10 Early WWE Predictions For 2017
1. The Undertaker Retires
The Undertaker is set to return to WWE on next week’s SmackDown (Nov 15), and while the internet is always awash with retirement rumours at this time of year, there’s a strong chance that this is it. The Deadman is 51 years old, and looks increasingly frail every time he makes a public appearance: he just can’t keep doing this forever, and he has nothing left to prove.
His return will likely spell the beginning of the end. It’s hard to imagine WrestleMania (or WWE) without The Undertaker, but the streak is over, and he has become a pure nostalgia act. History will remember him as the most important performer to ever grace a WWE ring, and there’s no need for him to keep pushing his ageing body to the limit every year. Whether it’s announced next week or not, ‘Mania 33 will likely be his last, sad as it may be.
The Undertaker deserves a huge match and a huge opponent for his final battle. SmackDown’s John Cena and AJ Styles fit the bill, but both will likely be too heavily involved in the World Title scene by the time ‘Mania rolls around. Regardless of who he faces, The Deadman should go out with one last WrestleMania victory, then celebrate his career in one of the most emotionally-charged “farewell” speeches in WWE history the following evening.