#The Rock Pays Tribute as the Undertaker Officially Retires from WWE

The Undertaker officially ended his WWE run over the weekend at Survivor Series, and fellow wrestling star Dwayne Johnson joined the fans in celebrating 30 years of the Deadman. On Nov. 22, 1990, the Undertaker made his first appearance in WWE (then WWF) by debuting at that year’s annual Survivor Series pay-per-view event. Exactly three decades to the day later, the world-famous wrestler returned for this year’s Survivor Series for a Final Farewell celebration as fans and colleagues said their goodbyes.

30yrs ago today, he made his iconic #SurvivorSeries debut.
Like EVERYONE – I was in awe as a rookie in the @WWE when his first words pierced my soul as he walked in the dressing room and said, “Muthafucka” True story ?
Honored to share the ring w you, my brother. #ThankYouTakerpic.twitter.com/ULlppOQlCa

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) November 22, 2020

Johnson honored the WWE legend by posting a photo of himself alongside The Undertaker from their time in the company together in the late ’90s. “30yrs ago today, he made his iconic #SurvivorSeries debut,” Johnson writes in the tweet, using the hashtag #ThankYouTaker. “Like EVERYONE – I was in awe as a rookie in the WWE when his first words pierced my soul as he walked in the dressing room and said, ‘Muthaf***a.’ True story. Honored to share the ring w you, my brother.”
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The Undertaker had first announced his intentions to leave the ring forever in the WWE Network documentary series Undertaker: The Last Ride back in June. In recent interviews, he confirmed that he considers himself officially retired, considering his Boneyard match against A.J. Styles at this year’s WrestleMania to be a perfect stopping point for his legendary run. The end of the cinematic bout saw the Deadman riding away on his motorcycle after burying Styles alive.

While the Undertaker is done with wrestling, he returned at Survivor Series wearing his trademark trench coat and hat one more time for his Final Farewell celebration. In an emotional speech addressed to the viewers, the Undertaker made it clear that he’s hung up the boots, though he thanked the fans for all of the love and support they’d given him over the years. “My time has come to the the Undertaker rest in peace,” the wrestler stated.

The Undertaker is widely considered to be among the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Originally introduced as a supernatural character, the Undertaker immediately began his career with a high-profile feud against Hulk Hogan, becoming a main event star immediately upon his arrival. Managed by Paul Bearer, the Undertaker would go on to become a seven-time world heavyweight champion for WWE. He is also known for his long-running rivalry with his storyline brother Kane, who also appeared at Survivor Series to join the WWE universe in bidding the Undertaker farewell.

Now that the Undertaker is retired, it would also seem that the time has also come for him to soon be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. As the organization doesn’t typically induct active wrestlers, the Undertaker is not currently a member, but there will likely be a fan campaign for him to get the honor at next year’s WrestleMania. Although we won’t be seeing him back in the ring to compete bell-to-bell ever again either, chances are the Undertaker will continue to make the occasional surprise appearance to please the fans. This news comes to us from Dwayne Johnson on Twitter.

Topics: WWE