Though the series finale aired last month, more “Undertaker: The Last Ride” content is coming to the WWE Network this weekend.
WWE has announced that a bonus episode titled “Undertaker: The Last Ride: Tales from the Deadman” will premiere on the WWE Network on Sunday:
You thought you’d seen the last Last Ride? Think again.
The critically-acclaimed WWE Network series returns this Sunday as Undertaker shares even more stories from his legendary career on Undertaker: The Last Ride: Tales from the Deadman, narrated by Emmy-nominated actor and producer Timothy Olyphant.
Get ready for some incredible behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the man himself, as Undertaker recalls stories about the origins of his character, his experience on an infamous plane ride, and even that time he fought The Godfather over a hat, all accompanied by never-before-seen animation.
Don’t miss the return of Undertaker: The Last Ride, as ‘Tales from The Deadman’ premieres this Sunday, streaming immediately following The Horror Show at WWE Extreme Rules, only on WWE Network.
In addition to airing on the live stream after Extreme Rules, “Tales from the Deadman” will be made available on demand on the WWE Network at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday.
“Undertaker: The Last Ride” was a five-episode docuseries and ended with The Undertaker saying he has no desire to return to the ring following his Boneyard Match against AJ Styles from WrestleMania 36. “If Vince was in a pinch, would I come back? I guess time will only tell there,” Undertaker said. “In case of emergency, break glass, you pull out The Undertaker. I would have to consider that. Never say never. But at this point in my life, and in my career, I have no desire to get back in the ring,”
While the big reveal (?) of “Undertaker: The Last Ride” has been discussed since it aired last Sunday, there has been considerably less talk about the entirety of the fifth and final episode (“Revelation”) which was a proper end to one of WWE’s best documentary efforts to date.
Yes, Mark Calaway said that he’s done. Kind of. But the totality of the nearly five hours of the series was a fascinating look at one of the game’s most reclusive stars. Following this series and his seemingly endless stream of media appearances, that reclusiveness is gone and he’s one of us mere mortals. Kind of.
The fifth episode starts by bringing us back to Madison Square Garden, a special place for Calaway and one that he didn’t think he would return to. A picture of him is now framed below a picture of Elvis in a hallway, meaningful for Calaway if you’ve heard his story about seeing the Elvis and Muhammed Ali pictures there earlier in his career.
While in a locker room, a request for someone behind the camera to get makeup remover turns into a good story. His dad, who was a big supporter of his son’s career despite being disappointed he didn’t follow through on a basketball scholarship, just shook his head backstage at a Houston Raw early in Calaway’s career as he was putting on his eye makeup.
“I miss him,” Calaway says, giving insight into his past which we hadn’t seen in the series to this point. The fifth episode gives a little bit about his pre-wrestling past, but not as much as I found myself hoping for. Looking back over the five hours, insight on his upbringing, his first marriage, his decision to not take the scholarship and some of those other personal details were the only thing really missing that would have helped round out the story.
Although Calaway seems at ease if he never wrestles again, the series-long foreshadowing of a match with AJ Styles comes to fruition as a mutual friend of Styles’ family and Calaway’s helps connect the two after Calaway alludes to wanting to go out on his own terms during a Steve Austin podcast, interesting Styles greatly.
Before he accepts, he takes a trip down to the Performance Center to work with some of the big guys and to gauge how he’s feeling when working with younger talent. To no surprise, he feels “much better than expected” and the match is on, even after an off-screen, poorly executed rib on Styles perpetuated by Vince McMahon that Calaway wants to work with someone else. There’s a lot of Styles/Undertaker build and background in episode five, so if you’re not really into that aspect, this episode probably didn’t work for you.
Then, the ‘rona hit and we launch into the strength of episode five: the planning and execution of the boneyard match. While I’m not the biggest fan of the cinematic style, I found this to be fascinating. The initial “this?” of the location, how they were able to come up with and execute their vision, the nearly disastrous broken car window spot five minutes into shooting, and Calaway’s admission that it was physically taxing because of how the shoot didn’t exactly line up with his adrenaline bursts.
