The 2017 WWE Royal Rumble looks like it will be one for the ages. In addition to being one of the most unpredictable Rumbles in history, it is also one of the most stacked events in recent memory in terms of the lineup.
Entrants in this year’s Rumble include the likes of Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, as well as current stars like Dean Ambrose, Braun Strowman and Chris Jericho. But perhaps the biggest draw of them all is the man who hasn’t entered the Royal Rumble match since 2009: the Undertaker.
The Undertaker rarely has a reason to enter the Royal Rumble match anymore. After all, the match is designed to be a bridge to WrestleMania. The winner goes on to compete for a world title in one of the main events at the Show of Shows.
But Undertaker rarely needs to be involved in these pre-Mania festivities. He’s such a big deal, that facing him at WrestleMania is an honour in itself, so he usually has an opponent lined up who is trying to conquer him. But not this year.
As of right now, there is no clear opponent for ‘Taker at WrestleMania. That means he has as good a shot as anyone to actually compete for a world title, be it the WWE Championship or Universal Championship, on the Grandest Stage of Them All. And to get to that point, the Undertaker should win the 2017 Royal Rumble.
#5 No other WrestleMania opponent would suffice
No matter what match the Undertaker is in, it’s going to be a big deal. Even with the streak no longer intact, he’s one of the most intimidating forces in WWE history. Every match he is in is a marquee match. With that said, there are some match concepts that are less exciting than others.
Let’s say Undertaker doesn’t win the Royal Rumble this year. Who is he going to face at WrestleMania? Last year he had no clear opponent and WWE had to do all it could to come up with something worthy of Undertaker’s time on the fly. Do we really want another hastily thrown together match for one of WWE’s biggest stars?
If that is the route WWE decides to go, it seems like Braun Strowman would be an option to face the Deadman. And while Strowman has shown remarkable improvement compared to this time last year, a match with the Undertaker would not pack as much of a punch as a world title match involving the Phenom.
Aside from Strowman, no one else even comes to mind. A world title match is the most logical WrestleMania role for the Undertaker.
#4 We could get The Phenom vs. The Phenomenal One
Before Survivor Series, the Undertaker established himself as part of the SmackDown brand. But since then, he has appeared on Raw twice and has not returned to his home turf once. That raises the question, which title would Undertaker challenge for if he won the Royal Rumble? It seems like he would have his choice.
But one of his options, and potentially the most enticing one, is a faceoff with the Phenomenal One, AJ Styles. If Styles defeats John Cena this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, he will almost certainly head into WrestleMania as WWE Champion.
That could make him the Undertaker’s target, and it could provide us with one of the most unexpected and iconic WrestleMania matches of all time.
Besides the obvious marketability of “The Phenom vs The Phenomenal One”, this match would deliver in every possible way. Both guys are incredible at telling a story in the ring, both are in-ring technicians albeit in different ways, and their combined star power is enough to anchor WWE’s biggest PPV of the year.
This match would be utterly surreal and a dream come true for a lot of wrestling fans. If Undertaker wins the Royal Rumble, this could be the result. And what a result it would be.
#3 At long last, The Undertaker vs. John Cena
The Undertaker vs. John Cena. These two have squared off in the past, but they’ve never been given a proper feud or stage worthy of their superstardom. A SmackDown here, a Raw there, nothing compares to a potential WrestleMania showdown between two of WWE’s biggest stars of all time.
And if Undertaker wins the Royal Rumble, we could get exactly that.
Step one, of course, is John Cena winning the WWE Championship this Sunday. Cena will be chasing his 16th world championship as he takes on AJ Styles, and he just might get it. Although Styles has been an outstanding Champion over the last several months, it would surprise no one for Cena to capture the title heading into WrestleMania.
If he does, the prospect of facing the Undertaker is exciting, to say the least, especially given the possibility of a title vs. career match.
Not only would the match make sense, given the likelihood of the Undertaker retiring soon, but it would actually have some measure of unpredictability. Of course, Cena would be the heavy favourite. But in the back of your mind you may wonder, what if Cena is finally done in WWE? What if he’s going to go full steam ahead with his other ventures like The Rock did?
No matter what the stakes, this match needs to happen at some point. And with Undertaker’s career winding down, time is running out. A Royal Rumble victory for the Undertaker could be the bridge to this historic match.
#2 Makes up for last year
I have no problem with Shane McMahon. He’s a good personality, he’s a good enough wrestler, and his feud with the Undertaker leading into WrestleMania last year wasn’t bad. But it didn’t give fans what they’ve come to expect out of ‘Mania matches involving the Phenom. WWE can make up for that this year.
Last year, the plan was supposedly for Undertaker to face John Cena. But due to Cena’s torn rotator cuff, that match was put on hold and a new one had to be devised on the fly. WWE did very well, given their time constraints, but a feud with Shane O’Mac simply doesn’t compare to a feud/match with a credible Superstar who could believably beat the Deadman.
If Undertaker wins the Royal Rumble, not only is he guaranteed an opponent who feels like a threat, he’s guaranteed to be a part of probably the biggest match of the night.
On another note, Undertaker main-eventing WrestleMania can also serve as a makeup for last year’s atrocious main event. Roman Reigns vs. Triple H was a bonafide dud, and WWE need to make sure this year’s finale doesn’t let the fans down the same way.
What better way to guarantee that than by putting a legend like the Undertaker in a title match in the WrestleMania main event?
#1 He deserves one last title reign
Goldberg says he’s entering the Royal Rumble with one thing on his mind: one last championship reign. But if there’s anyone in WWE who deserves such a reign, it’s the Undertaker.
It’s been a long time since Undertaker has been Champion, and rightfully so. Part-time Champions are horrible for WWE overall. But after everything the Undertaker has done in WWE, and with a fair amount left in the tank, are we really ready to accept that the Deadman will never hold gold again?
Undertaker is essentially viewed as one of the final bosses of WWE.
Guys can have matches every week and rack up wins, but as soon as you wrestle and potentially defeat the Undertaker, you are on a whole different level. Shouldn’t someone with this kind of star-making ability have one more run with WWE’s top championship?
Not only would it be sentimental to see Undertaker with a title again, but when he eventually loses it, it could vault the winner to superstardom.
Again, part-time Champions aren’t good. But Undertaker has enough left to at least show up on SmackDown each week and then wrestle either exclusively or almost exclusively on pay-per-views. He doesn’t have to hold the title for a long time, but Undertaker deserves to at least hold it again before he retires.
Winning the title at WrestleMania after a Royal Rumble victory is the perfect way to make that happen.
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