Michelle McCool says Undertaker preparing for just one match in WWE is akin to a UFC fighter preparing for a single fight now.
Once upon a time, Undertaker would wrestle seven days a week and twice on Sunday. Now, to prepare for one match, The Undertaker goes through a rigorous set of procedures.
“It’s almost like a fighting camp. For so many years other than the last two years,” The Undertaker's wife, Michelle McCool tells the New York Post. “But before that he was literally doing WrestleMania, having major surgery, doing rehab for that, and then come January he would start getting mentally prepared to start training for WrestleMania. It’s like an eight-to-10-week process of hard training, eating right, getting in the ring because no matter how much you lift and condition, the ring is just a whole different beast.”
The Undertaker's last match inside of a traditional setting was the match against Goldberg at WWE super showdown in 2019. For Michelle, this was a scary experience as that match went off the rails quickly.
“Yes and no. Of course, you want to go in there with somebody that’s going to be safe, but I don’t think age is always a factor in that. A.J.’s not one of the youngest guys but he’s dang sure somebody you want to get in the ring with because you know he’ll be safe and put on a heck of a match.”
She continued, “If they need him (Mark) on the card, he’s gonna be sitting by the phone waiting. If Vince (McMahon) calls and he needs to pull him out of the bullpen he’ll be ready to go. But it’s not that he’s seeking out opponents or matches.”
Undertaker will talk more in-depth about this stage of his career during the latest WWE Network series, Undertaker: The Last Ride. The series will premiere on Sunday, May 10, 2020.
