I was thinking about how The Undertaker is arguably the most unique character in WWE history, and I didn't feel that there was enough reference to the character after the match. Yes, Taker left the hat and the coat in the ring. But I guess in my head I always pictured more. I thought maybe druids would carry him out of the ring one last time, or the lights go out and when they come back on, Undertaker's gone but there's an urn in the ring. Or maybe even a Paul Bearer voiceover beckons Undertaker back "home", or Kane being involved somehow. I don't know exactly what my preference would've been, but something along those lines. Something that celebrates the character more and gives it some kind of closure. To me the symbolism of him leaving the gear in the ring just wasn't enough character-wise. Last week on RAW he still had the "power" to mess with the intro and "appear" out of the darkness, but after the match on Sunday it was basically just the man behind the character exiting for good. Maybe that was the intention. I don't know. I just felt like something was missing. What do you all think? Should there have been a better ending for the character of The Undertaker, or did they do enough in your eyes?
Was Something Missing From Taker's Exit?
- Thread starter themick
- Start date
Hyorinmaru
Sit Upon The Frozen Heavens
Druids, Kane and Bearer have been involved before and he always came back.
As one of the last wrestlers/characters that treated Kayfabe seriously this is the only way his legendary career could have ended and have people actually know it's really the end.
As one of the last wrestlers/characters that treated Kayfabe seriously this is the only way his legendary career could have ended and have people actually know it's really the end.
I think his exit was fine. Can't remember the last time I saw the druids or Kane for that matter, but if they had showed up okay, but wasn't surprised not to see them either.
Think the idea of him going out in casket or being in an urn is a little over the top as well. Undertaker wasn't a full time wrestler, we hardly saw him throughout the year, and maybe in sometimes simple is more. If you know what I mean.
They didn't need the big line of druids, Bearer calling him home, he just needed to put his gear down, kiss his wife and call it a day. It was all about him and not the hoopla surrounding it. It worked well, and there is an old saying you never say never. They left the door opened a crack just in case.
Think the idea of him going out in casket or being in an urn is a little over the top as well. Undertaker wasn't a full time wrestler, we hardly saw him throughout the year, and maybe in sometimes simple is more. If you know what I mean.
They didn't need the big line of druids, Bearer calling him home, he just needed to put his gear down, kiss his wife and call it a day. It was all about him and not the hoopla surrounding it. It worked well, and there is an old saying you never say never. They left the door opened a crack just in case.
Hard Hit Prince
Not really working as a
I enjoyed the way it was done, but I think I understand your point too. Such a unique character, and that's the word, character.
The Undertaker story is pretty much a book that we all know - his brother set their house on fire killing their parents and apparently dying in the fire too. Undertaker, alone, was taken in by Paul Bearer, a caretaker and friend of his family. He eventually became Bearer's pride and joy of life by becoming a menacing fighter controlled only by the dark forces. In WWE he could cause pain on everyone else and he enjoyed it. It was a menacing person. A really dangerous individual, a lunatic to some. He eventually showed he had some kind of magic powers. He appeared out of nowhere, he could black out buildings and even throw lightning bolts at people. He won the championship by beating Hulk Hogan and he couldn't care less about the fans as in, he was the one that did it. Not for them but just because he could.
Some years later his presumed dead brother debuted too. He gave him an helluva beating and it was Paul Bearer again who revealed to be behind all of this. It doesn't matter of course that what Kane did was terrible. At the end of the day, they were brothers and Undertaker showed a lot of complex compassion. They eventually fought at WrestleMania. Undertaker formed a Ministry of Darkness. He hanged someone at WrestleMania. He even threw a dude from a 20ft cage, not once, but twice.
In 1999/2000 he quit the WWE. He wasn't so sure anymore if wrestling filled his void. He did some soul searching and he found IT. His lost soul that died when he was a kid and the fire consumed all the love he really had. He became the American Badass and he rolled with it for 3 years, until of course, his brother Kane finally 'killed him' again in a Burial Match.
