WWE News: WWE Officials Discussing Major Match For The Undertaker At The ‘Royal Rumble’

Last week, SmackDown celebrated its 900th episode in style. The show featured an Intercontinental Championship match and an appearance from Edge, but most importantly, it hosted the return of the legendary Undertaker. The historical significance of 900 episodes is noteworthy in and of itself, but the Undertaker would proceed to drop a bombshell to close out the evening.

During the main event segment of The Cutting Edge, the Undertaker interrupted the proceedings to address the SmackDown team for Survivor Series. The Phenom shocked the superstars and WWE Universe alike when he proclaimed that he was back in the WWE, and if the blue brand lost at the pay-per-view, the person most responsible would answer to him.

If that weren’t enough, the Undertaker also claimed that WrestleMania would no longer define his career, opening up a heap of speculation about his immediate future in the ring. We’ve since confirmed that The Deadman is expected to assume a part-time role over the next six months, culminating at WrestleMania 33 with his retirement match.

#ThursdayThoughts You Won't Believe What WWE Star 'The Undertaker' Looks Like Now https://t.co/f3lFd46Tb6

— Earl Cordell (@EarlCordell_) November 17, 2016

As noted, the Undertaker will not be back on a full-time basis, but he will be making semi-regular appearances on SmackDown leading up to the Royal Rumble, and then, of course, the big show next April in Orlando. It had originally been speculated that WWE officials were lining up as many as three marquee opponents for the Undertaker in mapping out his final run. Now it seems that the most realistic figure will be two.

According to a report in Daily Wrestling News, those WWE officials have had legitimate conversations about booking the Undertaker in a match at the Royal Rumble. And not just any match for that matter. The creative conversations have centered around the idea of putting him against AJ Styles in a match for the WWE World Championship.

Ever since the WWE booked the AlamoDome in San Antonio as the site of the 30th Royal Rumble, its goal has been to book the show in the biggest way possible. Internally, management was being told to put together a card on the same level as a WrestleMania. And since the event would be held in Texas, legends (and Lonestar State natives) like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and especially the Undertaker, were being courted to stack the show.

If you recall, not too long ago, the rumor mill was heating up in regards to a match for HBK. Those heat up every year around WrestleMania time, but for it to get cooking for the Rumble means you know things are going to be big. It even got to a point where both AJ Styles and Seth Rollins were discussing the idea of facing the Heartbreak Kid, but alas, it’s extremely unlikely. Styles and the Undertaker, however, has legitimate legs.

There is no guarantee, at this point, that the match will actually happen, but it’s definitely on the company’s radar. It is interesting that SmackDown won the elimination match at Survivor Series considering the storyline they built into the match going in with the Undertaker threatening them if they lost. But the bigger issue at hand, as far as the Undertaker’s availability, is his health. He recently had hip surgery, as we pointed out last week, in order to be capable of a part-time run, but it’s unclear yet whether he’ll be able to wrestle a match by January.

ICYMI:

Undertaker And Kane "The Brothers Of Destruction" Reunited After #SmackDown Went Off The Air pic.twitter.com/CqqdRnmbnc

— Slice Wrestling (@EntSlice) November 16, 2016

Not only have WWE officials discussed an Undertaker vs. AJ Styles world title match at the Royal Rumble, but they are seriously considering putting The Phenom over in the match so that he would enter WrestleMania as the champion. And then it gets even more interesting. The idea there would be that he would be challenged by none other than John Cena on the grandest stage of them all.

There have been plans going as far back as four years ago discussing a potential Cena-Undertaker match at a WrestleMania, and it could finally come together in 2017 in what would then most likely be the Deadman’s final showdown. Of course, with the title on the line, a major storyline falls into their lap with Cena chasing Ric Flair’s record of 16 world title reigns.

Goldberg just claimed that he has one title run left in him. Could the same be said for the Undertaker?

[Featured Image by WWE]