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What’s the story?
Not for the first time in recent weeks, all that talk about the Undertaker having retired at WrestleMania 33 is starting to look a little premature. It’s being reported by various outlets, courtesy of PWInsider.com, that the Undertaker was actually training in the ring before SummerSlam.
In case you didn’t know…
Talk of a possible return for the Deadman was fuelled when news broke that ‘Taker was in fact in Brooklyn during SummerSlam weekend. Jerry Lawler then suggested that his presence may have had something to do with prep for a new, non-2K video game, but Dave Meltzer recently confirmed that wasn’t the case in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
If these latest reports are to be believed, maybe this training was the reason he flew to Brooklyn in the first place.
Going in depth
Though the Undertaker seemingly bowed out at WrestleMania 33, having lost to Roman Reigns before ceremonially leaving his gear in the ring, there was never actually any official announcement that ‘Taker was indeed retired.
Since then, various hints on commentary, as well as a ‘Taker reference from John Cena on this week’s Raw, seem to be suggesting that this “retirement” wasn’t a permanent one. In fact, Cena’s comment about Undertaker may well have been a very deliberate one, as rumour has it that a Cena vs. ‘Taker match could still be a possibility for next year’s WrestleMania, or even this year’s Survivor Series a couple of months down the line.
Next steps
With Cena busy with Reigns for the time being, any potential angle with the Undertaker wouldn’t even begin for at least a few weeks. Even then, Survivor Series seems a tad premature, so don’t be surprised if we don’t hear too much more on this one until nearer WrestleMania season.
Author’s take
It seems like every year we find ourselves discussing an unexpected return for the Undertaker, so in some ways, this news isn’t too surprising.
Still, there's no word on whether or not 'Taker was in the ring training for an actual return, per se. He might've just been testing out that hip after the reported surgery he underwent after 'Mania. In that case, we may be getting ahead of ourselves in fantasy booking that Cena vs. 'Taker match, so let's not count our chickens just yet.
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