He may be into his 50’s, but the Undertaker should walk out as the winner of the 2017 Royal Rumble match.
On Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, the Undertaker would make his return to TV after being away since the pre-Survivor Series SmackDown show. This saw him proclaim his allegiance to the Blue Brand, but did not show up there since.
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During this appearance, Taker would announce that he will be part of the 2017 Royal Rumble match. This will put him in contention for potentially one last opportunity at a WWE world title, which would come in one of the top matches of WrestleMania 33.
Undertaker will likely be one of the main names mentioned to win the Royal Rumble match. There is even a case for him to walk out victorious. What are the reasons for this?
5. The Most Exciting Royal Rumble Win Since 2010
The Royal Rumble is always looked upon as one of the top pay-per-views of WWE’s year. The Royal Rumble match is maybe the most anticipated one of them all too. However, these bouts have not gone down as the most thrilling pieces of action over the years, especially with the result.
Since 2011, here is a look at who won the Royal Rumble match:
• Alberto Del Rio – 2011
• Sheamus – 2012
• John Cena – 2013
• Batista – 2014
• Roman Reigns – 2015
• Triple H – 2016
All of these wins above were mostly anti-climatic and predictable. Some of them had exciting finishes, like in 2014 and 2016. However, ones were marred with controversy, especially when Batista and Roman Reigns won. Even Triple H’s win had been one that everybody saw coming, which continued his program with Roman Reigns.
Undertaker winning the 2017 Royal Rumble probably would not be the most dramatic either. Would it be the one with a winner that everyone enjoys the most? There is a good chance of that given his longstanding popularity with the fans and the potential acceptance of him entering the main event of WrestleMania 33.
4. Not a Clear-Cut Royal Rumble Field
The 2017 Royal Rumble match field of competitors is going to be strong. Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho, potentially Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, and others could all be in it. Add in the possibility of Roman Reigns and John Cena (pending their title match results), and this could have a lot of talent, better than 2016 when injuries ravaged the roster.
However, the issue with this group of candidates is that none stand out as a likely winner. Goldberg and Lesnar seem to be on a collision course for WrestleMania. Rollins is waiting on Triple H. Jericho is awaiting Kevin Owens. Ambrose has the Intercontinental Championship. Orton and Wyatt are likely meeting at WrestleMania. Cena and Reigns may also be titleholders by the end of the Royal Rumble.
So, the path for the Undertaker is wide open. He does not really even need this that badly, but with everyone else’s situation, his guide to the win seems almost inevitable.
Sure, the Phenom is a part-timer and nearing the end of his career. He may be the one person fitting this profile that WWE fans would have no problem seeing getting one last moment winning the Royal Rumble, though, especially with no one really standing out from the rest of the pack. That’s due to WrestleMania direction and overall booking from WWE over the past few months.
3. Give Undertaker One Last Title Shot
Undertaker has floated around WWE for years to be around WrestleMania and sometimes other events like SummerSlam. This has all been in (mostly) one-off feuds, however, all of which have not been for championships. CM Punk, Shane McMahon, Brock Lesnar, and Bray Wyatt have been recent opponents for the Dead Man, but all fit the previously noted profile.
There comes a time where what Undertaker is doing may seem repetitive. He shows up, gets challenged by a big name, defeats them (more often than not), and repeats. There is never usually anything on the line, except for the WrestleMania 32 match with McMahon that did not have a game-changing result.
This time around, with a Royal Rumble win, Undertaker could develop his first title feud in years to give him something fresh to do. It may not necessarily result in a win, but if he’s on his last legs, this may be the time to go through with putting him around the WWE or Universal Championship one last time. If so, the tens of thousands at Camping World Stadium will be behind him as he goes for the World title in the main event of the show.
2. This Feels Like Undertaker’s Last Ride
When Undertaker returned to WWE in November, he stated how SmackDown would be his home and that he’s “back.” It would take two months for him to come back again, which is not the craziest thing since he probably is not doing a full-time schedule at this stage of his career.
Taker entering the Royal Rumble seems like he is prepping for the end, though. He last appeared in one of these matches in 2009 when he had been finishing up his run as a full-time star. Eight years later, he is back for a chance at winning a WWE World title in this match (he went for the belt back in 2010 in other shows). Why, though? Why not in past years?
This could mean that WWE is crafting the final run for Undertaker in front of our eyes. The Royal Rumble match win would be step one for this. Step two is choosing which World champion he wants to face, which could be either John Cena or Roman Reigns. Step three is getting to WrestleMania 33. Step four is the end of the Superstar approaching 27 years in the WWE.
Main eventing WrestleMania for a title one last time would be a proper storybook ending for Undertaker, who would likely lose and go off into the sunset. That weekend could even see him headline the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Class.
1. The Match Everyone Wants
“Under-taker” was the chant that everyone inside the venue shouted at John Cena when he returned to WWE at the end of December. He seemingly shrugged off the chant and went on with wanting the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. AJ Styles is now set to defend against him on January 29.
Well, if Cena wins the WWE Championship, it will point to Undertaker winning the Royal Rumble later on. That’s not a foregone conclusion, but will seem likely at the end of the night.
The Cena vs. Undertaker match is one that fans have dreamt of over the past few years, especially with both Superstars having their careers reaction certain checkpoints. For the Face That Runs the Place, he seems to have one foot out the door toward Hollywood, so WWE may have to use him while they have him around. Undertaker is 51 (will be 52 by WrestleMania 33), and likely does not have a lot of time left in the ring. If anything, this may be his last WrestleMania event.
If we do get Cena vs. Undertaker, it may very well be a title and career on the line. The main event of the Show of Shows would be the place to send out the Phenom, but by Cena? That may not go over well with fans the night after, especially with how much heat Brock Lesnar received when he ended the WrestleMania Streak.
From Daily DDT