The Undertaker's Return: What It Means to the WWE and to WrestleMania 29

Vince McMahon kept his word. Monday Night Raw was better than last week.

On a night where The Undertaker opened the saw and closed the show, everything seems alive and well and on the right track toward WrestleMania 29.

However as we all know, there are a few twists and turns to be thrown out there to keep the content exciting and the fans guessing what will happen next.

But Monday night, on a night where “Old School” was supreme, The Dead Man returned to the WWE. Just seeing him at the top of the ramp was enough to send chills up my spine.

The Undertaker is WrestleMania. Take away The Rock and John Cena, the clash between Brock Lesnar and Triple H and even the chance to see Ryback tangle with Mark Henry. The Undertaker is the reason we all want to watch wrestling’s main attraction. The Daytona 500 and Super Bowl rolled into one is solely dependent on what the man named Mark Calloway does. It means more tickets, it means more merchandise and it also means more cable buys.

The WWE needs The Undertaker to make it to WrestleMania 29.

The fact The Undertaker is a part-time wrestler (as some of you readers have pointed out in the past) doesn’t mean a thing when compared to the likes of The Rock and Chris Jericho. Those two performers come and go, walk in to grab a bite and leave. We all look forward to seeing The Undertaker at the show like waiting on Santa Claus as a child.

No matter what injuries cause him to remain out of action for 11 months out of the year, we need the vindication that one of our remaining old -school heroes will still be at the dance.

The fact the WWE set up a "Fatal" four-way match to crown The Undertaker’s opponent helps with matches on the undercard as well.

Will Sheamus, Randy Orton and Big Show coexist in a match against The Shield?

Can Mark Henry and Ryback collide in a match of human strength?

Does Dolph Ziggler turn his attention to The Miz and his “mentor” Ric Flair?

The Undertaker’s return impacts more than just one match; it impacts the entire night. CM Punk gets one shot at dethroning the most successful wrestler in pay-per-view history and if he is successful, then yes, he can crown himself “The Best in the World” when he then sets his sights on John Cena and the WWE Title.

Imagine saying he beat The Undertaker and therefore he should immediately be crowned the WWE Champion. That is something the WWE creative team must be salivating over.

But first, Punk must beat him in the ring.

Will there be stipulations to the match? Will there be a continued battle of words in the ring? When might we see Paul Bearer and Paul Heyman in a clash of words?

It looks like the gates of hell may have just opened. We all get a front row seat to see a clash worth the wait.