Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
As we inch ever closer to Wrestlemania 32, one of the constant discussions amongst fans is how banged up the WWE roster is. While it certainly appears Roman Reigns vs. Triple H and Brock Lesnar vs. someone from the Wyatt Family are locked into the biggest WWE event of the year, the question has been raised as to who The Undertaker will be facing.
Initially scheduled to be Undertaker vs. John Cena at the show, those plans went down in flames when Cena tore his rotator cuff. While Cena has had an almost super-human ability to return to the ring from major injuries (and one never knows, he still might by Wrestlemania - I would never bet against him), the likelihood of him wrestling Undertaker when we get to Dallas seems improbable to say the least.
Undertaker, in recent years, has been one of the top attractions at Wrestlemania. Even with the end of his streak at Wrestlemania 30, he still commands an incredible aura as the company's living legend. Over the past year, he's been far more involved in storylines and has undertaken more major matches than he has had in years. With Wrestlemania in his home State of Texas, that adds another dimension of importance to his bout. Fans are coming to see The Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
So, who does he wrestle? Here are some different options WWE could go with, in alphabetical order.
AJ STYLES
Sure, this seems crazy on the surface but what better way to give Styles a splash in his Wrestlemania debut. If Styles is going to continue to be the brash talent that he was presented to be in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a member of the Bullet Club, why not present him as being so bold that he thinks he can walk into his first match at Wrestlemania and take down the Phenom? While there is a big size disparity, that didn't stop Undertaker and Rey Mysterio from having some really good to great matches on Smackdown years ago. Styles' big spots mixed with him taking big bumps off Undertaker's signature maneuvers could provide quite the spectacle. Even in a loss, Styles taking the fight to Undertaker at Wrestlemania would be a hell of an initiation into the WWE landscape.
BUBBA RAY DUDLEY
Since returning to WWE, The Dudley Boyz have been presented as something of a nostalgia act and Bubba Ray Dudley has suffered because of it. Anyone who saw his work in TNA knows that as Bully Ray, he was able to not only be the top heel in the company but had evolved his body and his work well beyond the character he used to be. He's taken a step backwards by putting the glasses and camouflage back on, but he's also at the same time put himself under the radar. WWE could use that to their advantage by having him turn heel, perhaps even on D-Von at the Rumble, and revert back to the Bully Ray character while maintaining the Bubba name. Ray's always had a penchant for pissing people off and it's been a long time since WWE has had any sort of heel who's prime mission statement was to piss off fans and get heat. The last one was CM Punk during the Straightedge Society days or perhaps Chris Jericho during his run with Shawn Michaels, but those are going back a few years. Have Ray run down everyone and anyone on the mic and have him beat the hell out of people for weeks and weeks. Then, have him declare that he's the best in WWE and he's proven it and there's not one person who can stand up in his face and tell him otherwise...and then the lights go out and the gong hits....and we are off to the races for Wrestlemania.
CHRIS JERICHO
Let's face it. This Jericho run thus far has felt somewhat uninspired. He's been playing his old character and like the aforementioned Bubba, it feels like a step back for Jericho. He's been in and out of the company too many times at this point and the fans are somewhat numb to him. WWE would be wise to play off of that and take what right now seems like a negative and turn it into a positive. They could do that by slowly presenting Jericho as more of a slimy personality who thinks all of this is beneath him. Let Jericho go "Hollywood" by being obsessed with himself and with the idea that he's too good to wrestle. He can pretty much say the truth - that he believes he's a rock star and WWE and all of this is truly beneath him. Let him be the biggest jerk one could imagine, completely unprofessional in every way. Let him pretty much say he's here because his lawyer trapped him in some stupid contract so he's going to piss on the entire company and everyone here until he can leave. Let him anger people off by putting himself into a position where just when you think he's going to compete, he walks off, Larry Zbyszko style and never comes back. Let him disrespect the WWE Hall of Fame during a big announcement. Jericho can steal someone's thunder and talk about how he's the Living Legend, the first Undisputed champion and can even call himself Mr. Wrestlemania because he's so arrogant. He can demand that he should be the only man to be inducted into the Hall of Fame twice in the same night. All of this, of course, can bring back Shawn Michaels, his old foe, the heart and soul of WWE, etc. We can have Michaels tease he's going to return to set Jericho straight and build that issue up while playing off of their old rivalry (Jericho did punch Michaels' wife in the mouth once!), only for Jericho to attack and beat Michaels down and injure him (so Shawn never wrestles, since he really doesn't want to). Jericho can then brag that he was the man who truly, once and for all, retired Shawn and even steal Michaels' HOF ring and "destroy it." He can go to the Alamo in Texas (San Antonio, where Michaels is from) and disrespect Texas and Michaels by saying that Michaels never even got to have his "last stand" and it's a good thing because if he did, he'd have ended up like all the worthless people who had theirs at the Alamo. Make it deep and personal and evil. Then we learn that the reason Michaels "agreed to come back" was because he knew he had to set things right BUT before doing so, sought the blessing of the man who really retired him, The Undertaker. Undertaker, angry that Jericho has not only been such a piece of garbage that he prevented Michaels from getting his justice (and has disrespected Texas) but is now taking credit for something Undertaker truly did in retiring Michaels. So, the last Gunslinger has to return to handle the job. The stage is set for Jericho to eat a tombstone at Wrestlemania 32.
