Who will be Undertaker's Next (and Possibly Last) Opponent?

 

Who will be the Undertaker’s next opponent?

The Undertaker has survived a brutal match against Triple H at Wrestlemania XXVII: not only was he hit multiple times with a steel chair, he was hit with not one, not two but THREE Pedigrees AND a Tombstone Piledriver and STILL managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat through the use of the "Hells Gate" gogoplata choke. Now, it’s all-or nothing for Undertaker at Wrestlemania XVIII- will the streak go to 20-0 or will he be defeated and have the streak stopped? Who do you think should be the person he faces? Here is Feet Up’s list of potential opponents:

Unlikely

Drew McIntyre- The ‘Legend Killer’- it would be fitting for him to face Undertaker to test that name but for a Wrestlemania match? No

King Sheamus- Challenges many champions of WWE and is a good heel but he very rarely wins so it’s wishful thinking for him to face Undertaker let alone beat him.

Daniel Bryan- Lots of technical skills and abilities and is a favourite with the ladies. Is he ready for Undertaker? No.

The Miz- The new anti hero of the WWE; too soon for him and has not got the skills or charisma to defeat him.

Chris Jericho- Has a lot of technical expertise and has lost that damn mullet so facing Undertaker would be good to give him another push. The problem is that Wrestlemania is too big for him-especially if it is Undertaker’s retirement match (Jericho’s not relevant enough).

John ‘Nitro’ Morrison- Has improved a lot since he split from Miz and has the high-flying abilities to put on a show BUT his character has not developed enough to face Undertaker.

Maybe

Alberto Del Rio- A new superstar; has got charisma and the looks and already has skills from his MMA background. However, it is unlikely Undertaker would face someone not relevant to his story (unless Alberto Del Rio believes it’s his 'destiny' to beat Undertaker).

Wade Barret- Previous leader of the Nexus and now founder of the Corre; a favourite heel amongst fans. Has developed to be feared/seen as a veteran rather than a graduate of the NXT programme. Would be a good match if the storyline develops.

CM Punk- Leader of the new Nexus, is a good heel and has good technical skills. It is possible he faces Undertaker next year but there’s little story behind it so far.

Edge- Fan favourite and another anti-hero (once was Randy Orton’s tag team partner even though neither liked to admit they needed each other’s help). Was defeated by the Deadman at Wrestlemania XXIV so it’s unlikely they would use him as a final opponent (IF Wrestlemania XXVIII is the final match for Undertaker).

Randy Orton- The anti-hero and second-in-command. Has lost once to Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXI but is now a more polished and seasoned wrestler.

Most Deserving

Kane- Undertaker’s brother who has a love/hate relationship with him. If it is to be Undertaker’s last match, it is fitting that Kane could be his opponent BUT he has already fought him at Wrestlemania XIV, XX and (in 2010) defeated him at: Night of Champions, Hell in a Cell and Bragging Rights.

Triple H- The bosses son-in-law who gave us an excellent match this Wrestlemania; it would be great seeing him face Undertaker for the third time but that statement already shows the problem: Triple H was defeated by Undertaker and Wrestlemania X-Seven so it would be his THIRD match.

Shawn Michaels- Was very close to beating the Undertaker TWICE and both Wrestlemania XXV and XXVI. The latter match was his retirement match since the stipulation was that he was to retire if he could not end the streak. Even though he lost, he was respected by all the fans and even the Undertaker helped him up after the match, shook his hand and tipped his hat to him the day after on RAW. HOWEVER, the Monday Night RAW before Wrestlemania XVII, tension between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels was seen when HBK tried to keep the peace between him and Triple H; in fact, it got so heated that Undertaker pushed him, HBK attempted a Sweet Chin Music to counter the push but had his leg grabbed and was almost chokeslammed had it not been for Triple H intervening.

Feet Up’s Prediction?

IF next year will NOT be Undertaker’s final Wrestlemania (which will hopefully be the case and the Last Outlaw stays another year to Wrestlemania XXIX and retires 20-1), it is very hard finding the perfect opponent to choose as a potential victim. Most likely it will be someone out of the Maybe list-perhaps Wade Barrett and CM Punk teaming up (that would be a sweet match). 

 

HOWEVER, if it is Undertaker’s last Wrestlemania, the most fitting end would be Undertaker and Kane reuniting as the Brothers of Destruction to take on BOTH Triple H and Shawn Michaels(it’s logical that if The Phenom can barely defeat one member of D Generation X, it’s impossible for him alone to defeat both). Who knows, Undertaker and Kane will lose and we can have another DX cook out ;-)