The Unauthorized Story of Randy Orton and The Viper's Strike on WWE Read Online Free PDF Page A

damage to their professional reputation and legacy.
     
    Having repeatedly observed that he didn't want to work until he was wheelchair-bound, the time is quickly drawing near for Calaway to make good on his pledge.
     
    Although few in the WWE locker room think The Undertaker character is overstaying its welcome, there are concerns that Mark Calaway is on the precipice of a dangerous ledge - a ledge that many, including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Sting, have arguably stepped off of.
     
    "We all cringe when we see Ric Flair climbing into the ring today," one source admits. "We love him, but we hate that he's going to be remembered by a new generation of fans as an old man who can hardly move around the ring. This is a man who used to own the mat. He was probably the best wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots. The fact that he keeps on hanging on is sad. But a lot of guys can't leave the money and fame behind. Moreover, they can't leave the memories behind. They flat out refuse to admit that their time has passed. Undertaker promised to never overstay his welcome. He hasn't. But we're all really eager to see what he does here real soon."
     
    Ten years ago, Mark Calaway was interviewed on The Score. When asked about his eventual retirement, Calaway said:
     
"You know, my whole thing is that as long as I can be out there in the ring and I'm hanging with the Brock Lesnars, the Kurt Angles, the Triple Hs - if I'm on an equal level with those guys, why should I retire? I'm at a point now where I've made my money and I've done well with all of that. Why I wrestle now is because I enjoy this. Plus, it's my turn to start giving back. I'm mean, we've talked about being a locker room leader, but now I have the ability that I don't have the pressure on me. Financially, I'm set. I've done everything that there is to do in this business. Now I'm enjoying myself. Plus I'm taking some of these guys that I think have a lot of potential that really don't know what they're doing yet and I can hands-on work with these guys. And that's my contribution to continuing the success of our industry. My biggest worry in life as far as wrestling is concerned is that I'm in the ring, and some father, who watched me for years, takes his son and he goes, 'you know, son, this is The Undertaker here. Boy, I wish you could have seen him when...' That means it’s time for me to hang it up... Hopefully the guys I work with and wrestle against would tell me. Because I would hate to know that anybody ever laid back to protect me, you know. Because that's not what I'm about. So as long as I can go and hang with our top guys, I've got no reason to leave."
     
    Based on the feedback of many WWE fans and insiders alike, contemplating when and how The Undertaker will finally bow out is probably the biggest mystery in sports entertainment today. If Calaway gets his way, The Undertaker may not go to his sports entertainment grave with his incomparable undefeated WrestleMania streak intact.
     
    A Gift to Randy Orton
     
    On April 20, 2010, WWE Examiner reported that sources inside World Wrestling Entertainment revealed that the Undertaker absolutely wants his unprecedented undefeated run to end.
     
    "Reportedly feeling that the streak has become too big - even bigger than the sport itself - the Undertaker allegedly doesn't want to wind down his phenomenal career with the streak intact," the article stated.
     
    "The Undertaker loves the business too much to retire with a legacy that's almost bigger than sports entertainment itself," a WWE source was quoted as saying in the piece.
     
    "In this day and age," writes Joel Leonard of Inside Pulse, "there are few truly great accomplishments left in the WWE. In a world where a Heavyweight championship can change hands twice on a single episode of Smackdown and people are 9+ time Champions, holding the belts are not the accomplishments that they once were. A perfect WrestleMania streak can be something for wrestlers to