What’s the story?
Michelle McCool has reacted to what was assumed to be the final WrestleMania match for her husband, The Undertaker. He faced off against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33, losing a no-disqualification match that saw him take several spears and chair shots, which left him on his back in the ring for quite some time after the pinfall.
McCool described the dramatic exit and reception from fans that followed “powerful” in a post on her Instagram page.
Also read: Roman Reigns retires The Undertaker at WWE WrestleMania 33, Deadman breaks character #ThankYouTaker
The background
Undertaker is a legend in the WWE, of course, and has a special mystique surrounding his WrestleMania record of 23-2. Reigns joined Brock Lesnar as the only men to beat The Phenom, with Reigns’ win coming in the final match of a star-studded card.
McCool was also a WWE performer, holding the Divas Championship and the Women’s Championship twice each. She was the inaugural Divas Champion when that belt was first introduced in July 2008.
The heart of the matter
Undertaker’s exit was truly special, as the Deadman slowly took off his gloves, coat and hat in the centre of the ring and seemed to be in awe of the reception he was receiving from the crowd. Then, with his purple lighting effects in full force, he went to ringside to kiss McCool before heading up the ramp.
There, he paused mid-way through to raise his fist, something that has become iconic now, as the show came to a close. After the event, several stars – including Reigns himself – posted tributes on social media using the hashtag #ThankYouTaker. All of this points to how big of a deal Undertaker was during his time in the WWE.
What’s next?
Many regarded Undertaker’s exit as a sure sign that he was retiring, but that stipulation was never officially added to the match. For what it’s worth, the WWE website simply said that fans were left with the “unmistakable feeling” that the match with Reigns was his last, perhaps leaving the door open that he could be persuaded to come back one day.
Regardless, the signs were pretty clear that the Deadman had no intentions of wrestling again, so now all that remains is to see what happens with Reigns after such a milestone victory.
Author’s take
The Undertaker is done, and unfortunately, it appeared as though he went one match too many, as he looked to be a bit too far out of shape to pull off some of the planned action. Still, it was nice to see him close out the show as the hero leaving on his own two feet.
Ideally, retiring such a huge star would be the catalyst for a major heel turn for Reigns, but that seems highly unlikely given the WWE’s track record with the former Shield member.
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