The Undertaker final farewell: WWE star’s Survivor Series 2020 highlights, best career moments - and has he really retired?

Last night (22 November) saw the WWE’s annual Survivor Series pay-per-view, in which the wrestling company’s two rival Raw and Smackdown brands are pitted against one another to see who reigns supreme.

But this year’s event had added poignancy, serving as a fitting farewell to The Undertaker, a perennial fan favourite wrestler and one of the most decorated performers in the company’s history.

Here is everything you need to know.

Who is The Undertaker?

The Undertaker is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, and is portrayed by 55-year old Mark Calaway.

Calaway’s career began in 1987, when he worked portraying various wrestling characters in small regional promotions around the US.

He made his first moves into the world of ‘mainstream’ wrestling after signing with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989, where he was billed as "Mean" Mark Callous before jumping ship to what would become the WWE a year later.

Calaway's character was quickly rebranded as The Undertaker, a horror-themed entity who employed scare tactics and held links to the supernatural, and the character took off thanks to its originality and Calaway’s ability to put on quality wrestling bouts.

What has he achieved?

As The Undertaker, Calaway is a seven-time world heavyweight champion in WWE, having held the WWE Championship four times, and the World Heavyweight Championship three times.

The longest-tenured wrestler in company history at 30 years, The Undertaker was a prominent figure of the Attitude Era, a late-90s boom period in the WWE's business.

He also helped popularise the Hell in a Cell match, a ‘brutal’ match type in which the competitors are locked inside a large, cell-like structure comprised of chain-link fencing enclosing the ring, where the only way to win is by scoring an in-ring pinfall or submission.

Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker from 1997 is regarded as one of the very best examples of this type of match, as are other Undertaker bouts like Edge vs. The Undertaker from 2008, and The Undertaker vs. Triple H from 2012.

The Undertaker is also heavily associated with WWE's annual WrestleMania showcase (essentially to professional wrestling what the Super Bowl is to American Football), and has headlined the event on five occasions.

He became known for his Wrestlemania ‘streak’, a series of 21 consecutive victories which began at WrestleMania 7 in 1991, and only ended 23 years later when The Undertaker shockingly lost to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30 in 2014.

What happened at Survivor Series?

Following a barn-burning main event between WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Universal Champion Roman Reigns, the WWE presented a special segment to close out the broadcast, an emotional ‘Farewell to The Deadman’.

Stars from the company's past and present – including Jeff Hardy, Kevin Nash, Big Show, Shane McMahon, Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Ric Flair, Triple H, and Kane – all took to the ring to say their final goodbyes to The Undertaker character.

A video package showcasing some of the wrestler’s career highlights was shown, before Vince McMahon – WWE chairman and CEO – reflected soberly on the career of The Undertaker and recalled some of his best moments.

The Undertaker himself then entered the ring to deliver a quick speech, thanking fans and saying it is now time for the character to “rest in peace.”

He knelt as a holograph of Paul Bearer – the long-time onscreen Undertaker manager who passed away in 2013 – appeared.

Making his way up the entrance ramp, Undertaker raised his hand in respect of his fans as the show went off the air, as he has done after so many classic matches in the past.

Is he really retired?

The Undertaker has seemingly ‘retired’ from the business of professional wrestling multiple times in the past, most notably at WrestleMania 33 in 2017, when he laid his gloves and hat in the ring following a loss to Roman Reigns.

It seemed the gesture was only symbolic though, as The Undertaker returned for a number of high-profile bouts, despite worries from fans and wrestling journalists that he was looking ‘frail’.

But it seems that this retirement is the real deal.

Undertaker retired on 21 June 2020 during the final episode of WWE’s documentary series, The Undertaker: The Last Ride; he has since confirmed in interviews that he is "officially retired".