Although there’s a better chance that we’ll see him at WrestleMania 33 , The Undertaker may also be at Royal Rumble 2017, and if fantasy booking predictions are accurate, he just might set up a match against John Cena at WrestleMania 33 by costing Cena his match against AJ Styles for the WWE World Championship.
The Inquisitr reported earlier this week that John Cena is on board with the idea of him facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 , and the possibility of this match does appear to get larger with each passing day. At Tuesday night’s year-ending of SmackDown Live , Cena celebrated his return to WWE television after a hiatus that lasted over two-and-a-half months, and while the main takeaway of his return promo was how he’s back to fight for the WWE World Championship, it was interesting to note the chants of “Undertaker!” during the Cena promo.
As we saw on Tuesday night, fans want WrestleMania 33 to feature John Cena vs. The Undertaker. But with Royal Rumble 2017 kicking off the so-called “road to WrestleMania ” that WWE hypes in the lead-up to its biggest pay-per-view of the year, Cena isn’t preoccupied — at least not yet — with a possible match against the owner of a historic 21-match WrestleMania winning streak. On Tuesday night, it was confirmed that Cena would be facing WWE World Champion AJ Styles in a title match at Royal Rumble , thereby renewing a feud that many consider one of the best WWE had in 2016. But will The Undertaker play a role in this match?
TRIPLE THREAT CLE: Wrestling Lockup with Brandon 12.28.16: Smackdown Live Chicago Recap #SDLive #JohnCena #AJStyles https://t.co/aZeilhQNQN pic.twitter.com/kOasRSGLGG
— Cleveland Fandom Podcast (@CLEFandomPod) December 28, 2016
Forbes shared some fantasy booking scenarios for The Undertaker’s involvement at Royal Rumble 2017, and how it may all lead to a match against Cena at WrestleMania 33 . While this does not make for an official spoiler, Forbes ‘ Donald Wood speculated that it may be best for WWE not to use Undertaker in the weeks leading up to Royal Rumble , but believes that the “Deadman” will somehow be making an appearance at the event, which takes place at the Alamodome in San Antonio on January 29, 2017.
One possible scenario, should ‘Taker be at the event, is for him to compete in the Royal Rumble match itself, and win the 30-man battle royal to earn a right to fight for the WWE World Championship at WrestleMania 33 .
“WWE is loading up the 30-man battle royal with legends like Brock Lesnar and Goldberg involved, so there is a possibility Undertaker enters the Royal Rumble match. If John Cena wins the WWE Championship from AJ Styles and Undertaker wins the battle royal, there is the WrestleMania 33 match fans have been hearing rumors about for months.”
You Will Challenge #TheUndertaker at @WrestleMania 33 Next year pic.twitter.com/qpshYW1yLE
— John G Arana ???? (@juangarana) December 28, 2016
A second potential outcome would have The Undertaker at Royal Rumble 2017, but not necessarily competing in the event’s titular battle royal. Forbes ‘ Wood suggested that WWE might want to have Undertaker interfere and cost John Cena his match against AJ Styles for the WWE World Championship, possibly through the use of his entrance music and special effects. He added that the distracting element of ‘Taker’s theme song and effects could throw Cena off, and allow Styles to pull off the win to retain his WWE World Championship.
If The Undertaker does appear in person, Wood believes that he and John Cena should have some face-to-face interaction to signify that they want to face each other at WrestleMania 33 .
“Once Styles is out of the ring, Undertaker should appear and come face-to-face with Cena. Not only would the interaction clearly indicate Undertaker wants a match against Cena at WrestleMania 33 , but the Deadman attacking Cena and leaving him laid out in the ring would also be a clear indication of where the story is headed.”
Once again, both of the scenarios above represent one man’s idea of how the Cena/’Taker feud should be booked, but not WWE’s official plans. Still, the chances of seeing The Undertaker at Royal Rumble 2017 and/or WrestleMania 33 appear to be more than solid, with Cageside Seats also reporting earlier this week that John Cena vs. The Undertaker is “ still on the table ” for the event. Now all that match needs is a setup, and if one of the two fantasy booking scenarios posited by Forbes becomes reality, that setup may take place at Royal Rumble .
[Featured Image by WWE]