The Undertaker Says The Lack Of A Crowd Made Retiring Easier

The Undertaker has looked back on his November 2020 retirement ceremony and explained how special it will be to have fans at his Hall of Fame induction.

After one of the most legendary careers in professional wrestling, The Undertaker officially retired from the ring in November 2020, exactly 30 years after making his debut at Survivor Series in 1990.

The farewell ceremony included a hologram of ‘The Phenom’s long time manager Paul Bearer, who sadly passed away in 2013. Fans were moved at seeing Paul Bearer holding the iconic urn once more, even if they weren’t there in person to see it happen.

In a recent interview with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, The Undertaker compared his retirement to his upcoming Hall of Fame induction. He discussed how special it will be having fans in the crowd to celebrate with him, although he admitted it will also be nerve-wracking.

“The short answer is extremely special. The long answer is it’s extremely nerve-wracking. I’ve wrestled in front of 100,000-plus crowds [and] not bat an eye about it. I can get in front of thousands and thousands of people as The Undertaker and cut a promo on somebody. I don’t think twice about it.

“But what’s going to happen at the Hall of Fame is, yes, you’re going to get a kind of a retrospective of The Undertaker and his 30-plus years with the company, but you’re going to get a look behind the curtain at Mark Calaway. What all of those things that people have been so attached to for all those years, you’re going to find out what those things have meant to me personally.

‘The Deadman’ explained that retiring in the ‘Thunderdome’ was easy compared to trying to keep his composure in front of fans who’ve supported him throughout his entire career, but he’s still excited to share what will be an emotional moment.

“The retirement was during the pandemic and it was what it was. That was easy. I mean, it was hard for me to say that I’m retiring, but it was easy because there was nobody there. Now I’m going to be making eye contact with 15,000 to 20,000 people and try to keep my composure. There are going to be some emotional moments, I’m sure.

“At this point, I’m extremely honored that I’m being inducted. I’m honored and I’m excited to be able to share some things with the fans who have been with me all these years. It’s really exciting.”

The Undertaker’s final match saw him face AJ Styles in a cinematic Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36. The bout saw Undertaker and Styles fight around a Boneyard compound. Despite interference from AJ Styles’ friends The Club, The American Badass stood tall in victory for the final time.

Vince McMahon will personally induct The Undertaker into the Hall of Fame in Dallas on April 1st. He will be joined by The Steiner Brothers, Queen Sharmell and Vader in the Class of 2022.