Nope though, because even though he had a soul, he never truly lost his powers. But not being able to breathe under a pile of earth, killed his soul for good and he was once again The Deadman. Tragic, I know. It was the druids, a group of mistic individuals, who brought The Undertaker back. In this lore, they were the past Undertakers (read untilt he end)
He was god at this point, specially at WrestleMania. He beat everyone who tried to keep him down, but he was so resilient at that stage that people just assumed it was his dark magic taking special effect at the stage. Nothing and nobody could beat him. Randy Orton even set him on fire at one point and NO HARM DONE. He was basically immortal and the only way to beat him, was by stealing his magical urn that gave him powers or to just make sure you could just caught a fast 1,2,3 count. Don't you ever think on trying to submit him, because you would die first than hearing say the words "I Quit".
He beat legend after legend at WrestleMania, until one man, Brock Lesnar. A Beast. A Freak of Nature. He did what no one else could and his will was bigger than The Deadman's powers. He won again. He won again. He lost to the young stud named Roman Reigns.
Now what should've happened was - the druids should come out, and I am saying pretty much the entire roster dressed as druids. One of them would just show him the urn, broken in pieces. He would take the jacket, the gloves, the hat. He was no longer magic. He would look at the arena one last time and join the druids. He would then wear their cape and finally be lost in the hundreds of figures dressed the same way. Then there it was, one of them, raises his arm and we know it's The Undertaker.
We cry a lot and whisper: "don't go". The gong. The dark light. All of them, the 100 people or more, were gone.
The Undertaker story is pretty much a book that we all know - his brother set their house on fire killing their parents and apparently dying in the fire too. Undertaker, alone, was taken in by Paul Bearer, a caretaker and friend of his family. He eventually became Bearer's pride and joy of life by becoming a menacing fighter controlled only by the dark forces. In WWE he could cause pain on everyone else and he enjoyed it. It was a menacing person. A really dangerous individual, a lunatic to some. He eventually showed he had some kind of magic powers. He appeared out of nowhere, he could black out buildings and even throw lightning bolts at people. He won the championship by beating Hulk Hogan and he couldn't care less about the fans as in, he was the one that did it. Not for them but just because he could.
Some years later his presumed dead brother debuted too. He gave him an helluva beating and it was Paul Bearer again who revealed to be behind all of this. It doesn't matter of course that what Kane did was terrible. At the end of the day, they were brothers and Undertaker showed a lot of complex compassion. They eventually fought at WrestleMania. Undertaker formed a Ministry of Darkness. He hanged someone at WrestleMania. He even threw a dude from a 20ft cage, not once, but twice.
In 1999/2000 he quit the WWE. He wasn't so sure anymore if wrestling filled his void. He did some soul searching and he found IT. His lost soul that died when he was a kid and the fire consumed all the love he really had. He became the American Badass and he rolled with it for 3 years, until of course, his brother Kane finally 'killed him' again in a Burial Match.
Nope though, because even though he had a soul, he never truly lost his powers. But not being able to breathe under a pile of earth, killed his soul for good and he was once again The Deadman. Tragic, I know. It was the druids, a group of mistic individuals, who brought The Undertaker back. In this lore, they were the past Undertakers (read untilt he end)
He was god at this point, specially at WrestleMania. He beat everyone who tried to keep him down, but he was so resilient at that stage that people just assumed it was his dark magic taking special effect at the stage. Nothing and nobody could beat him. Randy Orton even set him on fire at one point and NO HARM DONE. He was basically immortal and the only way to beat him, was by stealing his magical urn that gave him powers or to just make sure you could just caught a fast 1,2,3 count. Don't you ever think on trying to submit him, because you would die first than hearing say the words "I Quit".
He beat legend after legend at WrestleMania, until one man, Brock Lesnar. A Beast. A Freak of Nature. He did what no one else could and his will was bigger than The Deadman's powers. He won again. He won again. He lost to the young stud named Roman Reigns.
Now what should've happened was - the druids should come out, and I am saying pretty much the entire roster dressed as druids. One of them would just show him the urn, broken in pieces. He would take the jacket, the gloves, the hat. He was no longer magic. He would look at the arena one last time and join the druids. He would then wear their cape and finally be lost in the hundreds of figures dressed the same way. Then there it was, one of them, raises his arm and we know it's The Undertaker.
We cry a lot and whisper: "don't go". The gong. The dark light. All of them, the 100 people or more, were gone.
The thing is Sunday was not the Undertaker's last match. The WWE commentators stated it could have been his last match. Vince didn't say it was his last match. Calloway didn't. They will do 'more' next Wrestlemania when he comes back and 'beats' Roman Reigns to retire.
