The Undertaker: What will he do on his return to WWE Smackdown?
Will The Phenom wrestle? Who will he interact with?
Wednesday 16 November 2016 07:24, UK
That familiar bell toll will be heard on Tuesday's 900th episode of WWE Smackdown when The Undertaker makes his return.
The Phenom has been absent from WWE television since defeating Shane McMahon in a hard-hitting Hell in a Cell Match at WrestleMania 32 in April.
But he will make a special appearance on a landmark episode of the blue brand, a show you can catch live on Sports 5 at 1am (Wednesday morning).
Live WWE: Late Night - Smackdown
Ahead of his comeback, we look at what The Deadman may have planned…
Compete in the ring
The Undertaker wrestled on the first episode of Smackdown - The Phenom teaming with Triple H to take on The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in April 1999 - while he has also fought on many of the brand's milestone shows, including on edition No 500 against John Bradshaw Layfield.
Therefore, it would be fitting if Taker dusted of his wrestling garb in Pennsylvania this week. Smackdown fans will be crying out for it, too, as it has been well over three years since he last wrestled on the show - the veteran overcoming Dean Ambrose at London's O2 Arena in April 2013. Take out that match and Taker's last bout in a Smackdown ring was against CM Punk, way back in October 2010 in Oklahoma.
Team with Kane
Prior to his clash with McMahon at The Show of Shows this spring, Undertaker's previous WWE contest came a year ago at the 2015 edition of Survivor Series, as he banded with half-brother Kane to defeat Bray Wyatt and The Eater of World's minion, Luke Harper. Kane has had his issues with Wyatt and Harper of late, too, as well as Randy Orton, who appears to have become fully embedded in The Wyatt Family.
Perhaps it's time for Kane and his fellow Brother of Destruction, Undertaker, to join forces and put The Wyatts in their place again? Yet, could they instead challenge Smackdown Tag Team Champions, Heath Slater and Rhyno, and aim for their fourth title reign as a duo?
Fight Kane
Undertaker and Kane's relationship is somewhat akin to the one shared by former Oasis siblings Liam and Noel Gallagher - they have their good moments but there are plenty of bust-ups, too. The Phenom and The Big Red Monster have seen eye-to-eye for a while now, with their last match against each other coming at the Bragging Rights pay-per-views in 2010 when The Nexus helped Kane beat The Undertaker in a Buried Alive match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
It would, however, not take much for animosity to build between the brothers, something that could perhaps set up a third WrestleMania showdown between the two, following Taker's wins in 1998 and 2004.
Mix it with McMahon
While Taker's whereabouts since WrestleMania are unknown - besides when he met up with Cleveland Cavaliers to help the basketball outfit celebrate their winning first NBA Title - Shane McMahon has been a key figure on Tuesday nights in his job as Smackdown Commissioner.
The 46-year-old will put the match-making to one side at Survivor Series on Sunday when he wrestles for his brand against Team Raw, something he will surely address when he guests on Tuesday's episode of The Cutting Edge, hosted, of course, by WWE Hall of Famer Edge. Could The Undertaker appear on the show, too, to give McMahon some words of encouragement - or even challenge him to a tune-up match?
Add himself into Survivor Series
The Undertaker's in-ring debut for WWE came at Survivor Series in 1990, The Phenom making his mark by eliminating Koko. B Ware and Dusty Rhodes. The WWE legend has gone on to make a record 18 Survivor Series appearances - one more than Shawn Michaels - and landed 13 wins, including beating Hulk Hogan to win his first WWE Title in 1991.
So if he fancies another bout at WWE's Fall Classic, no-one is really going to say no - even if the list of potential opponents has shortened with Brock Lesnar and Goldberg facing each other and most of the company's other top names competing in the evening's Raw versus Smackdown tussles.
What do you think The Undertaker will do on Smackdown's 900th episode? Let us know on Twitter @SkySportsWWE. Then watch the show, live from 1am on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning) on Sky Sports 5.
WWE Survivor Series booking details
WWE Survivor Series will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 491) and Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 492) from midnight on Sunday, November 20 (Monday morning).
WWE Survivor Series will repeated on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 491) BUT NOT Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 492) between 10am on Monday, November 21 and 10pm on Thursday, November 24.
WWE Survivor Series will cost £19.95 for viewers in the United Kingdom and €24.95 for customers in the Republic of Ireland, while a live blog of the event will run on skysports.com and the Sky Sports apps.
You can order the show online by visiting this link: https://my.sky.com/orderboxoffice/?DCMP=SurvivorSeries
You can also order the pay-per-view over the phone from Tuesday, November 8: UK viewers should call 03442 410 888, while customers in the Republic of Ireland should call 0818 220 225. (There may be an additional charge for telephone bookings).
You will be able to order the show via your Sky remote nearer the event:
Sky+: Press the box office button on your remote, then click the sports tab followed by WWE Survivor Series.
Sky Q: Press Home on your Sky Q remote, select TV guide, then Box Office and then WWE Survivor Series. Enter your TV Pin if prompted. (Only bookings via Sky TV remote are recordable using Sky Plus).
Sky TV residential customers only. Commercial customers contact Sky for price and to order. Sky Box Office terms apply. Cable customers should contact their local cable operator.
