystery, the question remains: have we seen the last of the Undertaker?

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