'I Have No Desire to Get Back in the Ring'- The Undertaker
WWE
wrestling star The Undertaker has received an outpouring of support on social
media after saying he had "no desire to get back in the ring".
The
55-year-old, whose real name is Mark Calaway, said in a recent documentary that
there was "nothing left for [him] to conquer".
His words
suggest plans to retire after a career spanning three decades.
But neither
Mr Calaway nor the WWE have formally announced his retirement from the league.
The Dead
Man, as he is nicknamed, made the comments during the new WWE biopic The Last
Ride.
He spoke
about his most recent match against wrestler AJ Styles, which ended with him
burying his opponent and riding away on a motorcycle.
"It was
a perfect moment. You don't necessarily always get those. If there was ever a
perfect ending to a career, that right there was it," Mr Calaway said.
"It's
time this cowboy really rides away," he added. "I can do more good
outside the ring than I can inside. I'm finally at a place where I can accept
that."
He said he
would consider returning for one last match, but that "only time would
tell".
Mr Calaway
has been a multiple world heavyweight champion, six-time tag team title holder
and winner of the Royal Rumble.
He began his
career with World Class Championship Wrestling in 1987, and moved to the WWE in
the 1990s as a final member of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Team.
Mr Calaway
is also known as a WWE pioneer. He was part of the first Casket Match at
Survivor Series in 1992, the first Buried Alive match in 1996 and the inaugural
Hell in a Cell match in 1997.
Despite
enormous popularity, however, he has not chosen to follow superstars like John
Cena or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson into movies.
He told the
BBC last month that he "had opportunities to do so" but had
decided against it.
"It
doesn't work for me," said Mr Calaway. "Wresting and WWE is my
passion. It's where I've completely invested and where my heart is at."
On Sunday,
he tweeted a clip from The Last Ride and wrote "you can never appreciate
how long the road was until you've driven to the end".
His
revelation has prompted a wave of supportive messages on social media, using
the hashtag #ThankYouTaker.
AJ Styles said he would be "honoured" if their fight had been The
Undertaker's last.
Ring
announcer Mike Rome also paid tribute to the wrestling star, saying "thank
you for making our childhood so cool.
There has been speculation in
previous years about his retirement. In 2017, after losing a match to
Roman Reigns, Mr Calaway dropped his iconic gloves, hat and trenchcoat in the
middle of the ring before walking backstage.
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