We also learn that on the day they were to begin shooting, Calaway got a call from his niece that his brother had died of a heart attack. To make matters worse, he was the one that had to tell the news to his mother and his brothers. He moves ahead with the match regardless, a nod toward the wrestler mentality of how work comes first. If there’s one thing we learn about this guy, it’s that he really does give a shit.
After wrapping at 5 AM and riding off into the darkness, Calaway said a lot of thoughts were going through his head and that it felt like a fitting end to the ride.
We jump ahead two months later and a few things have changed. McCool’s nephew passing away after a car accident and Kobe Bryant’s death were a shock to Calaway’s system, reinforcing his need to be present in the moment for his family. He was satisfied with the boneyard match and that, “If there ever was a perfect ending to a career, it’s that.”
Then, we arrive at the moment that has been built up since the series started. Is he done? He says “never say never” when openly questioning if he would come back if McMahon was to call him in a bind, referring to himself as a “Break glass in case of emergency” option. While never saying the magic word, he does say that, “It’s time the cowboy really rides away” and that he can finally accept that he can do more good outside the ring than inside it.
We all know this is pro wrestling and no really ever retires. As we’ve learned through ‘Last Ride’, Mark Calaway’s worst enemy with this decision has been himself. If he indeed holds true to his word, this series is a great capper and fun inside look at the decision making that goes into the end of an unbelievable run.
But, there’s a line he says during the episode that is sticking in my head:
“When I start feeling good, I make bad decisions.”
See you at Mania, Mark.
Notes & Final Thoughts
There was another good section somewhat shoehorned in Calaway’s decision making process into revamping the character for the American Bad Ass era. For those who lived and breathed the Attitude Era, this is your oxygen.
When tossing some wrist tape away while talking, Calaway casually throws in a “Kobe” when it goes into the trash can which was pretty hilarious.
This episode made me wonder how his decision to retire or not retire would have gone had the Saudi Arabia deal never happened.
I still am curious why Bill Goldberg wasn’t interviewed about the Saudi debacle. Did he refuse, was he not asked, or was it just a bad interview?
In a podcast I did with Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net a few weeks ago, I brought up the idea of an Undertaker-Steve Austin boneyard match as a way to give closure to Austin’s career. I don’t know how they would get there, but I think that would be huge. That would truly be the end of an era.
My episode ranking: 1, 2, 4, 5, 3. I stand by my early assertion that the series could air on ESPN or FS1 and get some good numbers if there’s some promotion around it. He did so much already though that perhaps it would lose the effect. Still, there’s a legion of lapsed Attitude Era fans that aren’t Network subscribers that would eat this up.
The Undertaker’s in-ring career is seemingly over.
On the fifth and final installment of Undertaker: The Last Ride, which debuted today on WWE Network, The Undertaker revealed that he thinks of his WrestleMania 36 Boneyard Match with A.J. Styles as his last match.
“If Vince was in a pinch, would I come back? I guess time will only tell there,” Undertaker said. “In case of emergency, break glass, you pull out The Undertaker. I would have to consider that. Never say never. But at this point in my life, and in my career, I have no desire to get back in the ring,”
The final episode of The Last Ride frames Undertaker, aka Mark Calaway’s match with Bill Goldberg at Super ShowDown in June 2019 as the catalyst for his decision to step away.
“Something nearly catastrophic happened,” Calaway said. “It wasn’t anybody’s fault, it was just something that happened. But I was two inches away from probably having my neck broken.”
“Once those thoughts, once they get in there, it’s really difficult to get them out,” said Calaway.
The Last Ride suggests that after an appearance on Broken Skull Sessions with Steve Austin, Styles called Calaway and offered to be his last WrestleMania opponent.
The documentary then chronicles the machinations of Calaway deciding whether or not to take Styles up on his offer. The series ends with Calaway seemingly at peace with his decision.
“The big thing is, I’m okay. I’m okay mentally and emotionally if I’m not an in-ring performer any more…” said Calaway. “This time the cowboy really rides away.”
