An Open Letter To The Undertaker, requesting him to finally 'Rest In Peace'

Dear Taker,

I never thought that I would be writing this to you, but today, here I am, penning probably the toughest letter I have ever written in my life. And as I am pouring out my thoughts to you, tears are rolling down my cheeks. That’s how much you mean to me, and millions of others in the WWE.

You see Taker, Father Time is extremely cruel. You don’t know when exactly he will raise his ugly hood. But when he does, even the ‘Greatest Of All Time’ is not spared. And irrespective of the accolades, irrespective of all the past accomplishments, even great athletes appear like ordinary mortals when the end nears.

And, the last two years have been extremely tough for a fan of yours. It is extremely difficult for us, to see you labour in the ring, to see people pointing fingers at you, to see our hero perform way below his exalted level. You see Taker, you are 54 now. Things are just not the same. The body is creaking, the muscles are complaining. Years and years of putting your body on the line has finally taken its toll on you.

But then Taker, whatever happens, let us assure you of one thing. There has been no Superstar, past or present, who has captivated us like you. The sound of the gong, that mystical walk, your ability to continuously morph and change with time. That Streak vs Career match against Shawn Michaels, that brutal and vicious Hell In a Cell encounter against Triple H, and of course, the night that made you appear mortal - that loss at the hands of Brock Lesnar that put the ‘1’ in 21-1.

On a personal note, I felt that you should have stopped after that loss at WrestleMania in 2014. You had put someone like Lesnar over, and your loss had symbolically proven that no athlete is above the Sport. But then, you came back, and it has been five years since. It was difficult to digest the way you struggled in the ring against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XXXIII. When you left your iconic hat, your gloves and your trademark coat in the middle of the ring after WrestleMania XXXIII, we all thought that you were gone. That was another perfect moment to walk away.

But then, you again came back and wrestled John Cena. I really don’t know what that squash match at WrestleMania XXXIV could do to both of your careers. And then came that disappointing performance at Crown Jewel. The only one who stole the show on that day was Michaels. You, Kane and Triple H were labouring in the ring, and as a long time Wrestling fan, it was disheartening to see such a lacklustre performance from you.

You see Taker, in Sport as in life, clocks can never be turned back. And while you, I, and the millions of us might delude ourselves into believing that another blockbuster performance from you is just around the corner, I think that it is never going to come. And as a fan, I can only say this- You have nothing left to prove to anyone, you have no peaks left to scale. You have done more than any other Wrestler could ever imagine. And so DeadMan, and I say this with extreme grief in my heart, it is now time for you to indeed ‘REST IN PEACE’."

-From An Ardent Fan Of Yours