DEAN AMBROSE
While the last few competitors mentioned have been older, more established names, I really like the idea of Undertaker vs. Ambrose as a possibility. For one, it would bring Ambrose to a huge new level and would certainly be the biggest match of his career. The crowd loves him and he brings an aura of grittiness and danger that 99.9% of professional wrestlers don't carry with them in 2016. The promos alone he could cut on Undertaker seem worth the price of admission, especially since he has the gift of gab but has never been truly given, in my opinion, the opportunity to "talk people into the building." This would allow him to be put into that position. Obviously, the two could have a hell of a brawl with all the bells and whistles. In my mind, I'd love to see Ambrose face Undertaker and get the win, but I'm not sure that's the best thing to do in front of 100,000 people in Texas. But the work would be great and it would help reinforce Ambrose, who at times is a big victim of being pulled up and down the card in terms of how he's pushed.
KANE
I'm going to say right now, I don't personally want to see this match. I really don't. However, it's impossible to discount that Vince McMahon holds Kane and Undertaker in high esteem and that there is an incredible history between the two characters. They have faced off twice at Wrestlemania before and if WWE needs to plug an easy opponent in for Undertaker at Wrestlemania, Kane is the "go to" guy. The two Brothers of Destruction facing off in front of 100,000 fans in what could be Undertaker's final Wrestlemania appearance? I can see why Vince McMahon would see that as something of a spectacle and attraction - Think of the ring entrances - for Dallas! What better gift could they give to Kane for all his years of hard and loyal service? Don't discount this one if WWE feels the need.
KEVIN OWENS
Is there a better choice for someone to disrespect the memory and prestige of The Undertaker? Owens walked into WWE and beat John Cena. While the way he's been presented since has been haphazard, that is due to no fault of his own and fans still see him as the legit bad-ass brawler who would spit in the face of anyone. It wouldn't take much to build some issue and the match would certainly deliver.
SAMOA JOE
2015 has been the year of Samoa Joe's resurgence. If you don't believe me, check out footage of his final TNA run and then look at the Joe who went nose to nose with Sami Zayn the last few weeks on WWE NXT. Joe has pretty much returned to the form that fans loved him for in the early days of ROH and TNA. His work has always been built around working like a monster and a big man and there is NO bigger monster than the Undertaker in WWE. WWE could easily toss Joe in the Royal Rumble to bring him up and have him choking people out left and right. He could end up facing Kane and loses the match but snaps after and begins choking Kane out. He refuses to let go and not even referees can get him off. Just when it seems all is lost, the lights go out, GONG, and there's Undertaker, completely unadvertised, rescuing his brother. This sets the stage for Joe vs. Undertaker and gives Joe a big Wrestlemania debut and gives Undertaker someone he can have a really good bout with.
THE WYATT FAMILY
Yes, we know the Wyatts are going to be in a program with Brock Lesnar, but think about the premise and drawing power of a "Mega-Powers" like tag team of Lesnar and The Undertaker, two former rivals now united by their mutual respect of each other. It worked with Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff and Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. It could easily work here as well. The downside would be that Undertaker just killed The Wyatts at Survivor Series so going back to this could be a little bit of a repeat, but Lesnar and Undertaker on the same side just seems like one of those huge moments that WWE could kill to have.
So, there's eight possibilities. Some may not seem as interesting to you as they might to others but the bottom line is that there are still potential matches and rivalries that Undertaker could be programmed into. We will just to see who ends up with that lucky Wrestlemania lottery ticket if and when the bell tolls, because it's just a matter of time before Undertaker is slowly strolling down the aisle at AT&T Stadium.
Mike Johnson can be reached at MikeJohnsonPWInsider@gmail.com. He does not suggest that WWE recreate the first episode of Raw by having Damian Demanto return to challenge The Undertaker. He's willing to hear arguments for RepoMan, however.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
