The Undertaker has yet to return to the ring and the latest spotting hints that it may take a bit longer. The “Dead Man” was spotted backstage at the Dec. 5 edition of WWE Raw, noticeably limping alongside Kevin Dunn.
The Undertaker reportedly underwent hip surgery a couple of months back. Word of it came out when the “Dead Man” was spotted on crutches back in October, PW Insider reported. He was later on seen at the Q Arena where he posed with several Cleveland Cavaliers players in full WWE attire.
The Undertaker did re-emerge at the 900th episode of WWE SmackDown, warning the Survivor Series representatives on their match against team Raw. Team SmackDown did go on to defeat Team Raw and nothing has been heard or seen of the “Phenom” since.
Tied up to that rare appearance, there were suggestions that the Undertaker would return to feud with either AJ Styles or even Dean Ambrose. But all that was with the assumption that he was 100 percent healthy. After that photo from a fan, it seems that “Taker” may need more time before he can actually return to the WWE ring, Wrestling Inc. reported.
There were murmurs of possibly seeing the Undertaker appear at the Royal Rumble 2017 where he could take aim at ‘someone’. It would most likely be a warm-up match before Wrestlemania 33 where John Cena or Bill Goldberg have been mentioned as possible opponents.
Those possibilities, however, cropped up with the understanding that the Undertaker was fit and ready to return to action. The ‘limp’ and the fact that he is already 51-years-old may force the WWE to alter storylines instead.
The Undertaker’s last match was at Wrestlemania 32 where he faced Shane McMahon in a Hell in a Cell card. He picked up the victory as expected but vanished from the WWE scene afterward.
Add the hip surgery part, it will be interesting if the Undertaker will be fit enough to compete against whoever the company pairs up with in April in Orlando. As far as competing before that, the outlook doesn’t look that good with only four months for the “Phenom” to prepare.
The video below shows Undertaker’s last appearance, capped with a curious reunion with Kane at the WWE ramp.