It’s been three years since “The Streak” came to an end, but The Undertaker’s match is still one of the biggest parts of WrestleMania each year. While it hasn’t been confirmed that the Deadman will perform at WrestleMania 33, it would be surprising if he wasn’t on the card at WWE’s signature event of 2017.
In the months leading up to WrestleMania, there is always speculation regarding who The Undertaker might face. Following his win over Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32, The Undertaker’s next opponent might not be the WWE superstar that many fans had once thought it would be.
Before John Cena underwent surgery in January of last year, he was reportedly supposed to face The Undertaker in front of over 100,000 people at AT&T Stadium. When Cena missed WrestleMania 32 because of his injury, the match was expected to headline WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.
WWE, however, is likely going in a different direction.
Heading into the 2017 Royal Rumble, there were rumors that Vince McMahon had soured on the idea of pitting Cena against The Undertaker. The battle royal seemed to confirm those rumors as it established a potential feud between The Undertaker and another wrestler.
The Undertaker is expected to be in one of the biggest matches at WrestleMania 33. Pictured: The Undertaker at WWE SummerSlam at Barclays Center in New York on Aug. 23, 2015. Photo: Getty
Instead going up against the current face of WWE at WrestleMania 33, The Undertaker will probably have a match against the future face of the company. The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns appears to be one of the top matches on the April 2 card.
The Undertaker spent a little more than five minutes in the Royal Rumble match, eliminating four wrestlers as he competed for the first time since WrestleMania 32. With just five superstars left in the match, Reigns stared down the top WrestleMania performer of all time, tossing him over the top rope. As much as many WWE fans might disagree with it, The Undertaker could be looking to get revenge at the biggest show of the year.
Reigns was unofficially pegged to be WWE’s next top babyface more than two years ago, but the fans have not taken to him as the company had hoped. He often receives as many boos as he does cheers, and most fans would be on the side of The Undertaker in such a match.
At the start of the year, Reigns had a few potential opponents for his WrestleMania 33 match. There was speculation that he might face Braun Strowman, but that match will instead take place at Fastlane on March 5. There was even a thought that he could face Goldberg in a “Spear vs. Spear” match, but WWE has planned on doing a rematch between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar for months.
As he approaches his 52nd birthday, every WrestleMania match has a chance to be The Undertaker’s last. There’s speculation that he will call it a career after facing Reigns, and that would likely mean a victory for the former member of The Shield since tradition calls for wrestlers to retire with a loss.
It certainly isn’t too late for WWE to make The Undertaker vs. Cena a reality. The company has altered WrestleMania plans weeks before the event in the past, most notably when Daniel Bryan was inserted into the main event of WrestleMania 32. The Undertaker and Cena are two of the biggest names in WWE history, and it would be a missed opportunity if the match never comes to fruition on wrestling’s biggest stage.
In the days leading up to Elimination Chamber, Cena appears to be headed towards a WrestleMania match against The Miz. He hasn’t lost at WrestleMania since he was defeated by The Rock in 2012.
The Undertaker was 21-0 at WrestleMania before his stunning loss to Lesnar in 2014, and he’s since won two straight matches at the pay-per-view. Reigns ended last year’s WrestleMania by defeating Triple H for the WWE Championship, but he could get his biggest win yet in just a matter of weeks.
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