The Undertaker says he knew he wasn't prepared for huge WrestleMania match

The Undertaker says he knew he wasn't prepared for his WrestleMania main event clash against Roman Reigns as far back as the Royal Rumble event that year.

In a recent appearance on the Victory Over Injury Podcast, The Undertaker - real name Mark Calaway - explained he was aware he was "overweight" and "out of shape" heading into the match. However, he felt going through with the scheduled bout was the right thing to do to "pass the baton" to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33.

The Undertaker would also detail his disappointment in the match, saying he believed his poor performance instantly eliminated any prior success he'd had in his illustrious career. This included his iconic victory over Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25.

Here's what The Undertaker had to say about his WrestleMania 33 match against Roman Reigns:

"It was disappointing to me, and I knew in January when I was in the (Royal) Rumble. You could tell I was overweight, I was out of shape, but I knew what they wanted to do. It was important for me to pass the baton on or do what I could for Roman, who’s the next generation. It was just a bad, bad deal. That was probably as honest a moment as you’ll ever see in wrestling. Me taking that hat and coat and putting it in the ring, because I knew at that point I was done. I was so disappointed. Anything else I’d ever accomplished, I couldn’t think of that. I couldn’t think of WrestleMania 25, Houston with Shawn Michaels, all those thoughts were gone. It was, “You just stunk the joint out and you let a lot of people down.”

The Undertaker finally retired in November 2020.

The Undertaker on his disappointment over John Cena match

The Undertaker returned from temporary retirement at WrestleMania 34 against John Cena, having undergone a rigorous training regimen. However, in his podcast appearance, Taker emphasized his disappointment at the short length of the match, given how much effort he'd put into his preparation.

"I was working with Cena, over in like four or five minutes. I was like, “You gotta be kidding me?!” Because I trained harder than I had ever… I train hard as it is, to get ready for Mania. But I had an extra, I had to be redeeming myself. If I’m gonna do this I’m gonna redeem myself to the point where that (WM 33) was just a flash and a bad memory. And then we go out in four minutes. Vince thought it was hilarious!"

The final match time for The Undertaker vs. John Cena was a mere two minutes and forty-five seconds.