Happy Birthday to The Undertaker. Mark William Calaway, better known by his ring name The Undertaker, turned 52-years-old on March 24. Almost unbelievably, The Undertaker has been in professional wrestling for 33 of his 52 years. This weekend sees the Deadman return to WrestleMania in Orlando, Florida. The Undertaker is synonymous with WrestleMania, his 21-year winning streak at wrestling’s premier event is unlikely to be surpassed, but sadly, WrestleMania 33 may prove to be the last time we see the Taker in the WrestleMania ring.
As previously reported in the Inquisitr , The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns is one of the most attractive matches on the WrestleMania 33 card. The Undertaker is arguably the most popular wrestler of all time, Roman Reigns popularity sits firmly at the other end of that spectrum. Despite constant promotion as the face of the WWE network, Reigns is booed every time he enters the ring. Eliminating The Undertaker at the 2017 Royal Rumble did little to enhance Reigns’ popularity, so the WWE universe will be hoping that the Deadman can bring the Big Dog to heel.
Anyone, with even a passing interest in WWE wrestling, knows that it has been widely rumored that this will be The Undertaker’s last WrestleMania. At 52-years-old, and with over 30 years wrestling experience under his belt, time has caught up with the Deadman. He underwent hip surgery last year, and it is believed that the Taker needs a hip replacement. That would surely bring an end to The Phenom’s career.
According to Yahoo! Sports, we may have been given another clue that WrestleMania 33 will be The Undertaker’s last bout before retirement. In an interview, Randy Orton said that he hoped that The Undertaker would still be around after WrestleMania 33 , but perhaps other comments give a strong hint that the Taker of Souls is heading into retirement.
Orton indicated that The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns will be the top billed match on the WrestleMania 33 card.
“The Undertaker 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 that 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.”
So, Is The Undertaker Celebrating His Birthday By Passing The WWE Crown To Roman Reigns?
The WrestleMania 33 card has a strange feel to it. Of course, the WWE network has a complicated juggling act to perform. Every wrestler on the Raw and SmackDown brands wants a slot at WrestleMania . The WWE needs to sell tickets, generate subscriptions, and sell PPV buys, so that means that the biggest names in WWE need to feature on the WrestleMania 33 card.
As reported by Wrestling Inc. the WWE has been sending out promotional offers in the hope of using WrestleMania 33 to generate more subscriptions. Viewing figures, especially on Monday Night Raw , have been slipping. Arguably that slump is down to the fact that stars like The Undertaker, John Cena, and Triple H are now bit-part players. The problem the WWE network must grapple with is how they replace those stars.
At some point, The Undertaker must pass his mantle to active wrestlers. Given that Vince McMahon has invested so much in Roman Reigns, it seems likely that he sees the Big Dog as The Undertaker’s long-term successor. The WWE universe would love to see The Undertaker continue to compete, but if he is to retire then it would be fitting for that to happen with a top of the bill match at WrestleMania 33.
Fans of The Undertaker would love to see him destroy Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33 , it would be a fitting end to an illustrious wrestling career. Having Reigns win against The Undertaker is surely unthinkable, but a Roman Reigns heel turn would be a major boost for his future. It’s a tough one to call, as McMahon has steadfastly stuck to his plan to make Reigns the face of WWE. Given his unpopularity, a Reigns heel turn makes sense, and his WrestleMania match against The Undertaker is the perfect opportunity for that heel turn to happen.
If Roman Reigns were to end The Undertakers career at WrestleMania 33, it would set up Reigns for the greatest heel turn in WWE history.
[Featured Image by WWE]