“I’m good to walk away. Because when we started this whole thing [making the documentary] I wasn’t.”
Writer’s note: The recap of the finale of the series will be up shortly.
When any employee retires or leaves after a long tenure with a company, their most awkward time is their first return back to where they spent all of those hours, whether it’s an office, a playing field, or in the Undertaker’s case, the wrestling ring.
Episode four of “The Last Ride” focuses on Mark Calaway’s continuing internal struggle with whether he should retire and how the awkwardness he felt during his first WrestleMania on the sidelines got him back into the game. Well, that and Vince McMahon, but we’ll get there.
Unlike the disappointing third episode, “The Battle Within” is a welcome return to previous form with the series wrapping up Sunday with its fifth installment.
**********
Coming off the disastrous Saudi Arabia tag team match covered in episode three, Calaway thought he was done, admitting that he “wasn’t all there” due to some personal issues he and his wife were going through at the time.
Anyone that has watched the entire season knows his inability to make that final call and to stick to it has been the running theme. He clearly doesn’t want to leave but keeps looking for a foothold climbing up Decision Mountain, one that will make his decision easier. Everytime he finds that foothold, it inevitably crumbles, leaving him to pause resuming the climb once again.
The meat of episode four is Calaway returning to WrestleMania in New York, but as a former star, hanging out backstage and taking his daughter and wife through Axxess. He is clearly a proud dad and enjoys the opportunity to experience what performers never get to see during the weekend and to have his family by his side, but he feels that little bit of weirdness that he should be preparing for a match instead.
Before Mania, however, we get brief insight into the infamous Starrcast autograph signing cancellation. Calaway says that after so many years of living the character in public, he wanted to take advantage of more exposure and endorsements. Part of that was agreeing to the signing in Las Vegas where he was unaware “the other company” was doing a show there too.
He said he was oblivious to that fact, but Vince McMahon called him about it. Calaway said that he told McMahon there was no way he going to work for them and was just doing a signing. He eventually canceled and admits the two men had a falling out about the situation. Eventually, they both let their guard down to talk, saying “It’s all been sunshine and rainbows since” which a look that tells you everything you need to know.
Of course, McMahon isn’t helping make Calaway’s decision any easier, asking him to do an appearance on the post-Mania Raw. The issue? He didn’t bring his gear, a rookie mistake in the pro wrestling world. Because it’s McMahon, Calaway decides to fly home to Texas to find his bag and then flies back Sunday so he can do Raw Monday. If there’s ever a question he was going to keep at it, this also tells you everything you need to know.
As Calaway surprises McMahon at the gorilla position Sunday, McMahon laughs, “A pro would have brought his gear” to which Calaway quips, “A pro would have booked me to start with.” It’s obvious neither man wants this relationship to end, again compounding the retirement quandary Calaway finds himself in.
Thus begins the cycle all over again. He is booked for another Saudi show as he again wants redemption and Paul Levesque calls him to ask about working with Goldberg. He loves the idea given both of their statuses and their roles in the game during the Monday Night War.
Much like the aforementioned tag match, near disaster strikes. The match falls apart after Goldberg hits his head on the ring post and a botched jackhammer to Calaway comes blessed inches away from possibly paralyzing him, instead injuring his back. He says his visual reactions following the match are real: dejection, frustration, and a realization things could have been much worse.
Disappointingly, we never hear from Goldberg prior or after the match which was odd considering we have heard from anyone that matters during the course of the series.
Calaway comes to a realization that perhaps he shouldn’t be doing this anymore and that the main problem is him. He struggles with the “Is it me?” discussion as any proud top performer would, a glimpse into just how tough this whole thing is for him. Wife Michelle McCool has been supportive the entire time, but tears up when thinking about the Goldberg match and how they are flirting with disaster with each time he goes out there.
To no one’s surprise, he reveals he had previously agreed to wrestle at Extreme Rules and despite thinking about pulling out, he goes through with it, looking to put on a performance that will make people forget about the Saudi match. Again, there’s that redemption thing that keeps the cycle going.
