Do you know which match bothers The Undertaker the most?
You would be right if you said his bout against Goldberg as that car crash of a match happened ten years too late. However, there’s another one that gets under Taker’s skin - his match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. This was supposed to be the WWE Hall of Famer’s retirement match.
However, the match is filled with noticeable botches. The Undertaker vs. Reigns is far from a terrible match, but the former WWE Champion wanted to go out on a high note, but The Undertaker doesn’t feel that he did. The 59-year-old went into more depth about his high profile match and laid out a major issue with it.
“That still bothers me. Not that I lost, but I was just…I stayed a little long. I stayed a little long. I didn’t have enough for him that I would have liked to have given him. At that point, my body was shutting down. Yeah, I shouldn’t have been in that match, but [shrugs], anyway," The Undertaker said.
That wasn’t his first time expressing his disappointment for his supposed retirement match. Taker ultimately got his happy ending as his Boneyard match against AJ Styles was highly regarded, but during an interview with ESPN, he stated how disgusted he was watching his match with Reigns back.
"That was one of those times it was tough having the cameras there. That was the first time that I watched that match back. I was so disgusted with it that I didn't want to watch it back.
"Early on in my career, I watched everything back. Good, bad, indifferent. As I got older ... I know when I'm out there and I'm moving slow. I know when my limp is more prominent that it may be. Or when I'm behind in a spot. I just know now."
Taker’s disappointment is more about not being able to properly put over Roman Reigns. The former WWE star wanted this match to be the calling card that finally launched Reigns into the main event scene, but in Taker’s mind, he had no business being in the ring at the time.
"[Watching that match], I'm battling with it. I was so disappointed for Roman. Even after Brock Lesnar beat the streak, for guys coming up to have a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania - especially where Roman was at - it was important for his career.
Especially because he was going over. For me, in that role, I wanted to do the very best that I could do for Roman. I think the world of him. You want to be able to do the best you can for him, and you know you have no business being in the ring.”
We can understand where Taker is coming from but it’s not as bad as he thinks it is. Will it go on anyone’s “best of” list? No, but it’s certainly not in the top 50 of worst matches either.