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WWE Rumors: Do The Undertaker And Shawn Michaels’ Return Signal That ‘Raw’ Is ‘Desperate’ For Ratings?

By Bernadette Giacomazzo
Published on: 02:40 PST, Jan 3, 2017

Now that it’s been confirmed both The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels are set to return to the ring, the latest WWE rumors suggest that these wrestling legends are returning to the ring because, despite everything suggesting otherwise, Monday Night Raw‘s ratings aren’t where the company wants them to be.

According to Wrestling, Inc.‘s latest round of WWE rumors, not only will The Undertaker be returning to the ring next week, Shawn Michaels — another legendary wrestler from the 1990s era — will be back, as well. Michaels will be promoting The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, a new film being distributed by WWE Studios. The film is scheduled to be in theaters on January 20, and stars Michaels, Bret Dalton, and Neil Flynn.

While many fans welcomed the news of the legends of wrestling returning, many more felt that the news was a sign that Raw‘s ratings were slipping — or, at the very least, not where they should be.

And, it turns out, these fans have good reason to be concerned. According to the latest WWE rumors from iDigitalTimes, part of the reason why the ratings for both Raw and SmackDown are falling is that the market is over-saturated with WWE stuff. With new pay-per-view specials available eight months out of the year, and a three-hour episode of Raw each week, many fans are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of fights that are going on, and they need a break.

“WWE fatigue is beginning to set in as fans are turning to cutdown Hulu versions of Raw or YouTube for clips of shows. With falling ratings come band-aids for the company such as Bill Goldberg who come in and pop ratings temporarily. That means precious television time going to washed up stars instead of talent who are on the road every single week. The WWE will not change the current formula anytime soon so 2017 will continue to see falling ratings and general disinterest at shows.”

Still, these latest WWE rumors haven’t stopped the company from going ahead and putting these “washed up stars” (as iDigitalTimes calls them) in the lineup of some of the most important events. According to The Sun, both The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels are scheduled to appear in the Royal Rumble this month, but it remains to be seen what role each of them will play in the show.

We already know that, in addition to promoting The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, Michaels will appear at the San Antonio Alamodome — where the Royal Rumble will be taking place — because San Antonio is, in fact, his hometown. As a whole, wrestlers do very well when they perform or otherwise appear in their hometown, so Shawn will definitely feel welcome.

As for The Undertaker, his role in the Rumble is a little more nebulous. It really comes down to what, exactly, happens with John Cena: if Cena takes home the World Championship, and The Undertaker wins the Rumble (both of which are strong possibilities), the duo may just face off at Wrestlemania.

What do you think of this latest round of WWE rumors? Leave your thoughts about the latest WWE rumors in the comments below.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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