Thankfully, he likes the match (a tag with Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon) and is happy enough that, yes, this could be it. He tells Vince as such when he comes back into gorilla to which his friend says, “We can talk about it”, unwilling to let Calaway fully grasp the moment or accept that it’s over.
For as much as Calaway can’t commit to retirement, McMahon is just as bad enabling him. Is it out of friendship, his own misgivings about never retiring, or something else?
The episode ends with Calaway walking with AJ Styles after the match, telling the camera to give them some privacy and thus beginning the cycle once again.
It struck me during episode four that Calaway is like a pro fighter who would rather have one fight too many than one fight too few, needing to ensure their competitive tank is on ‘E’ before hanging them up.
Near the end of the episode, Steve Austin, Levesque, and Shawn Michaels talk about the difficulty in knowing when to leave, but it’s Levesque that says a line that rings true when thinking that leaving isn’t being loyal: “Loyalty is to the dragon you’re chasing — not loyalty to Vince.”
As we prepare for the final chapter, it feels like that dragon is one Calaway will be chasing forever.
Other thoughts:
For those following the recaps, I’m sorry this wasn’t up this past week but I was dealing with a personal situation. The episode five recap should be up later Sunday night or Monday morning at the latest.
We get some great looks into Calaway’s early years when he was filming many of the memorable in-character spots. Him laughing in a graveyard between takes, Bruce Prichard discussing how he bought books on death to better understand the character, and some words from Paul Bearer himself stand out.
McMahon gets in a funny “Giant Gonzalez’s son” line during one of the aforementioned gorilla conversations with Calaway.
The image accompanying this review is one from backstage in Austin, TX, when Undertaker did a Raw appearance. To see Lance Armstrong, Matthew McConaughey, and Taker in the same spot having a casual conversation was surreal to say the least.
Before Extreme Rules, Calaway drops a great line outlining the difference between younger guys and older ones, saying, the latter that have to think vs. younger who just do. “Could be last time”
When a documentary examines unexplored terrain over multiple hours like WWE’s “Undertaker: The Last Ride” is doing, there are bound to be sags along the way. Episode three — the midway point of the five episode series — experiences just that, a bridge episode of sorts.
Part of the reason is that through two hours, we’ve already seen so much more than we ever expected to in a series about the Undertaker. Thus, “End Of An Era” struggles to sustain the same engagement level as those first two hours until the last 10 or so minutes.
The majority of episode three was spent on the relationship between Undertaker (Mark Calaway), Triple H (Paul Levesque), and Shawn Michaels with the four match WrestleMania series involving all three in different degrees as the focus.
Those with a predisposition to not caring for Levesque will likely have similar feelings here because he is featured so much in it. His relationship to Calaway and how they became friends after an icy start is explored with both men admitting that the other isn’t someone they keep in touch with daily, but they are there for each other any time there is need.
Calaway says the four Mania matches are the favorites of his career. As presented, they tell a long story of how these two best friends could not best the demon no matter what they tried, ending in a pose at the top of the Mania stage that all three men treasure, hence the name of the episode, a phrase WWE attached to the second Taker-HHH match.
Woven throughout the episode is the ‘will he/won’t he’ retirement question which Calaway continues to, ahem, wrestle with. He is looking for “that moment” when he knows the time is right, one that Edge says he hopes Calaway holds on to when he finds it. The issue though is can’t quite get there and is envious that Michaels knew when the time was right.
Similarly to Levesque, the Michaels/Calaway relationship is examined, especially with Michaels’ well-publicized issues.
The final act covers the WWE’s run of stadium shows in Australia and Saudi Arabia and how excited Calaway was to be part of those events. He seems happy with his final singles match against Levesque in Australia, one that I don’t remember to be received that well. Leading into the match, Calaway wanted fans to be excited as the “expectations were astronomical because of the talent involved,” something I also don’t recall.
