The Undertaker believes the concussion he suffered at WrestleMania 30 was less about the severity of a particular bump and more about his body no longer being accustomed to taking regular punishment.
The WWE Hall of Famer suffered the concussion during his match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30 in April 2014, where Lesnar famously ended his undefeated WrestleMania streak. The Undertaker was taken to hospital before the show had finished and has previously revealed that he has no memory of the match. The last thing he remembers from the day was at around 2 PM, several hours before he entered the ring.
Speaking on Six Feet Under alongside Paul Heyman, Undertaker reflected on the moment he believes the concussion occurred.
“I think that’s somewhere where it happened. But when I watch it, it’s like, I’ve taken far worse bumps and popped up.”
Undertaker believes his limited wrestling schedule towards the end of his career may have left his body less prepared to absorb the impact.
“I think what happened is, it’s getting late in my career, and at that point I’m only working a couple of times a year, and it’s Father Time catching up with me. When your body’s not used to that trauma, you just don’t take it as well.”
The Undertaker Reflects On WrestleMania 30 Concussion
Paul Heyman suggested the accumulated damage from The Undertaker’s lengthy career may have contributed as well.
“It’s also the number of dings that you’ve taken over the years.”
Heyman then recalled a conversation with Ronda Rousey about her 2015 UFC defeat to Holly Holm. According to Heyman, Rousey told him that an accident earlier in her life had left her vulnerable to being knocked out by an impact in a particular area.
“There comes a time that when you’ve taken so many hits, it’s not that nuclear hit that wipes you out,” Heyman said.
The Undertaker has previously described the severity of his own concussion and the aftermath of the WrestleMania 30 match. His memory did not begin returning until around four or five the following morning. While in hospital, he was repeatedly asked his name and age, and has said his wife and Vince McMahon were the only two people he recognised.
Undertaker believes he completed the match against Lesnar entirely through instinct and muscle memory. Despite subsequently watching the match, he has never recovered any memory of actually competing in it. The experience also affected his confidence as he prepared to return the following year.
His first match after WrestleMania 30 came against Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 31. Undertaker has recalled Triple H finding him crouched in the corner of the Gorilla position before his entrance and reminding him not to forget who he was, advice Undertaker later referenced during his WWE Hall of Fame speech.
The Undertaker was 49 when his WrestleMania streak ended and continued wrestling on a limited schedule before retiring in 2020. Lesnar, meanwhile, confirmed his own retirement this month following his defeat to Oba Femi at SummerSlam.
