Undertaker made his first WWE appearance since November on Monday Night RAW.
Undertaker’s potential return to WWE RAW had been hyped for the past two weeks. This is despite him saying in November that SmackDown still runs through his blood, which is due to his time with the show during the original brand split.
Around the 10:00 p.m. ET hour of RAW, he would appear in the ring with Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley, who had been looking for him for the first two hours of the show. The Dead Man immediately stated that he would be in the 2017 Royal Rumble match, and turned to the Raw executive to tell them he controls where he is.
Then Undertaker brought up how he returned to the city (New Orleans, LA) where his WrestleMania Streak demised. He noted how he will return to the main event of the Showcase of the Immortals, with anyone standing in his way being destined to “rest in peace.”
“I’ve dug 29 holes for 29 souls … and I will be bringing THE DARKSIDE to the #RoyalRumble Match!” – #Undertaker #RAW pic.twitter.com/LNBwN0qBdz
— WWE (@WWE) January 10, 2017
This announcement from Undertaker does not come as a huge surprise given the timing of the WWE schedule. The Royal Rumble pay-per-view is in less than three weeks, so this seemed like an ideal moment to officially bring him into the over-the-top-rope match equation.
This also likely puts the Phenom near the top of the pack for potential candidates to win the Royal Rumble. He’s a part-timer at this point in his career and rarely appears in this match anymore. So, could his unusual placement in this bout mean that WWE is setting him up to main event WrestleMania 33?
If Taker wins, he will be on his way toward a WWE World title match. If he goes back to his SmackDown promo from November, this would be against John Cena or AJ Styles. If he is now a RAW Superstar, it would likely be Roman Reigns or Kevin Owens. Should this be the expectation for the long-time WWE star later this month?
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