An Emotional End to the Dead Man Era
It should have been a joyous victory for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. He had just defeated the great wrestling legend of all time. But instead of cheers, there were tears from the WWE denizens who found it hard to believe that the Big Dog defeated the Undertaker, the most feared dead man in WWE history. But there he was crushed by superman punches, spears and crashes on the table.
It is the second time the Undertaker lost a match at the main event. The first time his winning streak was broken was in 2014 when he lost to Brock Lesnar.
The Undertaker’s career spanned nearly three decades . During this period, his spooky character gave chills to audience and viewers. In his early career days, he made a name for himself by using a smoky effect, chilly music to make a haunting entrance. This effect was enhanced by his late manager Paul Bearer who accompanied the Dead Man with an urn. The Phenom also brought a casket to the ring side. He threw his defeated opponents into the casket after a match, giving credence to his catch phrase ‘Rest in Peace.’
Undertaker is known for his catchphrases but the popular ones still remained ‘Rest in Peace’ and ‘This is my Yard’.
Now, it is Roman Reigns’ yard. Standing up to the jeers and boos from the crowd on Monday Night Raw, Reigns boldly claimed that it is his yard now.
To say that the WWE fans are unhappy with the outcome of the match would be an understatement. They watched in shock as the deadman rose from the defeat, wandered a bit in the ring, then stood tall. A man of few words, the Undertaker slowly removed his ring regalia- his gloves, jacket, and hatplacing them in the middle of the ring. He then walked through the ramp and raised his hand in appreciation to his fans. It took a moment or two before the message of that act finally dawned on the denizens. There will no longer be a haunting deadman wrestling in the ring. Eyes glistened, jaws dropped, as the deadman went backstage.
A tribute followed on Twitter with the hashtag #ThankyouTaker. His fellow colleagues paid tribute to him including Reigns.
The Undertaker however, turned out not to be the only retiree from WWE after WrestleMania 33. Goldberg, in an off-air segment of Monday Night Raw also bade his fans goodbye. The wrestler lost to Brock Lesnar at the main event without giving a good fight. He is leaving the ring to be with his family.