Kodo Sawaki
Championship Contender
I think we should absolutely trust WWE commentators and what they said. After all they said Orton- Wyatt is main eventing Wrestlemania and they delivered it. Not only did it main event but it was MOTY candidate.
I think it was good. Taker is old school guy so leaving his gear was perfect way of him saying "Goodbye". Match could be little better and told better story. Kind of like "Old Yeller" thing with Michaels and Flair but with Reigns more cocky instead of just polarizing with occasional "I am gona retire Undertaker". But Flair and Michaels are both legends and Reigns just started his path. Also, Taker as much as I adore him, isnt in his prime and in need of hip surgery. If he did all that on Sunday night with his age and in need of surgery, then he is truly superhuman.
LoudClearVoice
Mid-Card Championship Winner
I think at the very end when he was walking down the ramp, Kane's music should have hit and Kane should have appeared. One final moment of the Brothers of Destruction standing together at Wrestlemania, before Taker made his final exit, would have been awesome. Other than that, I think every was great with the way it played out after the match.
The Life Of Pablo Ren
I know my name/avi/sig don't match.
I honestly think it was the best thing they've ever executed, no hyperbole.
The thing is, we aren't just saying goodbye to the character. We're saying goodbye to the man who made the character what it was. All that extra stuff wasn't needed. Had they had druids carry him off or whatever, honestly I think it would've been a little corny, not to mention I think it would lead a lot more to believe that it was part of a story and not his actual retirement.
And as for the Kane thing, why? It's not like they're real life brothers or even lifelong friends like Edge and Christian. Again, we're saying goodbye to the man and not the character. It just would've been unnecessary.
The thing is, we aren't just saying goodbye to the character. We're saying goodbye to the man who made the character what it was. All that extra stuff wasn't needed. Had they had druids carry him off or whatever, honestly I think it would've been a little corny, not to mention I think it would lead a lot more to believe that it was part of a story and not his actual retirement.
And as for the Kane thing, why? It's not like they're real life brothers or even lifelong friends like Edge and Christian. Again, we're saying goodbye to the man and not the character. It just would've been unnecessary.
The commentators said that it 'could' have been his last match. They did not say it was his 'last' match. Nobody on earth said it was his last match except all the marks assuming it was and then mindlessly tweeting it into hysteria. Shawn and Flair was done perfectly. Sure. But this purposely wasn't. Thinking Taker is 'done' for one full year will just make his final match next year all the more memorable. Hip surgery blah blah blah..You realize WWE disseminates lies and exaggerations through social media to blur the lines of reality and kayfabe..It's their way of transforming smarks back into marks. What you hear is all for show. Remember how they had us all believe Seth Rollins was 'so' injured at Wrestlemania. Rollins was 'fine' the whole time. Same goes with Undertaker. Sure he probably needs a career ending surgery. But he also needs to build up his retirement so he can someday soon get that surgery. You don't just 'retire' out of the blue when you're the biggest character in company history. Sorry. And, according to wrestling beat writers, Undertaker vs Reigns wasn't even scheduled to end the show until Vince changed his mind the day before. Would it really be Undertaker's 'final' match if Vince McMahon had it scheduled as a mid card match only 24 hours prior? No way. They turned it into the 'main event' when they hatched the plan to build for next Wrestlemania..and Undertaker's 'real' final match..with Reigns..Imagine the payoff. Imagine the business. The attendance records. The druids. And Taker pinning Reigns 1-2-3 in the ring. Remember all those jeers on RAW the other night? Imagine the eruption when Undertaker returns! This is text book guys seriously..no more of this retirement rubbish please..
All sorts of no. This idea, to paraphrase a 2017 Hall of Famer...It's not a bad thing...It's a horrible thing.
I get that people want everything to be about story, and the story of the Undertaker is all about mysticism and the supernatural.
But what happened after the match wasn't the story of the Undertaker. It wasn't the story of Mean Mark Callous. It wasn't even the story of "Punisher" Dice Morgan.
It was the story of Mark Calloway, a man that for nearly 30 years gave his all in that wrestling ring. Whether it was being trained by Don Jardine, facing Steve Austin in one of Stone Cold's first matches ever, being the third Skyscraper, or becoming the greatest gimmick wrestler of all time, this was the end of HIS journey, not just the end of his character.
