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The Undertaker’s WrestleMania 33 ‘farewell’ was perfect. He laid his hat, coat and gloves down in the middle of the Orlando ring after losing to Roman Reigns and we looked to have witnessed the end of one of the greatest careers in WWE history.
However, seemingly every month since his last appearance, there is a new rumour that he will return for one more match next year in New Orleans – the same city where his legendary WrestleMania streak was ended by Brock Lesnar in 2014.
From the hints given over the last few weeks by former colleagues, current Superstars and even WWE themselves, it seems possible now more than at any stage since WrestleMania 33 that he will step back inside the squared circle.
In this article, we look at the five biggest signs yet that ‘Taker will lace up his boots one more time, almost certainly at WrestleMania 34, to bring a definitive end to his legendary career.
#1. Former colleagues think he’ll wrestle again
When another WWE fan says The Undertaker will return, you probably take it with a pinch of salt. But when some of his closest friends in the business claim we haven’t seen the last of him, you might want to take notice.
Bruce Prichard, a former WWE producer who also worked as ‘Taker’s first manager for the company, said on his Something To Wrestle With podcast shortly after WrestleMania 33 that he believes the veteran will return for another match.
Jim Ross, the legendary WWE commentator who returned to call the Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker match in Orlando, said in August that Vince McMahon is a "marketing genius" and he’ll still view ‘Taker as an active performer "until he says he’s done and it’s validated by the company".
Those are just two examples, on top of the recent comments from Jerry Lawler, that add extra weight to the rumours that “The Phenom” will lace up his boots one more time.
#2. No official retirement
It’s been mentioned in passing by the likes of Roman Reigns and Corey Graves that WrestleMania 33 saw the ‘retirement’ of The Undertaker, but it’s never been officially announced.
We haven’t seen an article on WWE’s official website bidding farewell to one of the greatest Superstars of all time, nor has there been a WWE Network documentary marking the end of his historic career. We’ve just been left to guess for ourselves what the WrestleMania 33 finale really meant.
‘Taker is a man of few words and one of the rare performers in modern-day WWE whose character is staunchly protected outside of the ring, so it’s no surprise that Mark Calaway himself hasn’t commented on his future in the business.
However, as fitting as his supposed ‘farewell’ was following his defeat to Reigns in Orlando, you’d imagine WWE would have capitalised on his ‘retirement’ a little more than they did if he really had just wrestled his last match.
#3. Digs from John Cena & Roman Reigns
If The Undertaker returns for one last match at WrestleMania 34, you’d imagine his final opponent will either be Roman Reigns, the man who supposedly retired him at WrestleMania 33, or John Cena, who he never got to face off with at “The Show of Shows”.
The seeds have been planted over the last few months for a match with either of those Superstars, with Reigns referring to WWE as his “yard” – Undertaker’s former saying – and Cena dismissing him as a “beat-up veteran with a bad hip” during a promo in September.
Reigns is almost certain to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship in New Orleans, so Cena is the most realistic opponent for “The Deadman” if he decides to step inside the ring again in 2018.
The two legends have only previously met once on pay-per-view, with ‘Taker defeating the 16-time WWE champion at Vengeance 2003.
#4. He’s in incredible shape
The Undertaker was pictured entering a New York hospital in May 2017 amid rumours that he needed surgery on multiple injuries, including a possible procedure on his hip.
That makes it all the more remarkable that the seven-time WWE world champion remains in such great shape for a man of 52 years of age who looked to have already wrestled his final match.
He was recently backstage at Survivor Series, sitting alongside Jerry “The King” Lawler and Kane, and Lawler mentioned on his Dinner With The King podcast that ‘Taker’s physique was so impressive that he wouldn’t be surprised if he returned for more matches in the future.
He said: “I think he might have looked too good. I think when you hang around or you show up and you look that good, they in the WWE, they’re ready for you to come back… Just looking at him the other night, I think there are some more matches left in The Undertaker.”
#5. January Raw appearance
Perhaps the biggest hint yet that The Undertaker will return for one more match came when WWE announced that he will be making an appearance on Raw’s 25th-anniversary show on 22 January 2018.
Many fans thought they would never see “The Deadman” in a WWE arena again after his apparent farewell at WrestleMania 33, but his upcoming appearance on the company’s flagship show has made everyone question whether it could lead to one more match.
Will he confront Roman Reigns, the man who seemingly ‘retired’ him? Will he announce that his days as an in-ring performer are over? Or will he confirm that he will have a retirement match at WrestleMania 34?
As we previously outlined, there are many possible roles he could play on the special episode of Raw in January, but one thing’s for sure: it seems more likely now than ever before that one of WWE’s most iconic characters will compete again inside a squared circle.