Of course, that match set up the infamous tag team match featuring he and Kane against Levesque and Michaels, the latter’s return to wrestling after being retired by Calaway.
In honesty that has been a hallmark of the series to date, Calaway, Michaels, and Levesque all admit the match was a disaster. Levesque tears his pec, Kane’s mask pops off, Michaels does a moonsault and isn’t caught, and the match was just plain bad. What was supposed to be “a night off” wasn’t.
Calaway admits that his head wasn’t in it due to “family drama” that isn’t explained. The key takeaway is that it doesn’t give Calaway the closure he needs, something that his wife (Michelle McCool) says he needs in order to call it a career.
He speculates that if the Mania match with John Cena (covered last episode) went longer, that could have been it. Then, he says if the tag match was better, that could have been it. Michaels later says it’s a case of chasing the dragon with McCool saying, with some frustration, that every time he can’t find that moment, the cycle starts again.
Earlier in the episode, Levesque says that closure moments can be a Catch-22 in that you keep wanting more. This only adds to the mental puzzle Calaway is facing as the end is closing in whether he likes it or not.
If someone was to watch this out of context, “End of An Era” doesn’t feel any different than your run of the mill WWE one-hour documentary which is unfortunate. With two episodes left to go, I’m hoping “The Last Ride” gets back on track but am concerned if they have the next level to go to in order to do that.
The main question and perhaps where that next level resides: was this year’s WrestleMania “match” with AJ Styles the one that gave him that closure?
Other Notes:
The next episode won’t air until June 14th which I thought was odd and perhaps due to COVID-related production delays. When I asked WWE, I was told that was the plan the whole time.
We learn Calaway’s youngest daughter is a big Cena fan. She was happy her dad won at Mania, but is still upset her hero lost, leading to Calaway joking he has to worry about that now. It’s these humanizing moments that have really made the series.
We get a lengthy look at Calaway’s likely final MSG appearance as he came to WWE’s annual Christmas week show in the middle of his vacation. He gets emotional in talking about his experiences there and how in awe he was when the outside of the arena was lit up in purple for him.
Things I didn’t know for $200, Alex: Calaway was in Levesque’s wedding and Levesque came to him to ask advice on whether continuing to date Stephanie McMahon was a good thing.
A great Levesque line while he and Randy Orton followed Undertaker/Michaels at Mania: “We’re f*cked.”
We learn Calaway is a backstage cards player, focusing on gin with WWE trainer Larry Heck. We also learn that Hornswoggle, Tony Chimel, and Big Show are apparently bad luck if they are present while he’s playing.
The series has felt like a good advertisement for both Nine LIne and Roots of Fight t-shirts.
Episode four will focus on the disastrous Goldberg match from Saudi Arabia as well as the first WrestleMania without Undertaker on the card, both of which should be great topics to really delve into if they choose to.
Like chapter one of the “Undertaker: The Last Ride” documentary series, episode two didn’t disappoint, keeping the throttle down on this inside look at the last four years of Mark Calaway’s fascinating life focusing on both relationships and the episode’s title “The Redemption”.
Similar to chapter one, the near hour-long episode is centered around a WrestleMania match, However, the filmmakers take their time having that enter the conversation as the first half focuses on two of the most important people in Calaway’s life: his wife, Michelle McCool, and Vince McMahon.
We open in January 2018 with the Calaways watching the Roman Reigns WrestleMania match for the first time, lighting the fuse for Calaway to not let that be his last effort inside the ring. He is very critical of his performance, calling himself “Bloated Elvis” and feeling terrible that Reigns had to endure working with him that night.
Calaway admits he wasn’t in the right shape and that his body was at the physical limit, and McMahon says as much in a separate interview. The WWE chairman, in particular, shines in this episode, and is as much dehumanized as Calaway is, a nice contrast to how many of us view him, fairly or unfairly, in 2020.
The viewer literally goes inside Calaway’s left hip replacement surgery in New York City and feeling at ease about retirement, wanting time to enjoy his life with his wife and kids. In his pre-op interview, he tells the doctor that McMahon gave him grief for not leaving the hospital the same day and laughs when asked how many surgeries he has had.
