The Undertaker made his first appearance in front of a live WWE crowd for the first time since losing to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33, saying and doing absolutely nothing of note to the glum confusion of a beleaguered of the Manhattan Center crowd.
In defence of 'The Deadman', he did at least consider continuity in remembering not to wear the hat, coat and gloves he abandoned at the Orlando supershow. Appearing to sport a wig underneath the hood of his jacket, 'Taker's toupee wasn't in danger of shifting, so inconsequential was his appearance.
Amidst rumours that WWE would set the wheels in motion for a WrestleMania match with John Cena, Undertaker instead stumbled through a convoluted set of catchphrases about some of the men he'd beaten, failing to address some of his high profile kickings in recent years. Without reference to anybody on the current roster nor final foe Roman Reigns, he wrapped up his mumbling monologue and disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared.
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Jim Ross asked the audience and co-commentator Jerry Lawler if it was "a warning", but his segment was far too vague to discern who exactly he may have fired the shot to.
It may take until beyond the Royal Rumble for the words to carry any gravitas, if they even do at all. Based on other sequences on the show, it may have only been for an audience of one.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
