Expert Poll: Who should be The Undertaker's final opponent?
The Undertaker's retirement has been a major topic of discussion among fans and the wrestling media alike in recent weeks. The first three episodes of The Last Ride documentary series have chronicled The Deadman's struggles with walking away from the business that he has dominated for decades.
We found out early on in the series that plans were for WrestleMania 33 to be The Undertaker's final match. He lost to Roman Reigns in the main event. Then he took off his hat and jacket, left them in the ring, and walked out of Camping World Stadium to a hero's send off. The match itself however, was not what Taker had in mind.
Unable to train properly for the match with Reigns due to an ailing hip, The Undertaker (real name Mark Calaway) admitted that he should not have been in the ring that night. After undergoing surgery to alleviate the pain in his hip, Calaway began training again and ultimately decided to give it another go at WrestleMania 34 against John Cena.
Turns out, that match was a disappointment to Calaway for a completely different reason. He says he was in good enough shape to go out for a 20 minute match and got a quarter of that time.
He defeated Cena in what was essentially a glorified squash match. Had Undertaker gotten the time he desired, the match might have been enough to walk away. However, his yearning for something more coupled with his new found health led him down his current path with the company.
Will The Undertaker have that final match he's searching for?
The Undertaker is stuck in a revolving door of triumphs and disappointments in the ring as he searches for the right moment to be his last. Right now he's riding high following his victory over AJ Styles in the Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36, but will it be the last time we see The Deadman compete? Not likely.
If one thing has been made clear in The Last Ride, The Undertaker is looking for that Shawn Michaels send off. The opponent, the location, the match, and the story all have to be right.
While the match with Styles, for the most part, received rave reviews from fans and critics both, I can't imagine The Undertaker having his final match without an audience present.
As time moves forward it's getting harder and harder to make Calaway's dream send off come to fruition. So I starting thinking. If I was booking the Undertaker's retirement match, how would I do it? Who would be the opponent? Well I asked those same questions to a few of my colleagues in the world of wrestling journalism.
The Undertaker has said when it comes to retirement it's his call to make, but it's still something fun to think about. If you had the power to book his final match, how would it go down?