To hammer the retirement theme home, we get footage of the couple being normal parents (as normal as wrestlers are, I guess) including time the two spend with their two kids. Calaway, WWE, and whoever produced the series really deserve a lot of credit for being as open about his life as they are. Just when you think that curtain is about to close, it stays open to the series’ credit and hopefully is a template for future deep dives like this.
As we all know, wrestlers have a hard time staying away. After being relatively pain free following the surgery and mentally in a better spot, it’s when he and McCool watch that Reigns match that the wheels begin to turn again and McCool knows what is to come. She doesn’t fight it, understanding him more than any of us will, and instead becomes a rock in his life for support rather than an obstacle. Unlike how women in a similar role are portrayed in pop culture, McCool isn’t portrayed as an anchor depriving fans of one more match which is refreshing.
We learn a lot about their relationship right down to wedding pictures, learning he is playfully romantic, and spousal banter like the rest of us mere humans have every day. Calaway jovially talks about how they met and what attracted her to him which wasn’t just her looks but (seriously) how she could throw a football. They joke about how she didn’t want to meet he or Kane initially when the latter is a very nice guy and she ended up marrying Calaway.
As his contract is due to expire, she accompanies him to WWE headquarters for a Saturday meeting (Calaway rightfully points out how odd that is) with McMahon for a talk about the future. After a few minutes, an orange shirt clad McMahon fresh off a workout tells the cameras to leave but we later learn about their conversation and a Jedi mind trick he might have played on Calaway to get him to consider a comeback.
Like with McCool, we learn a lot about their relationship, the depths of which I never understood but was well-known to Big Show, Shawn Michaels, Batista, Kane, and Bret Hart who talk about it in great detail. Calaway says he’s the most important man in his life other than his father and a visibly emotional McMahon tells the cameras to stop rolling when asked about what Calaway means to him. It’s amazingly heartwarming.
The final act of episode 2 is on the comeback itself. Following the 2018 Royal Rumble where Calaway says McMahon casually brought up the idea of a John Cena match at Mania, Calaway gets a ring sent to an abandonded, leaky, jet ski shop which he cleans renovates into a makeshift gym so he can begin to test out whether he still can go. This was one of my favorite parts in trying to think through the conversations about sending a ring to Calaway, them finding a location, the cleaning itself, and how they kept everything under wraps from locals.
We get a great amount of training footage, more insight into his decision making process and finally, the video he sends to McMahon during the Elimination Chamber saying he’s back and how McMahon reacts.
The work it takes to get back into ring shape is on full display. Calaway takes the cameras into these training sessions with relatively no filter and is honest about the shape he was in going into this to where he ends up. You can see his confidence growing the stronger he gets and how he doesn’t just want but needs to make amends for the Reigns match.
Finally, we get to WrestleMania 34 and the secrecy in having him there as part of the “will he/won’t he be there” that was part of the build. The moments as he is heading to the ring to culiminate this journey elicits goosebumps with the anticipation of this moment even all these years later. Unsurprisingly, the execution is near flawless and that damned curtain remained open the whole time.
The match is essentially a five minute squash and Calaway is a bit disappointed as he was training to go 45 minutes. Unsurprisingly, he can’t give an answer as to whether that was his final match but by the look in his eye, we already knew what that answer would be.
“The Redemption” is just as good as the first chapter and continues to make “The Last Ride” must watch viewing every week.
You can watch both episodes now on WWE Network.
Leftovers:
Find yourself a doctor who looks at doing surgery on you the same way Calaway’s does.
“I really don’t want to water up here” was a great tough guy line. Who knew this guy was such a big softie?
Also in the ‘Who Knew’ folder: Calaway’s mom wasn’t a big fan of the Billionaire Strut.
Calaway talking about the McMahon conversation saying “I will train and if someone gets hurt, I’ll be ready to go” indicates he ain’t leaving anytime soon.
