The Undertaker returned to WWE television a few weeks back during the go-home edition of SmackDown before WWE Survivor Series. He declared the brand as his “home” and claimed that he was back in WWE to “take souls and dig holes.” Team SmackDown ended up defeating Team Raw at WWE Survivor Series , so his threat was heard loud and clear by the locker room, and The Deadman continues to watch SmackDown.
Since Wrestlemania 32 , the WWE Universe has been questioning The Undertaker’s status with WWE. His return to SmackDown answered a lot of those concerns, but it was always a two part question. The WWE Universe wanted to know when The Deadman would return, but they also wanted to know what he will be doing next, especially as the WWE Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania 33 PPVs are quickly approaching.
At this point, we know The Undertaker will be wrestling on the grandest stage of them all in Orlando next year, but his opponent is still a mystery. The rumor mill continues to push out new possibilities. The most popular choice is still John Cena. However, the jury is still out on another match for him at the WWE Royal Rumble. However, a new report has shed some light on what WWE officials have planned for him in 2017.
According to a new report, the reason The Undertaker hasn’t returned to WWE television since the episode of SmackDown is because WWE officials are holding off his next appearance indefinitely. The logic is WWE has a lot of time between PPVs over the next month. WWE TLC took place two weeks ago and tonight is WWE Roadblock for Raw. T here won’t be another PPV until WWE Royal Rumble at the end of January.
There is a good chance that WWE will have The Undertaker return to SmackDown during the first edition of the show in 2017 , especially after Raw will have Goldberg and possibly Brock Lesnar on the show. That is not confirmed, and there is still a lot of speculation about The Undertaker entering a feud with AJ Styles over the next few weeks. However, The Undertaker working a match at the WWE Royal Rumble seems to be a stretch.
If WWE officials decide that holding off The Undertaker’s full return to WWE television is better for “The Road to Wrestlemania,” then it’s possible we won’t see him again until spring. Appearing on SmackDown in November didn’t give enough information, especially while John Cena takes more time away from WWE for outside projects. How the two could build a feud must be a question WWE officials are asking themselves.
As of this writing, The Undertaker’s opponent for Wrestlemania 33 could be AJ Styles, John Cena, and even someone like Randy Orton. There are plenty of possibilities, but WWE officials are likely still trying to fit all the pieces together, especially with the WWE Royal Rumble right around the corner. If The Undertaker doesn’t make his next appearance over the next few weeks, it’ll be obvious WWE thought it was a better idea to wait.
A new idea that has been rumored is WWE could be booking a triple threat match at Wrestlemania for The Undertaker, John Cena, and AJ Styles. On paper, that could prove to be a smart decision because the WWE Universe will get two dream opponents for The Deadman on the grandest stage of them all. Cena vs. Styles can easily make that transition, and Cena can win the WWE World title without Undertaker having to lose.
That would be a very interesting situation, especially since John Cena will return to SmackDown at the end of the year. Cena vs. Styles would build the feud and Undertaker would be the wild card, which would be a nice change of pace for him. Only time will tell, but WWE’s plans for Wrestlemania will involve Undertaker in a big way. The WWE Universe will need to be patient for a bit longer as Wrestlemania approaches.
[Featured Image by WWE]
