With fans unable to attend last year's WrestleMania due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE had to get creative for The Undertaker's final match. As a result, the Deadman ended up squaring off with AJ Styles in a cinematic Boneyard match, and ultimately rode off into the sunset as the victor.
It was a stellar bout, and one the Phenomenal One looks back fondly on. "I am proud that I had the opportunity to work with The Undertaker," he recently revealed. "And it was the icing on the cake to have one of the better cinematic matches that WWE has done. I was very proud of it. I’m sure Taker was proud of it."
"It was one of those things where you’re not really sure how fans were going to take it, but it was exactly what we both needed. I was certainly, and pleasantly, surprised when they said ‘you’re doing a Boneyard match, and it’s gonna be different.’ I’m like ‘OK, cool! Not a match in front of nobody? Perfect.'"
"It was exactly what we had envisioned," Styles continued. "I would love to have had the opportunity to work with him before he retired because we jelled so well in that Boneyard match."
Heading into the match, the former WWE Champion felt he needed to get The Undertaker an appropriate retirement gift, and ended up turning to the Phenom's wife, Michelle McCool, for advice.
"I called his wife and was like ‘Hey, what does he want?!'" Styles explained. "Cause I needed to get him something. She was just like ‘well, get him your gloves. That would mean a lot to him if you signed your gloves.’ I was like ‘All right!’ So, yeah, Michelle hooked me up, and hopefully, that was a gift he enjoyed. He actually sent his gloves to me with a very nice thank you letter, which meant the world to me. I have them sitting on my table in the office. It meant a lot."
It definitely sounds like these two have bonded since squaring off at the Show of Shows, and The Undertaker has spoken highly of Styles since their clash. It would have been fun seeing them compete in a regular match, of course, but at this point in Taker's career, this cinematic match was likely the best possible way to end his career in a way that will be fondly remembered by fans.