I loved the foreshadowing of Calaway watching AJ Styles at the Rumble and saying he would have loved to work with him. You see something click as if to say, “Yep, that’s happening.”
It’s still surreal to see McMahon, Shane McMahon, Calaway, Michael Hayes, and Cena all sitting in a row in gorilla while everything is going on around them.
PRIMO COLON. That is all.
We get some Taker/Reigns time as he tries to make amends for the bad match the year before. Reigns seems genuinely unaffected by Calaway’s performance and doesn’t seem to hold a grudge.
Next week’s episode featuring the infamous Crown Jewel tag match and Triple H is seen saying it was a disaster. Sounds like must watch viewing to me.
In describing his approach to matches in the early part of his WWE career as the Undertaker, Mark Calaway said the approach was “Less is more…then, bang.”
That could also describe Calaway’s recent pulling back of the curtain into his life after decades of relative reclusiveness. Until recently, the 55-year-old was a throwback in the social media-driven “look at me” era, choosing not to share his private life with the throngs of wrestling fans dying to know everything they couldn’t see for themselves.
In recent years, that changed with a presence on social media, appearances on podcasts, and more public appearances for autograph signings.
The culmination of the change is a five part WWE-produced documentary series called “Undertaker: The Last Ride” which debuts on WWE Network this Sunday after Money In The Bank. While there is part of us that may yearn for the days of some secrets remaining just that, the first episode (“The Greatest Fear”) quickly flips that script as we get the most honest and enthralling look at the veteran that we have ever seen.
The series was filmed from 2017 through 2020, kicked off when Calaway called Vince McMahon three days before his WrestleMania 33 match against Roman Reigns. The skeleton of the first episode is the days surrounding 33 as it was expected to feature his final match. Through the near hour-long presentation, the viewer gets every moment from the minute he steps off the plane in Orlando, Florida, that weekend to the minutes when he leaves the ring and goes backstage after the match itself.
For longtime wrestling fans, it’s pure bliss at times to see how a machine like WWE works behind the scenes, especially with a production montrosity like WrestleMania. From the Hall of Fame to rehearsals to the big day itself, you see the stars acting like, well, normal co-workers and interacting like we would when we could actually physiclaly go to an office.
As a WWE production, there is no shortage of access to legends that give their insights on Calaway the person and the hard decision on when it’s time to call it a career. From Bret Hart to Jim Ross to Steve Austin to Chris Jericho to Batista to Vince McMahon himself, nearly 20 different people in Calaway’s life are interviewed, giving different perspectives on the approach to the end.
One of the episode’s strengths is the look into Calaway’s mental state in 2017. Despite what a success he and the character became, he lost his confidence along the way and needed a pre-match pep talk from Paul “Triple H” Levesque to get his head straight. It’s the admissions of these temporary setbacks that hopefully continue the rest of the series. It’s rare we see industry greats admit serious misgivings about themselves, but in this first episode, Calaway lays everything out on the table including the one belonging to WWE doctors.
The first episode also does a great job at illustrating pain and the physical toll it takes to be a top wrestler. Austin and Levesque lay out why it’s hard to do the Undertaker schedule with Austin going into detail of why working several nights a week conditions your body in a way one match a year doesn’t.
The viewer also gets details into some of the decision making that went into why that Mania match was going to be the end of his career which includes him being carted out at WrestleMania 27 (Levesque) and the infamous end of the streak at WrestleMania 30 where he was severely concussed and still doesn’t remember anything after 3:30 PM that day.
The final part of the documentary closes on the Reigns Mania match, Calaway noticably limping all weekend due to a decimated hip, getting shot up to help ease the pain, the match itself, and the aftermath including an emotional embrace with Levesque. While I could have done without the extended match highlights, I also understand why they were important to help complete this first part of the story, especially one sequence in particular that is examined in the second episode.
If the rest of the series remains as gripping as “The Greatest Fear”, it will be arguably the best documentary series WWE has ever done and is so good, it’s one that could be sold elsewhere for more general audiences to consume.
