First and foremost, I want to make sure everybody understand that I'm Norwegian, a foreigner, and therefore, I do not have the same access to the same recent updates that you U.S. guys have. Not that I really need it, because this article is very general. Undertaker is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most respected and decorated WWE superstars of our time. He has held several titles multiple times, and been part of some of the greatest moments in sports entertainment. He has faced, and beat, the best of the best. He's known wherever you go. Even people who has never seen wrestling knows who he is. And these are some of the reasons I have declared Mark "The Undertaker" Callaway my all-time favorite wrestler ever, bar none. None!

But I say that enough is enough. I look back at what Undertaker has done, and what he is doing now. And I'm sorry to say that I feel a bit of disappointment when I see him in action now. I know that Undertaker need to get a bit into the match before he really gets going, but he has noticeably slowed over the years. I know that it hasn't been until more recent years we've seen him deliver dropkicks and leap frogs, but in my opinion, these are only smokescreens he's laying out to make us think that he's O.K. But no, people, believe me when I say this; Undertaker is far from O.K. As a matter of fact, Undertaker is broken. Both physically, mentally and conceptually.

Let's first take the physical side; Undertaker has been under the surgical knife quite often due to a messed up elbow, and some even more messed up hips. And let's not forget that one of the reasons why Mark Callaway turned to wrestling was because a knee injury stopped his basketball career dead in its tracks. And yes, Undertaker has undergone surgery on his knees since the Tombstone took a lot out of his knees. That's also why he changed his finishing move to the Last Ride. Also, let's not forget about all the cuts and bruises he must have had due to ordinary competition. One can't not think that a 6 foot 9 man of well over 300 pounds is able to take too many drops, bumps, falls or crashes without taking damage. This man is quite large, and quite heavy.

Further on, Undertaker is past 40 now. Yes, I am aware of all the men who wrestle into their late fifties, but Undertaker has a sort of disadvantage there; he looks his age. No, actually strike that, and make it 'he looks older than his age'. Personally, I don't care if Undertaker has gray hair, a million scar and wrinkles all over his face. But these things are also signs of fatigue. This man's body is actually tiring out. I say it won't hold for long any more. And the last thing I want to see is Undertaker turning into another Ric Flair.

On the mental side, Mark is a whole different place in his life now than what he was 10 to 15 years ago. Now he's married, he's a father, he's older (in which I mean wiser), he's got more influence on the business, and gets nothing but the greatest respect from his peers and fans. But the and the business are obviously evolving in different directions. Rumours on the Internet as of late, has it that Undertaker is displeased with the SmackDown roster and wants to be moved over to RAW. And earlier, he has been known for swinging the bottle a bit too much. I'm not saying that I blame him, the company, nor the business directly. But this is a pretty tough and brutal business all the same. If he cracked a bit up back then, I say it's understandable. But what if it happens again..."

Then there's the concept. The way I see the concept of the Undertaker, he's suppose to be feared. Scary, untouchable, invincible, all-powerful and dangerous. Well, once he was, but not anymore. Practically no one is afraid of the Undertaker anymore. Not Khali, not Mark Henry, not Heidenreich, not Randy Orton. Sure, I know that if someone is to 'take over' the Undertaker's legacy, he can't be scared of the Deadman. But now it's so many who wants to prove themselves tougher than the Undertaker that the idea is overused. If someone is going to prove themselves to 'Taker, they shouldn't try to prove stronger, faster, bigger, tougher or harder. They should prove smarter. Especially nowadays when that's all he has left. Both Khali and Mark Henry have proven stronger than Undertaker, but I say their efforts were useless. Angle has proven more experienced and technical, but for nothing. Orton proved more ruthless and sadistic (and dumber, way dumber), but it didn't work in the long run. This incident also has proven something else: Undertaker is highly overexposed. Not necessarily over-pushed as he hasn't held a title for a long, but still, it's just too much. This was better when he was doing the Big Evil biker-gimmick as he appeared more humanlike. But if he wants to play up this "legendary-deadguy-from-the-other-side" character he is now, overexposure will take the surprise element out of it. And his matches are no longer what you hope for, but still almost everything you expect. You expect the Chokeslam, the Last Ride, the Tombstone, the Soup Bones Slugfest, the Legdrop on the Apron, and/or the Old School. You do get that, but due to all this overexposure, the matches starts to become repetitive It's not exactly smart to one time discover that Undertaker is predictable.

Further on, I could also mention that guys like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin started their professional careers AFTER Undertaker did, and they're not active anymore. Rock's pursuing other ventures (Hollywood!), and Austin has sustained too many injuries. (Those are the main reasons. In later events, Austin has done movies too, and hey, Rock sustained an injury on set not long ago.) I say that though Undertaker was, is, and forever will be my favorite WWE wrestler of all time, I do want him out of that ring, and I mean now! Sorry, people, but I don't want wwe.com to announce Undertaker gone for months due to injury anymore, and neither do I want to see Undertaker become another Ric Flair. Maybe another Hogan, coming back for two-three matches per year, 'cause that'll maybe solve the next problem too: Undertaker, no matter how powerful, victorious and respected he might be, doesn't work anymore. He could maybe even end up the same way John Cena has; stuck in his role, and with no obvious way out of it. Of course, he COULD fall back on the biker gimmick again, but wasn't there a reason why he ENDED it" I don't think Big Evil drew as many people to the seats as the Phenom did. And since I don't have the opportunity to see SmackDown weekly on TV or attend live shows, I take the liberty to question how many he draws now.

Undertaker has, like Sgt. Slaughter, Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin, become a WWE icon, and a household name, to be reckoned with, so I don't actually believe that his popularity has sunk any, but if this tiresome and at times disappointing process keeps on, it could. People want to hold on to their heroes, just as they want to see new blood in the game. I understand that, and I also realise that for the new blood to come in, old blood has to go out. And I suspect, (or should I say fear or hope, depending on which would benefit the most") that the next one to leave could be Undertaker. If that would be the case, I hope he only leave the ring, but not the business. I guess that Mark is a very down-to-earth guy and wouldn't try to ride on the fame of his former accomplishments for long, but the man is no fool. Backstage officiating could as a matter of fact be just the thing for him. Considering how long he's been in the business, and how much of that time has been in the WWE, he should know all aspects of this business by now, right"

In conclusion, I just want to say this; it really is hard for me to sit here and write this. After all, this is a man I consider one of the greatest and most respected individuals in the world, and I want to throw him out of his own game" No, I don't WANT to, but the way things are going with' Taker and the WWE, I feel I HAVE to. I don't want him to stop, but fatigue, injury and discomfort will be the end of him. And I don't want him to leave, but his current persona doesn't do anything. Not to him, the other wrestlers, or the programming, and certainly not the business.

It really is with a hurtful lump in my throat I say this: You might as well unlace those boots now, Mark, 'cause this just isn't working anymore. And by God, I do not want to see you end up more injured now!

by Bjarne Andreas Skoveng ..