The Undertaker’s emotional display at WrestleMania 33, which saw him leave his gloves, hat and coat in the center of the ring, certainly made it seem like the Deadman was announcing his retirement. He had main-evented the iconic show for the fourth time in his career, had Jim Ross on commentary for the match and bowed out on his back in his selfless old school fashion. Moreover, he reportedly followed that up with much-needed hip surgery — a surgery he had been putting off for quite some time. Thus, with all that has happened in recent months, it’s understandable that almost all of us would think the legendary Undertaker had officially retired. In fact, it’s been all but confirmed by WWE. But that lack of an official confirmation might be exactly why he hasn’t retired.
Since Roman Reigns defeated the Undertaker, the commentators have been consistently using words like “possibly” and “perhaps” when speaking about the Phenom’s career being over. After such a heartfelt display on the Grandest Stage of Them All, surely it would make more sense to just confirm what we seemingly already knew? Why would WWE feel the need to increase speculation when it seems like such a foregone conclusion that the legendary superstar retired? In addition, there has been quite a lot of speculation from some of the Deadman’s former and current colleagues about his in-ring future, leaving us wondering if he still has one more match left in him.
While he has undoubtedly earned his retirement, there will always be that possibility of a return until it is confirmed by WWE. Thus, with that in mind, let’s take a look at why a return to the American Badass/Deadman Inc. /Big Evil persona of 2000-2003 would make complete sense for the Undertaker.
The American Badass Made The Yard Famous
Let’s face it; the squared circle has been the Undertaker’s yard since his debut in 1990. He has kicked ass and taken souls since the beginning, dominating like no one else in history. However, it was only when the character evolved into the American Badass that he became fully self-aware, officially titling the ring as his “yard” — simply because he was the Big Dog. While his later incarnations of the Deadman persona adopted elements of his American Badass mic skills, including referring to the ring as his yard, it was the motorcycle-riding, trash talking Phenom who coined the phrase.
Ever since Reigns defeated the Deadman, he has incessantly repeated “this is my yard” over and over again. Perhaps it could be laying the groundwork for a program with a returning Undertaker in the distant future.
After all, the farewell-like display which the Undertaker orchestrated for his career at WrestleMania saw him leave his gloves and coat in the ring. But when he left his signature hat down on the pile, thunder echoed throughout the arena, leaving a very-human Phenom in the ring. Some have speculated that this represented “the power” leaving the Undertaker, meaning that while the supernatural Deadman may have bowed out, his humanity remained. And as he proved back at the turn of the century, the human side to his character is still a force to be reckoned with. And if this is the case, an American Badass could seek to reclaim his yard and shut Reigns up once and for all.
He Has Already Done The Dark Avenger Routine
At WrestleMania 33, a weakened Undertaker was defeated by Roman Reigns. Everything — from the slower Phenom to the shock and disappointment — was eerily reminiscent of the night when Brock Lesnar defeated the Deadman at WrestleMania XXX, ending The Streak. While he did look considerably healthier this time around, it still brought back those painful memories. Furthermore, Reign’s annoyingly consistent “It’s my yard now” promos are reminiscent of Paul Heyman’s year-long “1 in 21-1” promos that he cut on Lesnar’s behalf. However, those came to an abrupt end when an angry, vengeful Undertaker returned and definitively shut them up.
It’s been almost two years since the legend shocked the world at Battleground 2015 to exact revenge on the man who snapped the Streak. And the apparent similarities in the aftermath of his defeat by Reigns — it seems that anyone who defeats the Undertaker at WrestleMania likes to brag about it — suggest that history could repeat itself.
But that dark, grizzled avenger version of the Undertaker was desperate to shut Lesnar and Heyman up and prove that he could defeat the Beast — and that’s exactly what he did. However, it wouldn’t make sense for WWE to recycle the same storyline again.
Thus, throwing the yard into the equation this time would allow the American Badass to return and take it to Reigns. With the icon much slower than he was in 2015, a gritty humanised Big Evil return would make perfect sense.
Not only would humanising the Undertaker take away the supernatural element and explain his age, it would also allow for a vicious brawl as the two Big Dogs battled for supremacy in the yard. The ruthless aggression of Undertaker and Lesnar’s 2015 rivalry made it a classic, but there is nobody who embodies ruthless aggression more than the American Badass — the man who ruled the “ruthless aggression” era. Speaking of ruthlessness, Deadman Inc. was positively relentless on the microphone. Thus, he would have no problem putting an end to those repetitive Reigns promos with words before doing the same in the ring. Reigns has become cocky since his victory, and with a lot of the WWE Universe hoping for him to be taken down a peg or two, it would be awesome to see Big Evil shut him up with one of his legendary promos.
Let me be clear, I am not saying that the Undertaker should return. While I would absolutely love to see him compete again, he has every right to enjoy his well-earned retirement, and live his life happily and healthily with his family by his side. But if he truly is preparing to make a comeback after he heals from his surgery, then it would make perfect sense for him to do so as the American Badass. While the Deadman will always be the far superior persona, from a storyline standpoint, a returning Badass would make the most sense.
If the Undertaker does return someday, would you like to see the American Badass? Let us know in the comments below!
