10 Times You Didn't Realise Wrestlers Were Saying 'Goodbye'

3. The Undertaker

Randy Savage Hulk Hogan WCW Thunder
WWE.com

It's rather upsetting that The Undertaker's last match in front of a live crowd was a Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet bout in Saudi Arabia at Super ShowDown 2020. Stop to think about that for a second. One of the most iconic names in WWE lore's final two bouts were an unwanted Saudi midcard match and a pre-taped brawl with AJ Styles.

At least the latter lived up to the billing.

WrestleMania 36 was weird before it started due to the ongoing COVID pandemic and subsequent global lockdown. Privately, 'Taker had a word with himself and recognised the 'Boneyard' battle as his final match. That wasn't part of the conversation amongst fans or WWE announcers on-screen heading into the Performance Centre tapings.

WWE gave 'Taker an on-screen retirement at Survivor Series later that year (again without fans), and he's since been inducted into the Hall Of Fame. The buzz coming out of 'Boneyard' was that the legend could work well within the cinematic framework for another couple of years.

Nope. He was more than ready to hang up the boots for good.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.