The Undertaker Speaks About His Struggles Post-WWE
Sebastian Wright
Published Mar 27, 2026
The Undertaker
- Birthdate:
- 1965-03-24
- Birthplace:
- Houston, Texas, USA
- Birthname:
- Mark William Calaway
- Height:
- 6 feet 10 inches
- Weight:
- 299 lbs
- Debut:
- 1987-06-26
- Championships Held:
- WWE Championship (x4), World Heavyweight Championship (x3), World Tag Team Championship (x6), WCW Tag Team Championship, WWE Hardcore Championship
- Finisher:
- Tombstone Piledriver, Chokeslam, Last Ride, Hell's Gate
- Twitter:
- Notable Rivals:
- Triple H, Shawn Michaels, edge
- Current Promotion:
- WWE
- Instagram:
- Hair Color:
- Natural Hair Color: GingerDyed Black for majority of WWE career.
- Eye Color:
- Blue
Wrestlers and struggling with retirement: name a more iconic duo. It's a common element in the pro wrestling industry, with wrestlers having a hard time saying goodbye to the business they love. Fans have seen firsthand how competitors like Ric Flair just couldn't quit. Another such legendary name that has struggled with putting it all behind them and just enjoying retirement is The Undertaker.
Retirement Left A Hole In The Undertaker's Soul
On a recent episode of his podcast Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway, The Undertaker took the time to answer some fan questions. He was asked about his life post-retirement and how the transition has been. Taker had this to say:
My transition...I knew my time had come. But I wasn't ready for it to come. I just knew that my body couldn't deliver what my mind and my heart wanted to give the fans and it was kind of difficult. You have to remember that for over half of my life, being in the ring is what I did, and then it's not there anymore.
The Phenom continued, stating how leaving the business left a void that is hard to fill:
It leaves a huge void in you because you're trying to fill that void, which was a passion. You're trying to find out what that next passion is and what it is that you're gonna sink your teeth into and there just may not be something that will ever refill that void."
While many wrestlers struggle with when to finally call it quits, it must have been especially difficult for The Undertaker to finally say goodbye. Not only was he the heart and soul of WWE, but his longevity was unmatched. The Deadman admitted that he has had trouble accepting that he won't ever compete again. He stated how he has difficulty showing up to WWE shows, because he gets the itch to get back in the ring:
When I retired, I retired in 2020 and here we are in 2024. I still find myself sometimes struggling, not so much at home. I'm more analytical and more of an analyst type while I'm watching it at home. But if I'm like live in the venue, there's a lot of times where I just have to leave because there's that thing in me that saying 'You should be getting ready to go to the ring.' I hope it goes away at some point but as of now, it hasn't.
Life In WWE Post-Retirement
The Undertaker wrestled his final match 4 years ago against AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match in the main event of WrestleMania 36 Night 1. It was a cinematic match that saw The Phenom bury Styles and ride off into the sunset on his iconic bike.
The Undertaker Explains How His WWE Career Could Have Been Longer
The Undertaker wrestled his last match at WrestleMania 36 against AJ Styles then retired. He explains how he could've had a longer WWE career.Since then, The Deadman has made sporadic appearances in WWE. He was at Raw XXX where he helped Bray Wyatt take down LA Knight. He also showed up on an episode of NXT, where he faced off with Bron Breakker.
