For decades The Undertaker had a consistent presence on WWE programming, but he decided to hang up the boots for good after he defeated AJ Styles in the first ever Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36.
During a recent interview with Metro, The Undertaker reflected on his retirement and he noted that if he was in the physical condition to keep going with his career then he would have continued wrestling.
In my heart, I wasn’t ready to do it but in my mind I knew I had to. It’s been a difficult transition because if I physically could, I would still be going. But I can’t put on a match the way people expect to see The Undertaker wrestle. There’s no sense in tarnishing the legacy, or cashing in on the equity that I built up.’
The Undertaker went on to explain that he knew it was time to retire during the early hours of the shoot for the Boneyard Match when he added, “My back is completely locked up, I’ve got pain shooting down my legs. That’s when I knew I was done. It was physical, we did some really big stunts, but I shouldn’t have felt the way that I did. It was just that moment of clarity.”
The Deadman also noted that during the shoot he didn’t let anyone know it was going to be his last match including AJ Styles. Ultimately Undertaker defeated AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36 and picked up one last victory before he rode off into the night.
