The Undertaker has outlined his goals for after he retires from professional wrestling at WWE Survivor Series on November 22.
Mark Calaway used to be a man of few words, but since his departure from the industry he helped to thrive was announced in the final episode of, The Last Ride, documentary he has been more vocal than ever on his career and those who touched it in a positive way.
Now, ‘The Deadman’ has spoken to Sony Sports India and Bollywood star Rana Daggubati about what comes next and how he’ll put the character he’s portrayed behind him after thirty years under the hat.
When quizzed about what was left to do in the ring and what his goals are now he’s finally decided to call it a day, ‘Taker answered humbly that he wants to stick around and give his knowledge to those just beginning life in the squared circle:
“I think, the legacy is there and I want that legacy to not be tarnished. And that was part of the reason to finally call it a day. It becomes more and more of a physical challenge to go out and perform at the level people expect when they come to see The Undertaker. My career… I have exceeded all my personal goals and never could I have imagined a 30-year non-stop career with WWE. In our world that just not happen that often to stay at one place for that long. I am very proud of the fact that once I got to WWE, I never left. All my dream, all my goals, I have reached.
And now it’s time to make new goals and then to pay all my experiences to… pay it forward to the new guys that are coming up behind me. And I think that’s where my next goals are oriented towards… the next generations of sports entertainers.”
‘The Man From the Darkside’ was then asked about one of his most famous character changes, going from gothic to motorbikes when he transformed himself into ‘The American Badass’ at Judgment Day 2000:
“It was extreme initially. The first time out was extremely nerve-wracking because I didn’t know how my audiences are gonna react to it. I felt like I needed to make a change for a little to just freshen myself a little bit. When I made this move, the guys like Stone Cold, The Rock, Triple H… all these guys were cutting these promos. I was kind of shackled with what I can do during that time. I couldn’t compete with them on the mic without being able to come out of The Undertaker character for a little bit.
I always knew I was gonna go back. But I needed to step out of it and show some different things that the original Undertaker could lead to the character. And that took a lot of change from me and freed me athletically and some of the promos that I wanted to cut, just be the American Badass.”
Though it is unknown what WWE have planned for The Undertaker’s last ride, it has already been confirmed that several WWE legends are slated to appear to say goodbye to their friend and toughest ever foe.
As we inch closer and closer to a historic moment in time, those who grew from childhood to adulthood with ‘The Demon of Death Valley’ are now left wondering what a wrestling industry looks and feels like without him.
You can read the full interview here.
Credit for the interview: Sony Sports India
h/t for the transcription: Wrestling Inc.