WWE's The Last Ride continues to chronicle the most recent years of the Undertaker's life and how close he's gotten to retiring since becoming a legend in the '80s. The life he's made with Michelle McCool and his daddy duties as Mark Calaway come knocking a lot, but the Dead Man just can't quit, as he doesn't feel like he's had that one last match to really inspire him to hang up his gear. In The Last Ride, as he documents the wrestlers he wanted programs with in the twilight of his his career, he actually admits who's his favorite one on the current roster and it has a lot to do with one of his biggest enemies in the past.
Undertaker's new fave is none other than A.J. Styles. It's revealed when he's backstage in the 2018 Royal Rumble watching his wife participate in the Women's event where she eliminated five ladies, the most of any competitor that night. It's all part of the episode showing how Undertaker works well with the backstage crew and creatives, and that when he's not participating, he's still imparting wisdom from decades in the industry. It's why Vince McMahon considers him an invaluable asset and a son who he can lean on.
And when he sees Styles on the monitor, the Dead Man geeks out like a fanboy. He says he's a huge fan of Styles and that he'd love to work a program with him because he's sure they could put on a great show. Undertaker admits what makes Styles his favorite is he reminds him of Shawn Michaels at his prime. Undertaker had epic WrestleMania matches with Michaels, and he also retired him, so there's a lot of history there. He confessed Michaels was one of his favorite rivals of all time and that they worked well in the ring despite contrasting styles. The icing on the cake was they had great, dramatic storytelling too.
Undertaker was in awe of Styles' technical skills, recognizing him as one of the best in the business, and it was made even better thanks to his mic work. So obviously, if he compared the Phenomenal One to the Heartbreak Kid, he'd definitely go out to ask for a fight someday, and it came this year. At the Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia in February, Undertaker entered the Gauntlet match and beat Styles. The Phenom then faced Styles at this year's WrestleMania 36 in a longer, proper match, something which WWE officials have said the Dead Man begged for from McMahon.
They put on an amazing Boneyard match, which won over fans for its cinematic sequences. A major factor was the theatrics beforehand in the build-up, which definitely felt like HBK and Undertaker, not to mention Styles had the O.C. to add that DX flavor of sorts. The timing also made perfect sense, as Styles was finally a heel that could bring out the hero from the darkness. Undertaker emerged victorious, but you can tell from the backstage footage of him and Styles bonding before and after the fight, it was the Phenomenal One's pleasure to give the Dead Man the win, as he too is a fan of everything the supernatural legend has done in WWE.