What’s the story?
We are almost a week away from WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida, and one of the top matches at the event will surely be the one-on-one contest between The Undertaker and Roman Reigns.
After Reigns claimed a few weeks ago that he was going to retire The Undertaker and given The Deadman’s health issues recently, many fans wonder if this will be the last time we see Taker perform in a WWE ring.
And according to reports from StillRealToUs and PWInsider, the impression backstage with WWE officials is that it may be the case as well.
In case you didn’t know...
At the age of 52, The Undertaker’s time in the WWE might be running out.
With his many Mania moments, his epic Mania win streak, and to being a major part of the grand spectacle for over two decades now, The Undertaker is one of a few men who are considered the greatest WrestleMania performers of all-time.
As a matter of fact, his WrestleMania streak reached an unbelievable 21-0 before being broken by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX. Taker has had a match at every Mania since, facing and defeating Bray Wyatt at Mania 31 then Shane McMahon at last year’s event.
However, the last few times The Deadman has been in a WWE ring, he’s left the squared circle looking like a shell of his former self, often limping to the backstage area and even needing medical attention immediately backstage after matches.
Add that to the fact he had hip surgery at the end of 2016, just to return at Royal Rumble a few months later and is rumoured to need more soon, and it’s clear to see that The Deadman doesn’t have much time left in his career.
The heart of the matter
According to the report, Taker’s health issues were at the forefront for WWE’s creative team this past week backstage, especially after Taker took a huge spear from Roman Reigns that resulted in The Deadman walking around backstage in a lot of pain.
Also read: WWE WrestleMania 33: 5 dream retirement scenarios for The Undertaker
With that being the report about Taker after just about any physical confrontation he’s had for the past year or so, it’s not difficult to see why backstage officials believe that this may be Taker’s last ride.
What’s next?
It’s clear that WWE has left the door open for future Undertaker matches, such as Taker vs. Braun Strowman and Taker vs. John Cena, but most believe backstage that the matches will never happen and that this year’s Mania may be the last one for The Deadman
His match with Reigns at WrestleMania 33 may be the last time we see him compete in a WWE ring.
Author’s take
The Undertaker is one of the greatest of all-time in this business, there is no denying that.
However, quite frankly, it’s now time for The Undertaker to hang up his boots and ride off into the sunset as one of, if not the, most loyal Superstars in the business and one of the greatest that the industry has ever seen.
While most fans will probably get physically ill from the thought of Taker being retired by Roman Reigns, it’s the best thing for Taker right now and could possibly sky-rocket Reigns as the top heel in the company, if that’s the direction WWE decide to go in.
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