A Huge WWE Star Could Soon Be Retiring

WWE delivered quite the gem with the Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, which may have been the perfect way to let “The Phenom” ride off into the sunset.

According to Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer (h/t WrestlingNews.co), The Undertaker “wanted to retire on a good note” and may be able to do that following his critically acclaimed bout with “The Phenomenal One” at WWE’s flagship pay-per-view:

“There’s a lot of talk that [The Undertaker] wanted to retire on a good note because he’s had these bad matches. If that’s the case, this would be the way to retire.”

That Boneyard match was one of the most unforgettable bouts in WWE history, and in a rare twist, it was actually just about universally praised for being wonderfully bizarre, unique and cinematic. The overwhelmingly positive reactions to the bout poured in following the pay-per-view, with Mick Foley, Xavier Woods, Stephanie McMahon and Sasha Banks among the names who praised the main event of night one of WrestleMania 36. Indeed, if Taker wants to go out with a bang, this was a surefire way to do it.

But was WrestleMania 36 really the last we’ve seen of “The Deadman?” Although Taker teased his retirement on Instagram following WrestleMania, perhaps it was just that, a tease.

It initially looked like Undertaker was going to retire after his WrestleMania 33 loss to Roman Reigns in 2017 and then once again in October 2018 following his Super Show-Down match against Triple H. Vince McMahon was able to prevent Taker from hanging up his boots for good, however, by giving him a contract that “he couldn’t refuse.” Later that same month, Taker would team with Kane at Crown Jewel in a losing effort to Triple H and the un-retiring Shawn Michaels. “The Phenom” would also wrestle Goldberg at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia in June 2019 in what was one of the worst pay-per-view main events in company history before redeeming himself in a tag team match alongside Reigns at Extreme Rules the following month.

WWE has received a lot of criticism for its continued focus on part-time stars like The Undertaker, especially given the massive paydays that stars like Taker, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar have been receiving for one-off matches at WWE’s overseas specials. Aside from “The Beast,” most part-timers—Taker included—are well past their primes as in-ring performers, but as was demonstrated at WrestleMania 36 when WWE’s unique presentation of Taker’s Hollywood-style Boneyard match with Styles was the biggest hit of night one, Taker can still be a vital asset to WWE when he’s booked in a way that highlights his strengths and masks his weaknesses.

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The Undertaker’s biggest strength is the undeniable aura that he has, one that is unmatched by anyone in WWE, and the company did a remarkable job of showcasing his star power on “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” Taker was reportedly hoping to “redeem himself” with his performance at WrestleMania 36, and he did just that. If that’s the way he rides off into the sunset, he should definitely hold his head up high. But every time WWE fans have counted Undertaker out, he’s been roped back in with a lucrative financial offer and a tempting storyline. This year, Undertaker reportedly chose Styles as his WrestleMania opponent because he believed he’d work well with Styles due to Styles’ similarities to Michaels, arguably Taker’s greatest rival ever.

In hindsight, that was a great decision that showed why The Undertaker continues to be used on a part-time basis even though his days as a five-star classic machine are clearly a thing in the past. With the WWE Network subscriber count continuing to plummet, WWE struggling to create new stars and Raw ratings recently dipping to all-time lows, expect WWE to utilize Taker again in the future.

Because even though his WrestleMania match with Styles was a great way to cap off one of the most legendary careers ever, it would be quite a surprise if that is the last time we’ll see “The Deadman” perform in the ring.