The REAL Reason WWE Cut The Undertaker's SmackDown 1000 Promo Short
Undertaker was supposed to cut a longer promo, until THIS happened...
The Undertaker closed SmackDown 1000 with an abrupt promo, recycling Raw material as he promised to make D-Generation X "rest in peace" at Crown Jewel on 2 November.
Ring entrance aside, the whole thing lasted just a few seconds, leaving fans confused as to why 'The Deadman' had been brought in for such an inconsequential contribution. That reason has now come to light.
Per PW Insider, SmackDown 1000 suffered significant scheduling problems, with a number of early matches and segments going over their allotted time, leading to significant cuts elsewhere.
Undertaker's promo was among the casualties, as WWE had originally pencilled in a longer speech from 'The Phenom.' On top of this, Rey Mysterio's ring entrance and match with Shinsuke Nakamura were both trimmed down, and their bout was shifted from the opener to the pre-main event slot, which is where the R-Truth/Carmella/McMahons angle was supposed to go.
A number of backstage segments were removed entirely. This included one featuring James Ellsworth, who shot an angle for YouTube instead. Zack Ryder, too, was backstage, but WWE decided against using him.
SmackDown 1000 was a fun, nostalgic night, and these issues didn't have too negative an impact on the show, but they're unfortunate regardless.