BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
There are talks every year that the Undertaker is going to finally retire from professional wrestling. The man has given us plenty of years, matches, and memories that wrestling fans will cherish and pass on for as long as we can cherish things and pass them on. He’s an icon. There is no denying that. Guys like Hogan, Flair, Austin, and The Rock are always held on this high plateau of greatness but the one constant in modern wrestling is The Undertaker. While others went for spotlight he was always around doing his thing.
The character is unlike anything else in wrestling. For years he would face “villain of the week” type of characters. Some of those enemies would last and some would go away to be forgotten. Regardless, the Undertaker would always come back to life and continue to do his thing.
We all have our favorite moments in the man’s long line of awesomeness. If you’ve been fortunate enough as myself to see him live, then you know you’ve experienced something special. There is nothing like the vibe and energy of an arena of thousands of awe struck people as fog and atmosphere fill up your visuals and takes over your imagination. The Undertaker forces you to enjoy yourself. I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit for the small aspects of things. The Undertaker is the Shawn Michaels of big men. By that, I mean he’s the best of all time despite any money status attached to judging “greatness”. The man is an artist as much as a workhorse.
The talks about him retiring bring up the heated debate of if “The Streak” should end or not. For over two decades, The Undertaker has gone undefeated at Wrestlemania. It’s one of the biggest achievements in pro wrestling and one helluva an accomplishment. Super fans think he should retire undefeated because he “deserves it”. Of course he “deserves it” and ideally the happy ending would be for him to go out on top. But that’s unrealistic and not part of the old school traditions that Taker has came up on.
Basically, the reasons we all love and respect The Undertaker are the same reasons THE STEAK MUST END!
1.) To Pass The Touch
Whoever defeats The Undertaker at Wrestlemania and ends “The Streak” will have one of the greatest honors in wrestling history. This person would almost be an INSTANT Hall of Famer based on this one victory alone. It would make anyone’s career. You know the person would be someone Taker respects and sees something in so it wouldn’t just be anyone.
2.) So We Can Move On Emotionally
Every year we have to spend time thinking about this. We wait to find out who he’ll fight and then we’ll have to deal with the repeating discussion of “is this the last year?” or “is he healthy enough to do this?” Then the match happens and no matter what shape the man is in, he puts it all on the line. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.
3.) Stop Testing With The Legacy
Speaking of which, who wants to remember the Undertaker as an old man who can barely move? Who wants to see younger, healthier wrestlers have to over-sell his slow moves out of respect? We’re NOT at this point yet, but I feel like we’re getting closer. I want to remember the immortal figure that so many years went into crafting.
4.) Go Out On Your Back
The old school mentality is that you “go out on your back”. I have a hard time thinking that the Undertaker doesn’t feel some responsibility to uphold this respectable tradition. We’ve see Flair do it, Michaels, Foley, and just about everyone. It’s just part of the ritual. I’ve love the haunting image of the Undertaker losing and the druids coming out to carry him out. Once he’s out, the druids are revealed to be Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kane, Mark Henry, Big Show, Ric Flair, and the other icons he has defeated at Mania over the years. How bad ass and emotional would that be?
5.) To End The Myth/Introduce The Man
The day the Undertaker retires the myth is over. The closing chapter to a long story. There is no way he’d “come back” after retiring. He’s barely around as it is. I’d love for the story to be over without drama, without tragedy, and without fault. They have that chance. Then the next day, the lights go out, the bells toll, the music plays, and the lights come on. The man, Mark Calloway, walks down the aisle and enters the ring in a suit, not in the dark, and without theatrics. He then gets in the ring and gives his farewell speech. I’d LOVE for the WWE to be able to salute the man behind this character and myth. I doubt this would happen.
6.) So New Traditions Can Rise
The whole idea of “The Streak” is awesome. Every year we anticipate it and wait for it. It’s just as important as the title matches to most people. There have even been talks of Royal Rumble winners choosing to face Taker as opposed to going after a belt. With “The Steak” being gone it leaves room for new traditions. I thought we had this in Money in the Bank, but that didn’t work out. Still, something would eventually fill this void.
7.) Bury An Era
The Undertaker is one of the last standing icons of the 90’s era of wrestling. When you bury the Undertaker, you bury the Attitude era once and for all. Don’t get me wrong, wrestling is obviously different than it used to be. Still, it would be closure. It would force people to accept that the Attitude era is a memory and NOT an option. The quicker a good chunk of fans realize this, the better.
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