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John Cena's woes in finding a spot on the WrestleMania card has been a prominent story on television since the Royal Rumble. Most people think a match with The Undertaker is the ultimate destination. Hints have been dropped on television and it looks like WWE is trying too hard to convince its audience that the match won't happen, which means that it will.
It would still be a terrible idea. The Undertaker vs. John Cena was a match that should have happened years ago, but not in 2018. For all these reasons, it would add little to the WrestleMania card.
#1 The match would be bad
The last good match Undertaker had was against CM Punk nearly five years ago, and even then, Punk carried most of it. Since then, Undertaker has been in precipitous, accelerating decline. His match last year against Roman Reigns was sad to watch.
Yes, he's had hip surgery since then, and it's possible that John Cena could carry him to a better match, but there's little chance that it would be better than whatever match on the card that could replace it starring the full-time talent.
The great Undertaker WrestleMania matches are a thing of the past. A match with John Cena would have been great in 2011, but not 2018. He's 53 years old. He won't suddenly be the wrestler he was just because he's in the ring with John Cena.
#2 It would take an opportunity from younger talent
The obligatory yearly Undertaker match would be taking the spotlight from younger talent that could put on a better show. It's that simple.
Currently, Elias, Braun Strowman, Rusev, and more don't have an obvious WrestleMania match, despite how over they are. Each of them would put on a better show than an Undertaker vs. John Cena match.
That opportunity cost has been a persistent problem in WWE for years and this time would be no different. Not only would an Undertaker vs. John Cena match take the spotlight from younger stars who could use it, it's indicative of a long-term problem of the promotion's inability (or unwillingness) to create new megastars.
Elias could use the opportunity to get in the ring with John Cena at WrestleMania far more than Undertaker could, as could Braun Strowman, who would be likelier to win.
Say what you will about Triple H's WrestleMania matches, but at least he's been giving spotlights and rubs to younger stars. Only this year does this streak of his appear to be ending.
John Cena has been the opposite. A match with Undertaker would only put an exclamation point on that.
#3 It would spoil last year's ending
The match with Roman Reigns was sad, but it was mostly forgotten as soon as it was over.
Slowly and methodically, Undertaker divested himself of his gear and appeared to retire, descending to the depths of the underworld from whence he came. It was a perfect sendoff for the deadman character.
Him coming back after all of that would just feel empty and unsatisfying. If not like that, how? What better way for Undertaker to retire? A classic match is an impossibility at this point and last year he put over a new star (even if it isn't one the fans wanted).
If Undertaker loses to John Cena, it only looks like Cena is putting an old man out of his misery. If he wins, nothing changes. Both men are in exactly the same position as before, except the ending to last year's WrestleMania would be rendered meaningless.
It would just be another sad thing to watch, to be honest.
#4 He would be flouting his own words
2018 Undertaker should listen carefully to 2003 Undertaker.
There, he made the very wise statement that he didn't want to be seen as "past his prime" or be an object of pity. Unfortunately, that's been the case for several years. There's no way that fathers of today can tell their sons that Undertaker now is as good as he was before the little ones were born.
It's become more a pity party every year he returns for "one more match." As a fan, it's sad to see.
No one has bad memories of Shawn Michaels, for example, because he went out near the top of his game. It's much the same with athletes in other sports because they decided to go out when they still had some gas in the tank. Undertaker has been running on fumes and the result has been bad memories, which is exactly what he said he didn't want to see. The time to retire was years ago.
For his own sake, I hope he doesn't return. He's done everything there is to do. Staying longer, wearing out his welcome a little more each year, has already damaged his legacy and will do so as long as he keeps coming back.
Let's hope the rumours are wrong, as they often are.
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