The Undertaker Was Backstage At Last Night's WWE SmackDown

Dead Exciting

by Michael Hamflett
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WWE

The Undertaker was a surprise presence backstage at January 9th's SmackDown Live! taping.

Reported first by PWInsider.com, 'The Deadman' made an appearance behind the scenes at the Birmingham, Alabama taping ahead of his on-screen return at the 'Raw 25 Years' special on January 22nd.

His reemergence came as speculation continues to mount about a potential WrestleMania 34 match, despite going to some efforts to imply retirement for the character at last year's 'Show Of Shows'. The Monday Night Raw celebratory special will mark his first turn in front of the camera since abandoning his hat, coat and gloves following the listless loss to Roman Reigns.

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Initial assumptions may have been tragically misplaced. Recent rumours have posited a long-awaited clash between Undertaker and John Cena with 'Big Match John' apparently promised exactly that instead of the midcard filler material he's been left with since dropping the WWE Championship to The Rock at WrestleMania 29.

It's hoped by most that his Raw return could foreshadow a more dignified farewell than his depleted disrobing. A universally accepted industry icon, his nailed-on Hall Of Fame headline spot would make for a substantially more satisfying sendoff.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett