"Just leave me alone" – The Undertaker says he refused to let WWE film him after "trainwreck" match
The Undertaker allowed WWE cameras to film him behind the scenes in the three years leading up to his 2020 in-ring retirement. In a recent podcast episode, the WWE icon recalled how he refused to be interviewed for his Last Ride docuseries after Crown Jewel 2018.
Kane and The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels and Triple H headlined the Saudi Arabia show. A battle between the Attitude Era legends was viewed by many as a dream match. However, the 27-minute bout failed to live up to the hype.
On Six Feet Under w/Mark Calaway, The Undertaker said he did not want his immediate reaction to be caught on camera:
"They're coming up to me to get my thoughts on it, right? And I'm just like, 'No. Just leave me alone. I need a minute. Just leave me alone.' I don't think we ever got an interview. It was awful. Everybody was apologizing for everybody else. It was just a complete disaster and trainwreck." [49:11 – 49:38]
Triple H was unable to perform at his best after suffering a torn pec during the match. In the latter stages, another unfortunate unscripted moment happened when Michaels accidentally knocked Kane's mask and wig off.
The Undertaker explains why Crown Jewel 2018 was so bad
The talk ahead of the event revolved around Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement after an eight-and-a-half-year in-ring absence. After the show, discussions centered around Michaels and Triple H's underwhelming victory.
The Undertaker believes the match was a disappointment because all four men were no longer full-time wrestlers:
"It was just another example of how difficult it becomes without reps. When you're not doing it every day. Shawn hadn't done it for years. I wasn't in the ring before the Australia match [against Triple H a month earlier], it was a while since I'd been in the ring." [49:40 – 50:01]
In the same episode, The Phenom revealed how he and the other wrestlers in the match convinced Michaels to reverse his retirement decision.
What are your memories of Crown Jewel 2018? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Six Feet Under w/Mark Calaway and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.