Undertaker not retiring from the WWE just yet

Like many wrestling fans, I read the latest wrestling news and rumors on various websites (aka dirt sheets). Some sites are much more reputable than others.

The one headline that is guaranteed to pop up at least twice a year, especially during Wrestlemania time, is the Undertaker’s retirement. I roll my eyes every time I see it and I rarely ever link out to it in this blog or mention it in passing. I’m bucking that trend and addressing it once and for all.

Why? Because he’s been my favorite wrestler since the moment I watched pro wrestling for the first time and it’s time to set the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC) straight.

The latest retirement headline surfaced earlier this week when the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter,” one of the more reputable sites, reported that Undertaker dropped from his usual 320 pounds to about 275-280 pounds. The site reported that many of his peers believe he will wrestle for a few more years since he is relegated to about one match per year.

We shouldn’t have to worry when Undertaker will retire because the WWE will tell us. That’s right, the WWE will do a tremendous job of advertising Undertaker’s final match. They did it a few years ago with Ric Flair, and more recently, with Shawn Michaels.

Granted, Flair and HBK were placed in “if you lose, you retire” matches, but fans watched the match knowing that this could very well be their last match. Let’s not forget, Wrestlemania 24 (Flair’s retirement match) and Wrestlemania 26 (HBK’s retirement match) were heavily promoted with the retirement stipulation. Undertaker-Michaels II was the main event at Wrestlemania 26 and the entire show was based around “The Streak vs. The Career.”

There is no way the Undertaker, currently the longest-running star on the roster, is going to retire and vanish into thin air. The WWE will do everything in their power to make sure every single fan of the WWE Universe knows ‘Taker is about to hang up the trench coat for good.

It's not a smart business decision to keep Undertaker's impending retirement a secret. The WWE will want to benefit off 'Taker's retirement because he has been one of their biggest draws the last decade. Every Wrestlemania has been built around his streak Wrestlemania win-streak. Why would they not do the same thing with his retirement? It would make no sense.

Now that we got that out of the way, fans can stop wondering if this is it for ‘Taker and the IWC can stop writing about it.

So there, I’ve broken my rule and written about the Undetaker’s retirement. Savor the moment because the next time I plan on writing about this subject is after the Dead Man retires, and I don’t expect to do that for another few years.

Here’s to 20-0 and beyond.