The Undertaker admits career fears as WWE

Mark William Calaway, better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE.

WWE legend The Undertaker admits he puts careful thought into his rare appearances as his stellar career winds down.

The 53-year-old ex-world champion and surefire future Hall of Famer is one of sports entertainment’s biggest ever stars.

Real name Mark Calaway, the Deadman has been part of the fabric of WWE since his debut as the zombie mortician back in 1990.

Now, almost 30 years later and in a rare interview, the Phenom has given an insight into his mindset as he manages a scant schedule of public appearances.

He has not wrestled since last November’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia and has only been used as a special attraction since his last meaningful storyline in 2017.

That ended with what many felt was his retirement from in-ring competition after he was defeated by Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida.

It was widely viewed as a passing of the torch moment, a notion perhaps supported by the fact that his match against John Cena a year later – for which Taker featured in none of the build-ups – lasted just three minutes.

While the hugely popular character has given no indication that he’s about to be gone from WWE screens altogether and fully hang up his boots, it’s clear that such a day is drawing ever closer.

Speaking as part of a feature film made by the Onnit YouTube channel, the seven-time world champion, from Houston, Texas, said he is keeping an eye on his days beyond the squared circle.

He said: "At the tail end now, I really have to put everything into perspective.

"What damage am I doing to myself at this point to myself, and my life after wrestling?"

The idea of a WWE without the Undertaker after three decades will certainly require a lot of adjustment for fans.

For so long, he was known as the workhorse of the company, a veteran in the ring and in the locker room who was respected by all.

His loyalty to WWE also seemingly never wavered, particularly in eras when so many left for greener pastures and more lucrative offers elsewhere.

He went on to say that he never once considered quitting WWE, adding: “Even when the business took a real nose dive, you’re thinking ‘how are we going to get out of this, what are we going to do?’

"The one thing I was really, really good at was that in my mind, I felt like [wrestling] was always where I belonged and what I should be doing.

"Obviously there were times when money [wasn’t great] but, instead of thinking ‘I need to get myself a job at the Jiffy Lube and figure out something else later on’, it was ‘what can we do to make this product so that people want to do it again."