"How do you beat Khali?" - The Undertaker reflects on incorporating a devastating move during his full-time WWE run
WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker was known for his brutal repertoire of moves when he wrestled full-time in the company. But recently, the 59-year-old legend shared a story when he questioned the effectiveness of his moveset when he faced opponents with immense size and strength like The Great Khali.
The Deadman used to put his WWE rivals to sleep with a Chokeslam signature, followed by a Tombstone Piledrive finisher. Around the middle of the 2000s, 'Taker's in-ring game evolved, which meant expanding his move set, and that's where Hell's Gate came in.
This vicious maneuver wasn't just any submission hold; it was a terrifying triangle choke that sent shivers down opponents' spines. The Phenom could turn the tide of a match in seconds, leaving his opponents gasping for air and tapping out in defeat.
During an appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, The Undertaker admitted that his past injuries had slowed him down. He mentioned that it wasn't easy to hoist larger opponents for a Tombstone Piledriver anymore, which led to him incorporating the Hell's Gate submission rather than executing a bad finisher.
"I used the obviously Hell's Gate, that was kind of added late in my career. Just different options... I added Hell's Gate in there just because I was getting so beat up when I worked with the really big guys. I couldn’t pick them up and throw them around like I used to. So I had to figure out a way to – How to be beat Khali? Right? You choke him out. So that was kind of self-preservation figuring out different ways to beat different guys without risking giving them a bad Tombstone," he said. [From 32:31 to 33:08]
Check out the whole episode below:
The Undertaker confirms he is retired and will not wrestle another match in WWE
The Deadman's official final match was against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36. The 59-year-old WWE veteran defeated The Phenomenal One in a Boneyard Match. However, since then, he has made several special on-screen appearances, the latest being his recent involvement at WrestleMania 40.
During the same conversation, the former World Heavyweight Champion confirmed he is not coming out of retirement. The Phenom, however, mentioned that if the company needs him for cameos at times, he might consider it.
"I'm not saying that I wouldn't if they needed something like that again, but I'm not gonna have a match or I'm not coming out of retirement," 'Taker said.
At this year's Showcase of The Immortals, 'Taker helped Cody Rhodes win the Undisputed WWE Championship by taking out The Rock with a Chokeslam. Fans will have to wait and see if WWE has any plans in store for The Undertaker in the future.
Please credit Chris Van Vliet's INSIGHT podcast, and provide an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.