Cena or Styles – Who’s Next for the Undertaker?

When The Undertaker returned for the 900th episode of SmackDown back on November 15, he said that he was back, and that WrestleMania would no longer define him. He also threatened the SmackDown team, saying that if they lost to team Raw at Survivor Series, they’d have to deal with him. The threat led many to believe that the blue team would lose, and that The Undertaker would blame AJ Styles for the loss, thus leading to the rumored match between the two at the Royal Rumble. But, SmackDown won, and it’s been a month since we’ve seen The Deadman.

The question now is: when will The Undertaker return to WWE television? As of right now, no one — perhaps with the exception of the WWE brass — knows when we’ll see the future Hall of Famer again.

According to a report on SportsKeeda, WWE is holding off on The Undertaker’s return until the end of the year. So, it looks like we won’t be seeing him for at least the next two weeks, if not longer.

Prior to his return, a picture of The Undertaker on crutches was making the rounds, and it was reported shortly thereafter that he had just underwent hip surgery. There haven’t been any details on how invasive the hip surgery may have been, but, as we saw during his last SmackDown appearance, he no longer needs crutches. Does that mean he’s fully recovered? Probably not. But he’ll probably be good to go for the Royal Rumble.

The Undertaker, who will turn 52 next March, hasn’t wrestled since his Hell in a Cell match with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32, and he didn’t look all that great there, so his next run could end up being his last.

WWE is reportedly planning a John Cena vs. Undertaker match for WrestleMania 33, and, it’s quite possible that they could make it a title vs. career match, where Undertaker goes in as champion, and if he loses, he’ll be forced to retire.

httpss://youtube.com/watch?v=4DyCnA8sOG8

My personal prediction is that Undertaker will defeat AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble, then John Cena will win the Rumble match, and Styles will invoke his rematch clause at WrestleMania 33, making the show’s main event a triple threat title match.

Styles defeated Cena twice over the summer, and WWE is known for their repetitive 50-50 booking. So, what could happen in the triple threat is, Cena pins Styles, and not Undertaker, to win his sixteenth world championship. He gets his win back, he ties Ric Flair’s world title record at the biggest show of the year, and he doesn’t have to beat The Undertaker in the process. Also, it could setup a match between Cena and Undertaker in the future, possibly at SummerSlam.

What do you think? Would you like to see a triple threat between Styles, Cena, and Undertaker at WrestleMania 33? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out our Facebook page for the latest on The Undertaker, and all things WWE.