• How The Undertaker & Vince McMahon Ribbed AJ Styles Before WrestleMania 36 Match
What began as a casual conversation quickly turned into a quiet rib that involved Vince McMahon, The Undertaker, and AJ Styles, long before anyone knew a WrestleMania match was even possible.
During his appearance on the Six Feet Under podcast, Styles revealed that had made it known that if The Undertaker ever decided to wrestle again, he would love to be the opponent.
At the time, nothing was promised and nothing was even certain. Undertaker himself was undecided about returning, weighing his physical condition and whether another match would be worth the risk. Instead of giving Styles a straight answer, the situation turned playful.
Styles soon got word that Undertaker might come back for WrestleMania, but not to wrestle him. Instead, Undertaker would be coming back to face a new, up-and-coming wrestler. The message landed as a deliberate tease.
Undertaker openly acknowledged on the podcast that this was intentional, and that the idea being floated was that he would return for one more match, just not against Styles. Vince McMahon became part of the back-and-forth as the idea circulated, adding to the confusion and keeping Styles guessing.
The rib worked because it played directly into Styles’ instincts. He didn’t buy the explanation. The notion that Undertaker would come back only to wrestle an unnamed developmental talent didn’t add up, especially given the stakes of a WrestleMania return. Still, no one corrected him right away. Instead, the uncertainty lingered while Undertaker continued to privately assess whether his body could handle another match at all.
Behind the scenes, Undertaker was taking the decision seriously. He needed time to evaluate his health and consider whether he could deliver something meaningful rather than damaging his legacy. During that period, the rib served a purpose. It deflected pressure, kept expectations low, and allowed Undertaker to think without committing to anything publicly or privately.
Once Undertaker decided he could do one more match, the tone changed. The joking stopped, the conversations became real, and Styles emerged as the trusted opponent. What had started as a playful misdirection ultimately became the foundation for the Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36, a bout designed specifically to work around Undertaker’s physical limitations while preserving his aura.
• Steve Austin Reveals Why Dream Match With Goldberg Never Happened
The Austin–Goldberg dream match didn’t fall apart because of politics or creative hesitation. It never reached the point where it made sense to execute.
Steve Austin addressed the long-discussed matchup during an appearance on the Insight podcast, explaining that the idea surfaced briefly after Goldberg arrived in WWE in 2003, but stalled almost immediately due to timing.
According to Austin, there was internal consideration given to the match early in Goldberg’s WWE run. However, Austin said Goldberg was still in the process of establishing himself within WWE’s system and hadn’t yet reached the level required for a program of that magnitude.
Austin acknowledged Goldberg’s star power coming out of WCW, but noted that WWE’s expectations were different. From his perspective, name value alone wasn’t enough; the match would have required a level of rhythm, chemistry, and momentum that Goldberg hadn’t built yet in that environment.
The plan was to allow Goldberg time to acclimate, gain footing, and truly connect with the WWE audience before revisiting the idea. That window never reopened. Here’s what Stone Cold said:
“I think we pitched it when he first came in, but he wasn’t at the level that he needed to be. He had just come into WWF, and he needed to get going or get over first.
He was certainly over from his WCW days. I think a little bit of time had elapsed. Goldberg just needed to put some time in in WWF before we could go. And then it just never happened.”
Rather than being rejected or abandoned, the match simply aged out. Goldberg left WWE in 2004. On the final night of his first WWE run (which was at WrestleMania 20), Austin hit Goldberg with a Stunner.
