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The Undertaker, along with Shawn Michaels, is the gold standard of WrestleMania performers. While Shawn Michaels may have the "Mr WrestleMania" moniker, but The Undertaker is by far the most iconic performer at the grandest stage of them all.
With 26 appearances and a staggering 24-2 record, there's nobody who has appeared on the show of shows more than The Phenom and there's nobody who's captivated people on the stage the way he has.
Also read: 5 blockbuster ideas Vince McMahon may have planned for WrestleMania 35
However, the last few years have seen a major dip in his match quality, and he even supposedly retired at WrestleMania 33, only to come back a year later and have a 2 minute and 45-second match against John Cena. That was supposed to be the dream WrestleMania match for The Undertaker, but that was what we ended up getting.
For the first time in 19 years, The Undertaker won't be performing at WrestleMania, and while it may come as a surprise, it's not really a bad thing. Here's why WWE doesn't need The Undertaker at WrestleMania anymore.
#5 His WrestleMania legacy is best left as it is
One of the biggest risks that The Undertaker has taken over the past few years by appearing over and over is the fact that it may have tarnished his legacy. In the minds of many fans, losing at WrestleMania the second time really tarnished his legacy in the event, but even then, he's managed to maintain his mystique, to his credit.
One of the best possible reasons why WWE doesn't need him is that while it'll get a great reaction, and it may (or may not) be a great moment, it's best to leave certain things the way they are. To many WWE fans watching for the last couple of decades, The Undertaker is the greatest performer of all time.
#4. He's only going to wrestle at Saudi Arabia
WWE has secured themselves a sweet deal with Saudi Arabia, albeit a very controversial one. Last year, WWE officially kicked off their big-money (and we mean really big) relationship with Saudi Arabia, which will see them have two big shows in the country per year.
The first one was The Greatest Royal Rumble, where The Undertaker defeated Rusev in a casket match. The second was a main event spot where he reunited with Kane to take on DX, in a losing effort.
Saudi Arabia shows may be the new WrestleMania for The Undertaker, as he's been vocal about wanting to pick his dates better. We know that the Saudi Arabia dates involve big fat paycheques, and we can't really blame him for taking that deal rather than overworking himself.
Essentially, it's somewhat easy money for him. But nobody can say that he hasn't earned it.
#3. The WrestleMania card is stacked enough as it is
WrestleMania 35, as we know, is set to be one of the most historic one yet, with the Women main eventing the grandest stage of them all for the first time ever. While that is obviously (and deservedly) the featured attraction match, the overall card is super stacked as well.
On the SmackDown side of things, the WWE Championship match has fan-favourite Kofi Kingston vying for the WWE title against Daniel Bryan, while there are some really solid matches including AJ Styles vs Randy Orton.
Even on RAW, Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns vs Drew McIntyre and more mean that the WrestleMania card is easily one of the most stacked that it's been in years. That's a good thing, and even then, WrestleMania as a name now sells itself, without having to require any major old-time stars to be featured attractions.
#2. No creative plans for him
This is a very basic and obvious reason, and it can be deducted simply based on last year's WrestleMania. The "dream" Cena vs Undertaker feud had little to no build-up, with the entire "build" just being John Cena calling The Undertaker out in his promos week after week.
While The Undertaker did have a storyline against Triple H and Shawn Michaels later in the year, it's obvious that the creative team are operating under the assumption that he's retired. Moreover, the matches that he has are more or less throwaway matches with no real consequence or long-term impact apart from just being a special attraction match.
That doesn't really require any creative effort whatsoever, and a match can just be thrown together. Plus, with many superstars being occupied this WrestleMania and less space on the card, it's really no surprise that there are no plans for him at the show of shows.
#1. He's too old
This is the biggest reason that WWE doesn't need The Undertaker. While we're being a bit liberal by saying that they don't need him for WrestleMania, the harsh reality that fans may not want to hear is that WWE doesn't need him anymore, period.
This isn't meant to be disrespectful to him, because we believe that he's one of the all-time greats. However, there's absolutely no denying the fact that he's far past his prime and has been for the last five years or so.
Each year, watching him gets more painful, as he grows older and his body goes out of shape. Even after getting his hip surgery done, his match against Triple H at Super Show-Down was painful to watch, and he looked like a complete shell of himself.
He's physically way past his prime and should have retired years ago. That's why many fans are surprised, wondering what his endgame really is.
