WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 Big Mistakes They Can't Afford To Make
2. Not Setting The Undertaker Up For WrestleMania 33
The Undertaker’s immediate future is one of WWE’s biggest talking points heading into the Rumble. It was widely assumed that he’d be facing John Cena at WrestleMania 33, but those plans have since been blown apart by wrestling journalists.
Now, it looks like not only will Taker not be facing Cena, but he won’t be fighting for a title, and will instead compete against another member of the Raw roster. This effectively rules-out the likes of Seth Rollins, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar, who are already booked for Mania, and Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, and Chris Jericho, who could all potentially be fighting for gold in Orlando.
High level options are thin on the ground, and WWE fans are dying to know what’s next for The Deadman, who remains a key part of WrestleMania lore. His match is always one of Mania’s most important, and if WWE don’t establish a clear pathway soon, The Undertaker is going to be left directionless.
It’s vital that WWE kick his build off at the Royal Rumble, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so. As things stand, Finn Balor and Braun Strowman look like his most likely opponents, but Balor’s injury status is unknown, and Strowman has also been denied. Given Taker’s paucity of TV appearances, if WWE don’t get the ball rolling this weekend, The Deadman will be heading to Orlando without much momentum, and what would be the point in his inclusion in the match if not to plant seeds for WrestleMania?