Despite having what looked very much like a retirement match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33 last year, even leaving his hat, coat, and gloves in the middle of the ring, there have been rumors pretty much since the next day that he wanted to return for another match at WrestleMania 34, possibly against John Cena.
Once he was announced as a guest at the Raw 25th Anniversary Show, the expectation became that his next match would be set up there. However, when he actually appeared last night at the Manhattan Center, wearing his “Ministry of Darkness” robe (his hat and coat are presumably still untouched in the middle of a ring in Orlando), that didn’t happen at all.
John Cena wasn’t even there, appearing instead in a segment with Elias at the Barclays Center, and the Undertaker just gave a short and slightly difficult-to-parse speech about how Raw is important, and his previously beaten opponents should keep resting in their peace. To some people, it sounded like a retirement speech, and it became possibly to believe that maybe last WrestleMania was his last match after all.
Today, that perception appears to have changed with rumors emerging from Wrestling Observer Radio that the only reason Cena didn’t set up a match with Taker was because they needed to instead set up Elias as Cena’s major rival in the Royal Rumble, leading them to wrestle at house shows in the following weeks.
That spot with Cena was originally meant to go to Samoa Joe, who was recently injured, leaving little time to set up the angle with his replacement.
As for John Cena and the Undertaker, they are still reportedly expected to have a match at WrestleMania 34, and we should start seeing the setup for that in the next few weeks. Maybe Undertaker gets involved in the Rumble and costs Cena a shot at winning. Maybe Undertaker futzes with Cena at the Elimination Chamber. We’ll just have to wait and see. Welcome to the Road to WrestleMania.
