From the WWE Rumor Mill: Possible spoiler on The Undertaker returning as The American Badass

What's the story?

Former WWE superstar Stevie Richards raised a very interesting point during a recent episode of Vince Russo's 'The Brand', during their RAW/SmackDown Live Recap. He believes that The Undertaker may make a return as the American Badass at WrestleMania.

He is convinced of this because Kid Rock will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, in the celebrity wing. Credit to Ring Side News for the transcription.

In case you didn't know...

The Undertaker has always been portrayed as a supernatural character, clad in a dark trench coat, top hat and gloves. In the year 2000, he embarked on a whole new character shift, when he chose to arrive on a motorbike and call himself an 'American Badass', named after a popular Kid Rock song.

He received mixed reactions for this gimmick and would revert to his original 'Mortician' persona, a few years down the line.

The heart of the matter

Here's why we believe that The Undertaker may return as the American Badass. We saw him leave his iconic hat, gloves and trench coat in the middle of the ring at WrestleMania 33 when he was defeated by Roman Reigns.

The moment was perfect and it would be foolhardy to ruin it, in our opinion. By showing up as the American Badass, not only can he engage in a more intense verbal duel with John Cena, it would also preserve the sanctity of the near-perfect retirement from WrestleMania 33.

What's next?

The challenge has been made by John Cena. The question remains...will The Undertaker show up? And if he does, what persona will he show up in?

Author's take

I wasn't the biggest fan of the American Badass gimmick when The Undertaker first adopted the same. I'm not sure I even want to see him return because his retirement was perfect.

I'm not the biggest Kid Rock fan either and unwittingly believed that we'd left his tripe behind in the early 2000s.

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