After years of weark tear, abuse & turmoil to his body, the career of The Undertaker (presumingly) came to a close at WrestleMania 33. Well, Undertaker looks to be finally settling down and taking care of his nagging injuries that have plagued his career for the past several years.
Personally, I have to say it is about time that we see The Undertaker take matters into his own hands by taking care of his own well being. He deserves it and needs to enjoy the remaining years of his life through rest, relaxation and isolation from the public eye.
The Undertaker was shown with Michelle McCool entering a Manhattan hospital located at 575 East 70th Street; :The David H. Koch Pavilion.” This hospital is known to be one of the finest in New York City and the world, so it would seem “The Deadman” will be in good hands.
Over the years, The Undertaker has been known to put on some of the most memorable and breathtaking matches in WrestleMania history. The classic battles with “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25 and 26 respectively can arguably be the best matches in the history of WrestleMania.
Match-ups with the likes of Randy Orton, Kane, CM Punk, Triple H & even against Brock Lesnar where “The Streak” was broken to the shock and dismay of wrestling fans around the world. These matches alone helped define the legacy The Undertaker has had. Undertaker has been known to put on some of the best matches on the WrestleMania card, however, in recent years the wear, tear and aging was beginning to rear their ugly heads with each passing year. The Undertaker was beginning to turn mortal before our very eyes.
The Undertaker may be the latest wrestling casualty to join the hip replacement surgery fan club, but several other big names have also gone under the knife in the past few years. Hulk Hogan has been notable for having numerous back and hip surgeries to treat his nagging injuries, limiting Hogan’s mobility and taking away his ability to perform the Atomic Leg Drop during his last TNA (Impact Wrestling) run.
The late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper had been noted for the surgery as well, even though he still wrestled with the hip replacement in the mid-to-late 90’s for WCW. This was exposed during a segment between Piper and the nWo during a contract signing segment for “World War 3″ in 1997. One other huge name that recently underwent hip surgery is former RAW General Manager & WWE Legend, Mick Foley.
Ironically, Foley is one of The Undertaker’s most infamous and well known rivals, with both men sharing one of the most iconic moments in all of wrestling (Sports Entertainment) history.
The Undertaker left it all on the line at WrestleMania 33, giving it all that he had as he and Roman Reigns headlined the event in front of 75,000+ fans in the Citrus Bowl at Orlando, Fla. The match may not have been a bell to bell classic, riddled with several botches and mediocre spots as both men struggled to connect and find that in-ring chemistry to make the magic happen inside the squared circle.
When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Roman Reigns drove the nail into the coffin after not one but two vicious spears to The Undertaker to score the pin fall and ending the greatest legacy the WWE has ever had… and will ever have.
On that faithful night, Roman Reigns’ hand was raised in victory as the majority of the WWE Universe boo’d and rebelled against “The Big Dog’s” win. Once the fireworks had went off, The Undertaker got his well deserved final spotlight, leaving his trademark trench coat, gloves and black hat in the ring, symbolically taking his leave for the final time and descended back into the depths of hell as WrestleMania came to a close.
As the wrestling world begins to soak in and accept that we may never see The Undertaker compete in a wrestling ring ever again, one can look forward to the day that we see Mark Calaway accept his rightful place into the hallowed halls of the WWE Hall of Fame, all the while The Undertaker character descends into his grave, where he may…
The Undertaker: “Rest….in…..Peace!”
Leave your comments below, or send me a tweet or an e-mail with your thoughts. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you next time!
Twitter: @phenom1con85
E-Mail: brandon_l_ewing@live.com