After staring down the monstrous Braun Strowman in the middle of the ring last week on RAW, the returning Undertaker came face-to-face with Roman Reigns, who reminded The Deadman, “This is my yard now.” After a brief pause in which both men gazed at the WrestleMania sign hanging from the roof of Chicago’s Allstate Arena, The Phenom swiftly grabbed The Big Dog by the throat and sent him crashing to the canvas with a chokeslam.
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Reigns has yet to address his confrontation with The Undertaker, but it was announced Monday afternoon, via the WWE‘s official Twitter account, that the two Superstars will now officially square off at WrestleMania 33.
Every year, the list of potential opponents for Undertaker at WrestleMania becomes the hottest topic of the season. With Taker’s legendary career coming to a close, this year’s debate hit a new fevered pitch. Many wanted to see The Deadman face off with John Cena in what many see as one of the WWE’s only remaining dream matches between two of this generation’s greatest superstars.
While it seemed WWE was heading in that direction, reports came out that Vince shifted gears and wanted to have Taker pass the torch to someone who will carry the WWE into the next generation. And there’s no secret who Vince feels is the right man for that job.
While the official announcement of Reigns as Taker’s opponent was good news to many, there were plenty of detractors who let out a huge groan at the thought of Reigns defeating Taker in one of his last ‘Mania encounters.
Oddly, enough, these same fans were complaining just as loudly last week when a 50 year old part-timer defeated new era superstar, Kevin Owens, for the Universal Championship. Click through the slides to see how the WWE Universe reacted to the news of Roman Reigns taking on The Undertaker and see which side you land on.
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Too bad the #undertaker is going to put @WWERomanReigns over. I just wish Reigns would go heel and embrace the hate already. @WWE
โ Corey|AttackTheMusic (@its_corey) March 13, 2017
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@WWE I do like the #UnderTaker but I going 4 my boy my #BigDog @WWERomanReigns 4 #Wrestlemania33 @WrestleMania
โ Fly_Meezy_Tyb (@Fly_Meezy_Tyb) March 13, 2017
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Not a fan of #Undertaker losing to #RomanReigns #Wrestlemania33 https://t.co/1mipGQhAzN
โ WWE SmackTalk (@wwesmacktalk) March 13, 2017
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Lame!! @JohnCena vs #Undertaker would’ve been epic https://t.co/b6IfBWkhTv
โ G-Ram (@GeRm92) March 13, 2017
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I like reigns I like the match but in terms of “passing the torch” he don’t deserve to take out taker specially at WM @WWE #Undertaker
โ zachary hicks (@zacharyhicks3) March 13, 2017
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If taker looses to reigns at mania and retires I will cancel my @WWENetwork subscription #Undertaker
โ Liam Clarke (@limmy_c) March 13, 2017
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@WWE @WWERomanReigns looks like #Undertaker will get another W but this only increases Reigns popularity so win/win!
โ Lehi Dominguez (@LehiDominguez) March 13, 2017
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@WWERomanReigns match with #Undertaker will take his career to NEW heights #Wrestlemania
โ Shaylen Tilley (@layinpipebombs) March 13, 2017
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Just saw that @WWERomanReigns vs The #Undertaker is now official and I can’t just help but feel like…#Wrestlemania pic.twitter.com/3mmpNFfuEC
โ Clutch Talk Sports (@CTSportsRadio) March 13, 2017
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This is what #Wrestlemania33 is all about!!!It doesn’t matter who is complaining because #TheGuy and the #Undertaker will steal the show!!! https://t.co/K3T3SLsfuJ
โ Vivianeโฃ๏ธโฃ๏ธโฃ๏ธ (@Viviane_Reigns) March 13, 2017