Undertaker vs Shane McMahon: Previewing Deadman's Appearance on Monday's WWE Raw

WWE’s official website has announced that The Undertaker will be live in attendance during Monday’s episode of Raw from Nashville, Tennessee. What The Deadman has to say about his upcoming WrestleMania 32 match against Shane McMahon is anyone’s guess, though.

With five weeks of build remaining until the biggest pay-per-view of the year, WWE is also keeping Shane and Undertaker away from each other, as Vince McMahon’s son is not currently scheduled to be in attendance on Raw this week.

As The Undertaker’s appearance approaches, the WWE Universe is buzzing:

"

Undertaker?! Talk about shaking things up! #RAW

— SID VICIOUS (@SychoVicious) February 23, 2016"

The result will likely be a heart-to-heart meeting between The Deadman and the remaining McMahon family members in the ring. With Vince, Stephanie and Triple H all having a vested interest in the WrestleMania match between Shane and Undertaker, each should have a separate segment trying to convince Undertaker that taking the match is best for business.

With Undertaker likely opening the show in a segment with Vince, following up on the storyline throughout the night with one-on-one meetings between The Deadman and Stephanie in one segment, and Triple H in another, is smart storytelling. The whole episode of Raw should be used to build to the most important match of WrestleMania 32.

Whether you like the matchup or not, Shane McMahon fighting for control of WWE is bigger than Triple H vs. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose.

The problem in the storyline is why Undertaker would be so willing to do the bidding of Vince McMahon. There is no questioning The Deadman’s loyalty to WWE after 25 years with the company, but Undertaker isn’t someone who can be told what to do. Add in the fact that Undertaker and Vince have been involved in several storylines against each other over the years, and there are more questions than answers regarding their relationship.

One of the biggest questions Undertaker should pose back to the entire McMahon family on Monday is what he will get out of the deal. Undertaker should not put himself through a Hell in a Cell match against a loose cannon like Shane O’Mac unless he is getting something in return.

As of right now, Undertaker has no vested interest in the outcome of the bout other than being forced to fight.

While Undertaker would never simply lay down for Shane, the hope from the WWE Universe is that the Prodigal Son’s return is not just a one-off situation and that McMahon would stick around after winning the match somehow. In that case, look for some outside interference from Sting, John Cena or another main event-level star.

As wrestling fans try to find the key to determining how the WrestleMania match will unfold, people will be hanging on every word from Undertaker this Monday on Raw. If The Deadman comes face-to-face with Vince and is nothing but supportive of the idea, then it would make for a much different program than the one the WWE Universe would get if Undertaker is a reluctant participant in the matchup against Shane.

On the other hand, what if Undertaker flat out refuses to fight Shane?

The hope from wrestling fans is that Monday provides some more clarity to the situation, but more importantly, furthers the storyline and continues to build on the excitement from last week as well. Shane’s return made for one of the most shocking moments of the last 10 years, and WWE should keep the momentum going with the usage of The Undertaker.

There are many ways WWE Creative could go with this marquee storyline, but the overall hope from fans is that the company simply builds a great storyline and doesn’t screw it up. As a main event at WrestleMania 32, it’s time to show WWE some faith.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).