Will The Undertaker Retire After WrestleMania 33 Match? WWE Future Uncertain Before 2017 PPV

The Undertaker WWE — The Undertaker could retire after his match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. Pictured: The Undertaker recovers during his fight against Brock Lesner at WWE SummerSlam at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on Aug. 23, 2015 in New York City. Getty Images

Will The Undertaker retire after WrestleMania 33? It’s a question many WWE fans are asking ahead of the Deadman’s match with Roman Reigns at the biggest wrestling event of 2017.

The Undertaker, 52, made his WWE debut in 1990, and he’s been the one constant in the company ever since. He has a 23-1 record at WrestleMania, and he’s had a match at the PPV in every year since 2001.

But questions surrounding the Deadman’s age and health have a lot of people wondering if Sunday night could be the last time fans get to see The Undertaker compete in a WWE ring.

“He just had hip surgery. He’s beaten down real bad. Put it this way—last year when he went to the dressing room after his match, he told everyone he was done,” Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer told Richard Deitsch on last week’s “Sports Illustrated Media Podcast.”

There’s been speculation for years that The Undertaker could call it quits after WrestleMania. He was injured after beating Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32, but he still returned to perform in January’s Royal Rumble.

It’s hard to say if The Undertaker will retire this year because, according to Meltzer, it has looked like The Undertaker’s career was coming to an end on multiple occasions.

“He does only do one or a few matches a year, so that’s easier on him. He has time to heal,” Meltzer said. “But his hips are shot and he’s got a lot of injuries. There’s many different years I’ve been told that he’s done, where they believed he’s done, and he comes back every year. So I don’t know. It’s only one match.”

The speculation about The Undertaker’s future isn’t just coming from fans and dirt sheets. WWE is fueling the rumors that The Undertaker could be done after WrestleMania 33.

In a segment with Shawn Michaels on the March 13 edition of “Monday Night Raw,” Reigns told Shawn Michaels that he was going to retire The Undertaker. WWE put up a poll on its official website, asking fans if Reigns is going to force The Undertaker into retirement, and Stephanie McMahon brought the topic up on last week’s edition of “Cheap Heat.”

“Is Roman gonna be able to retire The Undertaker?” Stephanie said to ESPN’s Peter Rosenberg. “That’s a huge story.”

Wrestlers traditionally end their careers with a loss, and a win for The Undertaker might mean that he at least hadn’t planned to retire heading into the PPV. A loss for The Undertaker, especially if it happens in the main event, could be a sign that he’s ready to ride off into the sunset.

The way The Undertaker’s match with Reigns plays out could be very telling. However, the reality is that WWE fans will probably be left with questions regarding the Deadman’s future when WrestleMania 33 comes to an end.

Even in his 50s after nearly 30 years with the company, The Undertaker’s WrestleMania match is still one of the most highly anticipated on the card. WWE fans and superstars alike would certainly miss his presence if he was no longer a part of the event.

“Will [Undertaker] be around after this? If this is his last one and there’s speculation, all I can say is I hope not,” Randy Orton told Yahoo Sports. “Whether it was twenty years ago or today, when he comes to the ring and the gong hits and the music plays, the energy in the arena, it’s not like that for anyone else.

“I don’t care if it’s [John] Cena, Shawn Michaels or whoever, it’s a different kind of energy and he’s got more respect from the fans than I think any character or superstar has ever had in our business.”