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The Lasts of The Undertaker

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Writer: Nikunj Walia

The Legend of The Undertaker will forever be etched as one of the greatest superstars to grace the squared circle in the world of professional wrestling. From striking fear into the hearts of opponents to creating some of the most iconic moments in the history of WWE for three decades, there has been no way to escape the undertaker’s mystique that has been awe-inspiring producing one of the most illustrious careers in history.

While the Deadman has seen the sunset on his career with a grand farewell at WWE Survivor Series on November 22nd, 2020 which coincidentally was the date of his official in-ring debut in the WWE in 1990, his career saw the end of some of his lasts at every stage of his career which many writers and analysts have not recognized yet

Take a look at some of the last instances of the Undertaker that ended at every major point of his three decades of destruction.

5. The Last CHAMPIONSHIP

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The Phenom’s last championship run in the WWE came in 2009 when he defeated then straight edge champion CM Punk in a Hell in a Cell match at the namesake PPV to claim the holy grail i.e the now-retired World Heavyweight Championship. Taker managed to put down a lot of opponents attempting to dethrone him and it seemed that he was going to walk into the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania as a proud and dominant champion to put one more soul to rest that year.

However, The Man from the dark side had the world championship stripped off him during the Elimination Chamber PPV in 2010 inside the deadly structure at the hands of Chris Jericho thanks to a timely assist from the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, whose constant pleas for a rematch from previous year’s Wrestlemania were constantly turned down by the Undertaker leading up to the Road to Wrestlemania. This marked the last time the WWE universe ever saw him walk out in front of them with a championship.

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The Undertaker never got or asked for his rematch for the title as he set his sights on exacting vengeance from Mr. Wrestlemania for costing him the World Heavyweight title, finally agreeing to fight Michaels once again at Wrestlemania 26 in one of the most highly anticipated rematches with Showstopper’s career on the line. Taker went on to defeat Shawn Michaels extending his then-undefeated streak to 18-0 and forcing Michaels to retire from in-ring competition.

4. The Last FULL-TIME RUN

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Regarded as one of the most tenured superstars, The Undertaker continued to make his presence felt for thirty years every now and then. But it was the year 2010 which saw the end of The Undertaker’s full-time run with the WWE. The Lord of Darkness was constantly on the road performing at all major shows and live events for twenty years. His appearances become less right after his match with Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25 taking sabbaticals for months while appearing back-forth on RAW, Smackdown and PPV shows.

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The end to his full-time tenure as a performer came during his reignited rivalry with his storyline half-brother Kane in 2010 over the World Heavyweight Championship. After failing to win the title at Night of Champions and Hell in a Cell PPV, Taker fell short yet again in his third and final attempt due to interference from the Nexus group in a Buried Alive match with Kane retaining his title. This was also the last time we ever saw the Brothers of Destruction battle against one another.

This match could also be credited as the burial of the last Outlaw’s final run as a full-time superstar. After that, The Undertaker began making only sporadic appearances and wrestling once or twice a year, primarily at Wrestlemania and other major PPV shows to carry on his prestigious legacy forward with the passage of time and multiple injuries finally catching on to the mythical superstar.

3. The Last MATCHES on RAW & SMACKDOWN

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The Undertaker has made several appearances on WWE’s both premier shows, Monday Night RAW and Friday Night Smackdown over the years even after when he started wrestling on a part-time schedule back in 2011. We all remember the Undertaker’s final match that took place at Wrestlemania 36, but many seem to forget his last appearance inside the ring on the red and blue brands.

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He was part of a huge 6 man tag team match on RAW teaming with his brother Kane and Daniel Bryan collectively known as Team Hell No against the Shield in a losing effort while bouncing back with a huge victory over Dean Ambrose on the following Smackdown not before being put through the announce table by the faction.

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These two matches became the final time that we saw the Undertaker step inside a WWE ring to compete on either RAW or Smackdown.

2. The Last APPEARANCE FRONT OF AN LIVE AUDIENCE

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The Undertaker’s final farewell was not as grand and memorable as his accomplishments in the wrestling world. It was primarily due to the onset of the deadly COVID-19 virus which forced WWE to move to a no audience and later virtual fan experience format preventing the WWE universe from bidding farewell to one of the greatest WWE Superstar of all time in person.

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It was at Elimination Chamber 2020 that The Undertaker saw the bright lights in front of a sold-out arena of passionate WWE fans in Philadelphia for the very last time before his official retirement.

He made a surprise appearance during a match between Aleister Black and the AJ Styles appearing out of nowhere to the sound of his gong choking out Styles team members Gallows and Anderson not before putting down the Phenomenal One with the chokeslam giving Black the opening to hit the Black Mass and claim the victory.

1. The Last MATCH IN FRONT OF AN LIVE AUDIENCE Image Courtesy: WWE

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There could be some debate regarding the last match wrestled inside the squared circle by The Undertaker.

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While the official record books would claim his impromptu battle with AJ Styles in the finals of the Tuwaiq Mountain trophy tournament as his final match in front of a live audience, many other critics and wrestling fans would differ on the same.

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The last time he wrestled in a fully-fledged wrestling match would be the tag team match against Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon teaming with Roman Reigns in a winning effort at Extreme Rules 2019. The match gained a lot of praise for the Undertaker with many claiming it to be one of his best performances in recent years. What many fans didn’t realize was that it would be the absolute last time they would see the Phenom march towards the ring to display his exceptionally great athleticism and deliver a memorable match only like The Undertaker can.