Simple was the best way for him to go out. Leaving his gear in the ring, kissing the woman that he loves and then the slow walk up the ramp and into the proverbial sunset. He was no longer the Dead Man, he was no longer the American Bad Ass, he was no longer the Last Outlaw. He is Mark Calloway, a man that walked away with no regrets, and is ready for his next journey.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I can see both sides of this thing. On one hand, keeping it simple the way they did seemed appropriate as it had grace and a quiet dignity about it. The notion of Taker's last match is a somber one and I can see the appeal of going out quietly with little to no pomp. The druids are kind of corny but I think it'd been cool if Kane had come down in his gear, put his arm around Taker's shoulders and they just slowly walked up the ramp like a couple of brothers.
At the same time, I can see the appeal of something more lavish and part of the pageantry that's part of Taker's gimmick. For instance, one scenario that always sounded cool in my head was for Taker to just be lying motionless in the center of the ring and a procession of druids come out with their torches, line up as they do and for a number of beautiful women dressed in black armor with helmets & masks covering their faces, maybe some of the Divas could be used, sort of like the Valkyries from Norse mythology who would gather the souls of brave warriors who'd perished on the battlefield and would taken them to Valhalla. One of them could be Michelle McCool in the lead, though it's hard to tell it's her because of the outfit & all, and the Valkyries would stand in a circle around Taker's prone body with weapons raised while Michelle cradled him in an embrace while a few of the druids took down the ropes from the side facing the ramp. More druids push down a platform that looks like a funeral pyre down to the ring and help the Valkyries lay Taker's still prone body onto the pyre; Michelle McCool still stands at his side as they push him up along the platform, holding his hand and I've little doubt she'd be weeping as this means the end of his career, and they just push Taker on up the ramp and into the back all while the thunder, lightning, his music, etc. is going on.
At the same time, I can see the appeal of something more lavish and part of the pageantry that's part of Taker's gimmick. For instance, one scenario that always sounded cool in my head was for Taker to just be lying motionless in the center of the ring and a procession of druids come out with their torches, line up as they do and for a number of beautiful women dressed in black armor with helmets & masks covering their faces, maybe some of the Divas could be used, sort of like the Valkyries from Norse mythology who would gather the souls of brave warriors who'd perished on the battlefield and would taken them to Valhalla. One of them could be Michelle McCool in the lead, though it's hard to tell it's her because of the outfit & all, and the Valkyries would stand in a circle around Taker's prone body with weapons raised while Michelle cradled him in an embrace while a few of the druids took down the ropes from the side facing the ramp. More druids push down a platform that looks like a funeral pyre down to the ring and help the Valkyries lay Taker's still prone body onto the pyre; Michelle McCool still stands at his side as they push him up along the platform, holding his hand and I've little doubt she'd be weeping as this means the end of his career, and they just push Taker on up the ramp and into the back all while the thunder, lightning, his music, etc. is going on.
I agree with most of you, it was great the way it was, but if i was to add something it would have been that as he was saying his goodbyes and walking through the ramp to play on the screen some sort of video with the History on the Undertaker, since his first apearence though his entire evolution all the way to his last match, or something in that nature, so every Generation in attendence get to see every aspect of The Undertaker......
FromGlasgow
Championship Contender
I hope I'm wrong but I would bet him leaving his outfit in the ring symbolised that he is retired for good now, Kind of sad as he was the last one left still competing in the WWE from the good memories I had when I watched wrestling as a kid, I think having Kane come out would have been a terrible idea as Undertaker had a huge career which didn't involve Kane and think him coming out would have only taken away from the moment same as having a weird druid moment as he has done things like that before and always came back but this seems more final.
I can understand why you want some bigger send-off but I liked the send-off. Even more because it was somewhat out of character.
The end could be done with some gimmick stuff but I don't think that it would be apt for his career's end. It was emotional. It made me sad although I rarely watched The Undertaker now. The match itself made me sad.
It wasn't perfect but it wasn't bad either.
The end could be done with some gimmick stuff but I don't think that it would be apt for his career's end. It was emotional. It made me sad although I rarely watched The Undertaker now. The match itself made me sad.
It wasn't perfect but it wasn't bad either.
