written by M.J. Rawls
Well, we are hours from the Royal Rumble and that long winding “Road to Wrestlemania,” but it’s not too early to start doing some early guessing. All signs point to this year being the last ride for The Undertaker who has lead a very illustrious career. He will be in the Royal Rumble come next Sunday, but who should he face in what could be his last match at Wrestlemania 33? It has to make sense and it has to be something we can get excited for. We will look at some of the options here:
Finn Balor: Ahh yes, just from an entrance standpoint, this would be a fantasy booking. The Deadman vs. The Demon King. You can get a unique build out of this too. The mind games and imagery would be a dream if booked right, however, this may be ruled out due to Balor’s injury status and state of the Universal Title. Balor is looking to get right back into the title picture upon return, but wouldn’t it be something if The Undertaker won the title before the Rumble and faught Balor for the title at Mania?
Roman Reigns: I have a feeling that this is the match that we are going to get if Roman does not win the Universal Title at Royal Rumble – then we would be headed for a Finn Balor collision given his health situation is better. Much to the chagrin of fans, Roman is Vince’s “it” guy. There’s absolutely no denying it. If there was any way to “pass the torch” to the new generation of superstars, it would be a match with the dead man that would have fans overwhelmingly against Reigns. You would think they would have to turn him heel if this happens, right?
Kevin Owens: Kevin Owens has held the Universal Title for a long time and it seems like him dropping the title and splitting from the “best friends” is more inevitable. The classic heel shtick of Owens would be a great foil for the Undertaker and his mind games. It’s his versatility both in character and in the ring to make this an option to watch. One would have to think that the KO/Jericho match could be a Mania possibility as well.
Braun Strowman: The king of RAWRRRRRRR and the next big menacing giant of the WWE. A match between Strowman and Taker would harken back to the days of fights with Kane or The Giant Gonzalez. Strowman, given being athletic and brutal could be the last “giant” that Taker overcomes on his way out.
AJ Styles: Since his debut at last year’s Royal Rumble, The Phenomenal One has set the WWE on fire with some of the best matches in years and a major title run. Could we see The Phenomenal One vs The Phenom? Styles’ amazing ring work could help Undertaker who is presumably limited in the ring due to his age. Given that John Cena does not win the title at Royal Rumble, another rematch could be in the cards at Wrestlemania where Cena finally reaches 16 title wins. There’s a low chance of this match taking place.
John Cena: This was the first rumored match for a few months, but has been presumably been put on the back burner. Here, you have a long standing icon of the Attitude era and beyond against the new “legend.” Both part-timers now, no matter how you book the match to finish, it would not hurt the other wrestler. I would liken this to the Triple H matches, although this one would be toned down from those two wars. Again, it seems like Cena will face AJ in some sort of payoff – so, again – low chance.
