What’s the story
With WrestleMania 33 in Orlando just days away, Yahoo Sports interviewed Randy Orton on a number of topics regarding the event. Aside from giving an insight into his own career, Orton also said that he believes Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker should close out the show.
In case you didn’t know...
Randy Orton is no stranger to WrestleMania main events, Roman Reigns, or The Undertaker, so he has immense credibility when talking about this topic. Orton went on last in the main event of WrestleMania 25 against Triple H and WrestleMania 30 against Batista and Daniel Bryan. He was an Undertaker victim at WrestleMania 21 and faced off against Roman Reigns at Summerslam in 2014.
Also read: When is The Undertaker set to retire?
The heart of the matter
In his interview with Yahoo, Orton said:
“Taker is going to face Roman Reigns and that’s going to be a good one. I honestly believe that should be the last match on the card; I think everybody will be happy with the outcome of the match. I expect the Undertaker to throw Roman Reigns around like a rag doll. Roman Reigns is going to get his, but at the same time, this is the Undertaker we’re talking about.”
Randy also shared his thoughts on The Undertaker’s longevity and whether or not this year will be his last WrestleMania.
“Will Undertaker be around after this? If this is his last one and there’s speculation, all I can say is I hope not. Whether it was twenty years ago or today, when he comes to the ring and the gong hits and the music plays, the energy in the arena, its’s not like that for anyone else.
I don’t care if its Cena, Shawn Michaels, or whoever; it’s a different kind of energy and he’s got more respect from the fans than I think any character or superstar has ever had in our business.”
Impact
Nothing has been set in stone thus far regarding what will close WrestleMania 33 on Sunday. When a major star talks about it, though, you listen. Randy Orton is a high profile performer for the WWE, and it’s important that he’s thrown this out there as the possible true main event. Especially since Orton has his WWE Championship match against Bray Wyatt to consider.
Author’s take
The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns is the match I’m most excited to see and the one that I believe should be the real main event. Regardless of the winner, this match will set the tone for the WWE year. If Roman Reigns wins, he will be the most hated man in the entire wrestling world and Monday Night Raw will have an abundance of new stories that can stem off of it. If The Undertaker wins, he silences critics that harp on his old age and Reigns losing adds another layer to his character that we haven’t seen before.
Finally, it’s no secret that Taker has looked broken and frail during his recent WWE appearances. That look has led to an incredible amount of speculation on whether or not Mark Callaway, the man, is healthy enough to have more matches as The Undertaker.
A WWE without The Undertaker is hard to imagine. That reality could come face to face with us and the WWE brass on Sunday. If it’s true, and Undertaker puts the nail in the coffin on his career, within all of Reigns' glory that night, the WWE must pay tribute to the retirement and give Undertaker a moment of appreciation in some fashion.
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