8 Booking Steps For The Undertaker's WWE Return
Building towards The Deadman's last goodbye.
On November 15th, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, The Undertaker will make his WWE comeback on SmackDown’s historic 900th episode. It’ll be his first televised appearance since WrestleMania 32, and comes just five days before November 20th’s Survivor Series PPV.
Taker’s future is always a subject of speculation at this time of year. His health concerns seem to escalate every year, and he was photographed on crutches a few weeks ago after seemingly undergoing hip surgery. Footage of Taker celebrating with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers eased those concerns last week, and now, he’s on his way back to the squared circle.
His return is a great marketing tool for SmackDown’s 900th episode, but it’ll likely serves as something much, much bigger. It’s time to start thinking about WrestleMania 33, and where would the biggest show of the year be without the most important wrestler in WWE history?
This is likely going to be Undertaker’s run. He’ll be 52 by Mania, and as hard as it is to imagine WWE without the Deadman, he can’t go on forever. There were strong hints that Taker’s WM 32 bout with Shane McMahon would be his last, but WWE will want their biggest star to go out with a bang, and it’s time to sow the seeds.
The Undertaker’s WWE return should be all about setting-up his final hurrah, and it needs to be huge. Here are 8 booking steps for The Undertaker’s WWE return.
8. Setting The Stage
Attaching The Undertaker’s name to Nov. 15th’s SmackDown should be enough to draw a big audience on its own, but WWE shouldn’t take it easy because of this.
The marketing machine should kick into overdrive: Taker’s comeback is a huge deal, and should be treated as such by the company. He’s a universally beloved, company-defining titan of the industry, and if WWE don’t build this up like it’s one of the year’s biggest moments, there’s something wrong with them.
It should extend beyond advertising, viral content, and a social media blitz, though. SmackDown’s superstars should spend most of next week’s show speculating on Taker’s motivations, and it should even get a few shout-outs on the next couple of Raws. Inter-brand rivalry be-damned: this is much bigger than that.
No wrestling company provides big, dramatic moments like WWE, and with the right promotional campaign, The Undertaker’s return should see SD’s ratings go through the roof even in such difficult times. Anything else would be a sham, and a disgrace to one of the sport’s most impressive legacies.