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With the rumor going around that The Undertaker is scheduled to be taking on a very exciting opponent at WrestleMania 36, it seems fitting to talk about wrestlers that The Undertaker should face one-on-one in the ring before he finally takes that final walk back up the ramp.
There are plenty of rematches people would probably love to see The Undertaker have. One more match with Kane, maybe a proper match with John Cena, or even a tag match teaming up with Kane one last time in order to make up for the match that none of the wrestlers from the DX vs. Brothers of Destruction match are very proud of.
Instead of looking at those, we can take a look at some exciting opponents that have never stood across the ring from The Undertaker. These are matches that, likely, would provide The Undertaker with either a wrestler who could do the majority of the work to make both men look great or, in the case of one man on this list, enough smoke and mirrors to make it work as an incredible spectacle.
#5 Drew McIntyre
Quick note: for those of you who may remember that The Undertaker squashed Drew McIntyre 10 years ago in a 2-minute match on SmackDown, let's put that behind us. It doesn't count.
Drew McIntyre is finally becoming the star that he was always destined to be, and by conventional wisdom, common sense, or whatever you wish to call it, will be winning the WWE Championship by defeating Brock Lesnar this year at WrestleMania 36.
After he's done that, why not do something that may be bigger than even beating Lesnar? The RAW after WrestleMania is an event unto itself, and big things usually happen. What if Drew's first words after becoming WWE Champion were a challenge to The Undertaker? Drew teamed with Shane McMahon last year at Extreme Rules in a losing effort against Roman Reigns and 'Taker - it's time to settle the score.
McIntyre is a strong, young guy - he can jump for a good-looking Chokeslam, keep his balance to take a Tombstone, help Undertaker balance to do the old school ropewalk. On top of that, his finish, the Claymore, is just a big 'ol boot to the face, so they don't have to worry about suffering the same fate as Goldberg.
#4 Sting
Indeed this is an obvious choice, but it has to be placed on any list about men The Undertaker has never wrestled before - a list of men that he has not only never wrestled, but men that he must wrestle before he calls it a career. It's a match that Sting has been asking to have, and as recently as December he called it the one match he would be willing to come back for.
Sting wants it, the fans want it, and surely The Undertaker would be willing to have the match that fans have been hoping to see since Sting debuted his famous "crow" character way back in 1997. Indeed, Sting will be 61 when WrestleMania 36 rolls around and Undertaker will be turning 55 just four days after Sting hits the big six-one, but between the two characters, the possibility of covering up for their age and shortcomings is easy. Smoke and mirrors.
The Undertaker's entrance is already extremely long and full of pomp-and-circumstance, and Sting has had some great entrances over his career as well -- just walking to the ring alone could, and maybe should be longer than the actual match. Combine two spectacular entrances, a raucous crowd, and a simple 5-to-8 minute match where both men play the hits and you make everybody happy. Wrestling fans across the world would finally be able to wake up, as their "dream match" will have become a reality.
#3 Aleister Black
The moment Aleister Black came onto the scene in NXT, the entire WWE Universe was shouting from the rooftops that not only should he be a future opponent of The Undertaker, but that he could actually be the next Undertaker. WWE has been looking to fill the role of "dark entity" for years, with two very notable failures.
It worked out very poorly when they tried it out way back in 2004 with the stark-contrast of Undertaker (well, he wore all white) in Mordecai, who disappeared after only a couple months and was later repackaged as the somewhat successful Kevin Thorn. The most recent attempt was with Bray Wyatt, but management's lack of willingness to get behind the character, even though the crowd was practically begging to see him usurp The Undertaker, caused him to fall from grace. He's since returned and is rejuvenated and we'll see what happens this time.
Black, however, has been protected well thus far. Although he's done a minimal amount of work since being moved up to the main roster, he has indeed been kept very strong whenever he does appear. With his newest initiative of starting fights instead of waiting for a fight, it seems like The Undertaker would be exactly the guy he would be looking for. It would be one heck of a fight, too.
Unlike many other potential opponents, Aleister Black has a combination of speed, high-flying ability and intense strikes that is nearly impossible for anybody to combat. They call Undertaker "the best pure striker in WWE" but there's no way he matches up with the younger, stronger, faster, hungrier competitor. It would be great to see him try, though.
#2 Daniel Bryan
One of the best wrestlers of this generation, Daniel Bryan is a man who can have a match with anybody - and he's done it, too. Bryan has proven his ability to wrestle big men so many times. He's torn it up with Kane, Mark Henry, The Big Show, and most recently, Brock Lesnar.
Through his association with Kane as part of Team Hell No, Bryan has teamed up with The Undertaker on a couple of occasions, but they have never stood on opposite sides of the ring in a singles match or otherwise. The Undertaker's reputation as a great in-ring wrestler began in early 2006 with his classic but oft-forgotten match with Kurt Angle from No Way Out. Bryan and Angle have been compared to each other by just about every wrestling fan who has seen them wrestle, and it's an apt comparison.
Due to their similarities, specifically their ability to pull a good, even a great match, out of anybody, it's a no-brainer that one of Undertaker's final matches should be against a man who can make him look 15 years younger.
#1 AJ Styles
Rumors have been circulating that The Undertaker's opponent for this year's WrestleMania, and it has everybody excited. AJ may be the best option for the aging Deadman, as The Phenomenal One would be taking on The Phenom at the biggest event of the year. It seems like ever since AJ burst on the scene 4 years ago in the 2016 Royal Rumble match, fans have imagined him in dream matches with, well, pretty much everybody.
Much like Daniel Bryan, AJ has been able to put together classic matches with just about anybody, big or small. Styles was Brock Lesnar's opponent at the 2017 Survivor Series in what many fans consider Brock's best match since his return in 2012. He was even able to pull a pair of good matches out of former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, a feat that was quite spectacular in 2017.
Styles is one of the best of all time. The Undertaker is one of the best of all time. WrestleMania is about classic showdowns between legends. Undertaker already is a legend, and when he retires, AJ Styles will be considered the same. AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker is a must-have.
