13 Ups And 23 Downs For WWE In 2020

8. Taker Bows Out

There is probably no character more synonymous with WWE through the years than the Undertaker. While you can easily argue that wrestlers such as The Rock, Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan were bigger stars, Taker has been a consistent force in the company for the past three decades.

And that’s what made 2020 so significant for the Deadman. UT’s career clearly has been winding down – he’s had 12 matches during the past five years – but he’s never made it clear that he’s ready to hang it. That changed this year.

Taker tipped his hand with a series of out-of-character appearances – few wrestlers have been more protective of their character than Undertaker – on Stone Cold’s podcast, and with his own WWE Network special series. And then there was the Boneyard match at WrestleMania 36 against AJ Styles, a cinematic match that was widely praised, but also felt like a nice coda on UT’s career.

It turned out that that was exactly the case. At Survivor Series, 30 years after he debuted at the same PPV, Undertaker came out and retired his character, effectively ending his in-ring career and going out on a high note.

While the “ceremony” itself was lacking, the entire process in 2020 – the Boneyard match, the specials and interviews – made for a memorable ride into the sunset for Taker.