The Undertaker Opens Up On Why He Retired From Wrestling

The Undertaker has explained why he felt he needed to retire from the ring, despite still having the desire to “be out there”.

The ‘Phenom’ can currently be seen in a new Netflix movie, ‘Escape The Undertaker’ alongside The New Day. The movie is the latest interactive offering from the company and allows viewers to make decisions for Kingston, Woods, and WWE Champion Big E as they try to get away from the ‘Deadman’s mansion.

In an interview with ET Online, The Undertaker said he was concerned the movie would be “too funny” and not in keeping with the character he created and honed over three decades. However, he found the experience to be the opposite.

“I worked with them a little in the ring, but not nearly — I never had a program or really spent a lot of time being creative with them. I think what was really the coolest part of it is their energy, right? They have this dynamic positive energy and then you put that in contrast to The Undertaker, which is obviously a dark force and I was a little leery at the beginning when I’m thinking you know, conceptually. Is it going to be too funny or will it take The Undertaker too far out of his roots? But it was just the opposite. Their energy played against mine so well.”

Turning to his decision to end his time as an active wrestler, the former WWE Champion said that the decision didn’t come from not wanting to be in the ring, but because his body just can’t deliver in the way he would want to.

“Yeah, my days in the ring are done and it’s not because I don’t want to be in the ring. I mean, that is where I’ve spent most of my adult life – my whole life really, more than half of my life has been spent in the wrestling or sports entertainment ring. In my mind, I still can see everything and in my heart, I want to be out there but it’s just at a point where my body can’t deliver what my mind and my heart see, my body can’t deliver that and I just don’t want to cheapen the legacy of that character. I’d hate for people to pay money to see me work and be disappointed.”

After over 30 years in the ring, The Undertaker had his final bout at WrestleMania 36, where he defeated AJ Styles in a well-received cinematic ‘Boneyard Match’ which ended with him riding off into the night on his motorcycle.

H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.