NEW DELHI: The wait is over. For the 25th edition of Monday Night Raw, the WWE.com, in a release, stated that The Undertaker will be making his first scheduled appearance on live television, the first time since taking a loss at the hands of Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 33. January 22, 2018 will mark the 25th year since Raw first went on air, and The Deadman is set to be one of the many star attractions lined up for the show.
The show will emanate from two different venues. The one hosting superstars from both Raw and SmackDown Live will air from the Barclays Center, whereas another show, which would host all legends, would be hosted simultaneously at the Manhattan Center, home to the very first episode of Raw back in 1993. Besides the Undertaker, Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash aka ‘Diesel’ are also scheduled to grace the show.
The WWE has a habit of going big on landmark episodes of their flagship show. Even for its 10th and 20th anniversary, and the 1000th episode of Raw, the company fell back on legends to evoke a factor of Nostalgia. In such a scenario, The Undertaker’s return to the WWE, in whatever capacity, promises to lay out a blueprint of what the future holds for the Phenom. There is a big possibility that his appearance would merely be a one-off cameo deal.
As noted, The Undertaker, following his loss to Reigns, broke kayfabe and left his hat, coat and gloves in the ring, an act that was largely believed to signal the end of his storied 25-year-old career in the WWE. And even though nothing official regarding his retirement is yet to emerge, he has not been seen on WWE television since. However, he recently did appear on the premier of The Nature Boy Ric Flair’s ESPN documentary.