Other Notes:
Pardon the english, but it will never not be strange to hear Calaway talk in his regular voice and to do things us normal humans do like drink water.
In a scene from a future episode, VKM is wearing an bright orange t-shirt that has to be seen to be believed.
We do get a human side of VKM several times, notably following the Lesnar match. Cameras don’t follow the group, but we are told McMahon and Lesnar both accompanied Calaway to the hospital, even with Mania still going on.
New episodes air every Sunday night on WWE Network.
The five-part docuseries will premiere after Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Here’s the full schedule for all of the episodes:
Chapter 1 — This Sunday, May 10 immediately following Money In The Bank at approximately 10 p.m. ET
Chapter 2 — Sunday, May 17 on demand beginning at 10 am ET
Chapter 3 — Sunday, May 24 on demand beginning at 10 am ET
Chapter 4 — Sunday, June 14 on demand beginning at 10 am ET
Chapter 5 — Sunday, June 21 on demand beginning at 10 am ET
Episode one is titled “Chapter 1: The Greatest Fear.” Here’s the description for the episode: “Undertaker comes to terms with his own mortality as he prepares for what many believed to be the final match of his career against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. Fans will get a rare glimpse into what led up to that moment, the pressure he puts on himself each year getting ready for WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza, and much more. In addition, the episode looks back at the physical and emotional toll taken on Undertaker after his 21-year WrestleMania undefeated streak came to a shocking conclusion against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30.”
“Undertaker: The Last Ride” was first announced via a trailer that aired on night one of WrestleMania 36 last month, with a first look then airing after WrestleMania 36 night two. It was noted that the series takes place between 2017 and 2020. It “gives viewers an unprecedented look at Mark Calaway, the man behind the legendary Undertaker, as he prepares for the final chapters of his storied 30-year career in WWE.”
In addition to out-of-character interviews with The Undertaker, the series will include interviews with Michelle McCool, Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, Triple H, John Cena, Reigns, Batista, Ric Flair, Edge, Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, and more.
WWE’s latest trailer for the series is available to watch below:
WWE has confirmed that “Undertaker: The Last Ride” will be a five-part series. Episode one will be uploaded to the WWE Network on demand at 10 a.m. Eastern time this Sunday (May 10) and will also air after Money in the Bank later that night.
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The WWE Network’s limited series on The Undertaker has its premiere date.
WWE Network News reported today that episode one of “Undertaker: The Last Ride” will premiere on the WWE Network on Sunday, May 10. That’s the day of this year’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
The debut episode is titled “Chapter 1: The Greatest Fear.” It will follow The Undertaker as he prepares for his match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33 in 2017. At the time, that had been set to be Undertaker’s final match.
Here’s the description for the episode: “Get a rare and revealing look at Mark Calaway, the man behind The Undertaker, as he prepares for the final match of his storied WWE career against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33.”
The Undertaker limited series was announced via a trailer that aired on night one of WrestleMania 36 last month. A first look at the series then aired after WrestleMania 36 night two. During the first look, it was noted that the series takes place between 2017 and 2020.
Night one of this year’s WrestleMania was headlined by The Undertaker defeating AJ Styles in their cinematic-style boneyard match.
A “limited series event” focused on The Undertaker is coming to the WWE Network.
During WrestleMania 36 night one, a trailer aired announcing that “Undertaker: The Last Ride” is coming soon. An exclusive first look at the docuseries will air after WrestleMania 36 night two tomorrow night.
The series “gives the WWE Universe a rare inside look at Mark Calaway, the man behind The Undertaker, as he prepares for what could be the end of his legendary career.” Interviews with Undertaker, Michelle McCool, Vince McMahon, Big Show, Edge, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin are featured in the trailer.
In what was more of a cinematic production than a standard professional wrestling match, The Undertaker’s boneyard match against AJ Styles headlined tonight’s WrestleMania 36 night one broadcast. Undertaker buried Styles to get the win.
Further details on “Undertaker: The Last Ride” and how many episodes it will be haven’t been revealed. Here’s the trailer for the series:
