The Undertaker will make his in-ring return at the Royal Rumble Match and he is one of the favorites to win it. However, the latest WWE rumors have revealed that he needs another hip surgery and he could miss WrestleMania 33.
The 51-year-old legend underwent hip surgery last September 2016 to be able to wrestle at the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 33. He looked in ring shape when he returned last November 2016 on SmackDown Live and two weeks ago on Monday Night Raw.
However, The Undertaker reportedly needs another surgery and the first procedure was only a temporary fix, per All Wrestling News. It is noted that "The Deadman" is in good health at the moment and he is good to go for the Royal Rumble Match.
The report also added that The Undertaker will need to undergo a full hip replacement surgery. He is not interested in having the surgery at the moment and he would like to do it when he is officially retired. The word going around backstage is a lot of people are hoping that he makes it through WrestleMania 33 without any complications.
The Undertaker is in very good shape for his age but eventually, injuries are going to catch up to him. The WWE should look to avoid putting the future Hall of Famer against a careless or rookie superstar to avoid injuries.
It should be noted that 56-year-old Sting's career ended when he suffered a spinal injury at the hands of Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. Certainly, the WWE needs to think about The Undertaker's health going into WrestleMania 33.
The Royal Rumble Match will be a good test for The Undertaker and see how his body reacts. It is his first match since defeating Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32 last year in a Hell in a Cell Match. The WWE can also assess his condition in the match while not putting a lot of beating to his body by having wrestle not more than 15 minutes.
According to WWE Leaks, The Undertaker is not scheduled to have a title match at WrestleMania 33. He will likely wrestle the superstar who eliminates him in the Royal Rumble Match. Some of the names who might be tasked to throw The Undertaker out in the Rumble include Samoa Joe, Finn Balor and Braun Strowman.
Nevertheless, these are just purely speculative at this point and the WWE tends to change their plans. For more WWE news, rumors and updates, follow me on Twitter @johnnyrundown.