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Recently, a funny video declared that The Undertaker, whose real name is Mark Calaway, joined AEW as The Mortician.
The Undertaker retired from WWE at Survivor Series 2020 after a prolific three-decade-long career with the company. Meanwhile, AEW has been snapping up former WWE Superstars like Jon Moxley, Paul Wight, Mark Henry, Chris Jericho and Christian Cage. It’s obvious for fans to wonder whether Tony Khan will offer The Deadman a deal he can’t refuse.
The video was met with guffaws from many viewers who figured it was a spoof. That’s also how industry veterans will react to any discussion about The Undertaker joining AEW, and here are three reasons why.
#1 The Undertaker’s undying loyalty towards Vince McMahon
Before joining WWE, then WWF, as The Undertaker in 1990, Calaway worked a brief mid-card stint at WCW. After eight to nine months of working, he tried to renegotiate his contract “to get a little bump in the money,” but was told nobody would pay to watch him wrestle.
That’s when Calaway began to question his future in WCW, and it didn’t take long for him to sign up with WWE.
Within a few years of his debut, a horde of top-notch superstars like Lex Luger, Hulk Hogan, and Bret Hart would leave WWE for WCW. The Undertaker came close to jumping ship too. WWE was getting hammered repeatedly during the Monday Night Wars; he was fed up with the company’s outrageous gimmicks, and the pay was better in WCW, especially considering you had to stay home for most of the time.
But The Phenom stayed put in WWE due to his loyalty towards Vince McMahon. This undying fidelity stemmed from his gratitude towards the latter for giving him the opportunity when he was struggling. The creative freedom he had in WWE also enabled him to work wonders with his character, and make it a household name in the business.
His loyalty didn’t go unnoticed. In the documentary Undertaker: The Last Ride, Vince called him “the most loyal performer I've ever dealt with,” and said he’s “the kind of man you'd want literally in the foxhole with you."
This deep-seated respect is mutual:
"I love Vince to death. I'd take a bullet for the man, honestly I would. Yes, he's my boss. He's my friend. He's been like a dad,” The Undertaker said.
Calaway even named his son Gunner Vincent after the WWE Chairman.
If he didn’t leave WWE for a rival promotion when it was down in the dumps, it’s almost certain that he won’t join another one after retiring.
#2 The Deadman doesn’t want to return to the ring
The Undertaker’s final match in WWE was against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36, but he made it clear long before that he wanted to hang up his boots.
After losing to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33, The Undertaker laid down his hat, coat, and gloves in the middle of the ring. He even kissed his wife who was in the front row in an uncharacteristic break of character.
But he wasn’t let off the hook just yet. He beat John Cena at WrestleMania 34, attacked Elias on the RAW after WrestleMania 35, had a forgettable match against Goldberg in Saudi Arabia, and tagged with Reigns in a swift-paced match against Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon.
After the match, he admitted to Vince that he wanted to retire because he felt this was as good as it would get. Vince said he was free to do what he wanted, but knew the Deadman had more left in him. This led to the storyline between The Undertaker and AJ Styles, and his final match at WrestleMania 36.
After that, Taker was clear in his mind that he was done. In fact, in 2019, on the Broken Skull Sessions podcast with Stone Cold Steve Austin, he stated that he would know when it’s time to retire.
At 55, he has wrestled for over four decades. He has a family to care for and he feels satisfied with his achievements. It’s hard to think he would jeopardize all that and come out of retirement to compete in AEW.
#3 AEW cannot offer him compelling feuds
Let’s assume for the sake of argument that Mark Calaway becomes The Mortician on AEW. Who will his rivals be? Many of the veteran names in the promotion are ex-WWE, which means it’s unlikely that viewers will want to see him face them again.
The only possible rivalry that could make viewers lick their chops is him versus Sting. This would’ve set the stage on fire if it occurred in the 1990s, had The Deadman had jumped ship to WCW. But given that both superstars’ bodies can take much less than they could in their prime, the company wouldn’t want to land in a similar position as WWE did after the Goldberg-Undertaker match.
Even if the match goes well, there’s little for The Phenom to do when the rivalry ends. Maybe take on Kenny Omega or Malakai Black? Will he be able to keep up with those athletic performers in the ring? For all you know, AEW will probably relegate him to putting new talent over at the expense of his legacy, and he’s far too wise to let that happen.
The Undertaker let the sun set on an illustrious career that he handled with great care. Each appearance gave fans memorable moments that felt real to them. It’s time for him to sit back and enjoy watching the sunsets from the comfort of his home and reminisce on an unparalleled career instead of returning for one last ride.
