The Undertaker: WWE legend retires with ‘nothing left to accomplish’

The veteran superstar insists only an “emergency” would tempt him back

Wrestling’s greatest ever character may finally be retired after the man behind The Undertaker admitted he has “no desire” to wrestle again.

The Undertaker has been the most iconic character in WWE – and wrestling as a whole – since his debut in 1990.

Some 30 years later, after three years’ agonising over the end to his legacy, the man behind the black hat appears ready to walk away.

Mark Calaway, who has wrestled as The Undertaker for three decades, made the stunning admission as part of the documentary detailing the end of his career, The Last Ride.

The series has been an at-times painful watch for longtime fans of the character and Calaway himself.

The Undertaker looks set to resist a comeback and retire (WWE)

Originally intended to document his retirement match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania in 2017, the series was turned into a long-term project after the 55-year-old was left unhappy with the quality of his match with Reigns.

Ever since, Calaway has chased the ideal send-off and the perfect match, with later contents against John Cena and Goldberg leaving him feeling just as hollow.

At last, though, it appears The Undertaker may be done and dusted – with Calaway confessing he was at peace with the quality of his most recent outing against AJ Styles at WrestleMania in April.

The ‘cinematic’ match, filmed at a closed location amid restrictions imposed as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, was extremely well received by fans and critics.

It now seems it was enough for The Undertaker to say enough was enough.

Reflecting on the match, Calaway said: “There was a lot of thought and a lot of emotion, one of those being ‘are you happy enough with that?’ It was a powerful moment [and] you don’t necessarily always get those. If there was ever a perfect ending to a career, that right there was it.

The Undertaker is set for retirement (WWE)

“I’m at a point, it’s time this cowboy really rides away... there’s nothing left for me to conquer or accomplish.

“The game has changed; it’s time for new guys to come up. The time just seems right. This documentary has helped me discover that and opened my eyes to the bigger picture and not judge myself as harshly these last few years.”

As seems customary for Calaway, however, the door was left slightly ajar for future cameos, after he added “only time would tell” whether he’d answer a call to don the hat once more.

He added: “If Vince [McMahon – WWE owner] was in a pinch, would I come back? I guess time would only tell there.

“In case of emergency, break glass, you pull out The Undertaker.”

The Undertaker: The Last Ride is a limited series event airing on WWE’s subscription service, WWE Network. Earlier this month, WWE announced the launch of a free, capped access version of the platform.

For more details visit wwe.com