When it was revealed that The Undertaker appeared at a house show in Waco, Texas on Saturday night, most WWE fans figured it was a foregone conclusion he would show up on Raw in Dallas. That wasn't the case, but delaying his return was actually an intelligent tactic by the WWE.

The WWE had fans hooked on Monday whether The Undertaker was present or not, so why waste his return? The show already had a great opening with Brock Lesnar and Triple H brawling, and it also closed in a big way with John Cena and CM Punk putting on one of the best matches you'll ever see on Monday Night Raw.

On top of that, I'm sure there were some fans who tuned in simply to see The Undertaker. There is no doubt they were disappointed when the show came to an end, and Taker was nowhere to be found, but saving Taker's return may cause those same fans to watch next week. It is obvious at this point that he'll be back eventually, but the WWE is at least creating some mystery by not telling us precisely when.

I'm sure the WWE also impressed a lot of Taker fans with what it delivered in the main event. Perhaps those fans weren't interested in Cena vs. Punk since most figured that Cena would come out on top, but the match itself was absolutely spectacular and could have easily convinced fringe viewers to watch a bit more religiously moving forward.

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Much like fine wine, Chris Jericho somehow manages to get better with age.

While I wouldn't say that 42 years of age is old by any means, it's certainly an age at which a wrestler should be on the downside of his career. Jericho continually manages to buck conventional trends, however, as he seemingly returns to the WWE better than ever each time he decides to come back.

Although some fans were critical of his run prior to WrestleMania XXVIII last year, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Jericho managed to turn the fans against him despite the fact that most of them wanted to see him return. He also had a great feud and fantastic matches with the likes of CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler in particular.

As much as a I appreciated his last run, his current one is even better. Jericho has played the heel role for much of his career and he has done it extremely well, but the longer a wrestler has been around, the more sentimental the fans become.

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WrestleMania XXIX draws closer with each passing week, and that makes every episode of Raw even more important than the previous one. Despite the fact that there are only six weeks of build left, there is still a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the 'Mania card. Some of those questions figure to be answered Monday night, however.

As was announced last week, John Cena will put his WrestleMania title shot on the line against CM Punk on Monday. Punk lost his WWE Championship rematch to The Rock at Elimination Chamber, but he goaded Cena into a match.

There is still some uncertainty with regards to whether The Rock and Cena will have a singles match or if Punk might insert himself into the match somehow, but we're likely to find out sooner rather than later.

The Rock is not advertised to appear, but there are plenty of other factors that should hold the fans' interest.

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Many wrestling fans were taken by surprise when Jack Swagger won at Elimination Chamber to become the No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Even more surprising, however, was the subsequent DUI and marijuana possession arrest that put his standing in question. Despite his legal issues, I expect Swagger to go unpunished for the time being.

According to TMZ.com, Swagger was pulled over on Tuesday night in Biloxi, Miss. following last week's SmackDown taping. Swagger was reportedly driving erratically and was found to be under the influence of an unidentified substance as well as in possession of pot. He was arrested and later released, and there is no question that it complicates matters for the WWE.

Vince McMahon and the WWE could take a hard-line approach by acting quickly, suspending Swagger and giving away his WrestleMania title shot, but I don't believe that the WWE should do that nor do I think that it will. There is no doubt that Swagger screwed up in a major way and I certainly wouldn't blame the WWE if it decided to end his push. However, there are other factors to take into account.

If there is one thing that McMahon loves, it's his product drawing mainstream attention. He has that to some degree with The Rock, but Swagger and his new manager Zeb Colter have taken things to a new level. Swagger is now a self-professed "real American" who is disillusioned by the current state of his country. Swagger and Colter have been particularly outspoken when it comes to immigrants who they claim are sneaking across our borders and stealing our jobs.

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There is no question that WWE fans everywhere were taken by surprise on Saturday night when it was revealed that The Undertaker had returned at a live event in Waco, Texas. It initially came across as a head-scratching decision, but it was ultimately a very logical and intelligent tactic on the WWE's part.

As much as we like to be surprised as fans, the WWE is in the business of drawing television ratings and making money. With WWE Champion The Rock not scheduled to appear on Raw this week, the WWE needs something to catch the attention of the fans. Brock Lesnar does that to some degree, but there is no question that The Undertaker is an even bigger draw at this juncture.

Taker hasn't been seen on WWE programming since the 1,000th episode of Raw. And aside from that, he hasn't been seen since WrestleMania XXVIII. Fans realize that he doesn't have many years left as an active competitor, so they'll flock whenever he shows up. Because he wrestled in Waco and Raw is in Dallas, it stands to reason that he'll play a part on the show.

Having him appear at a house show first was a unique tactic on the WWE's part, but it wasn't that much different from what the WWE did the past two years. It was somewhat surprising when Taker interrupted Triple H's firing of John Laurinaitis last year, but vignettes had aired for several weeks ahead of time, so it was known that The Phenom would be coming back at some point.

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Due to the recent emergence of Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter in the WWE, the company has gained widespread media attention. Many have been critical of the anti-immigration storyline that the WWE is currently carrying out, including conservative political commentator Glenn Beck. Because of that, the WWE has invited Beck to appear on Monday Night Raw on Feb. 25.

According to a WWE press release sent to Bleacher Report, Beck addressed the angle on TheBlaze TV on Thursday and made some less-than-flattering remarks regarding the WWE. Rather than sitting idly by and allowing its brand to be dragged through the mud, the WWE is standing up to Beck and giving him a platform to present his case:

Beck didn't mince words as he accused the WWE of demonizing the Tea Party, and he labeled the characters of Swagger and Colter racist, despite the fact that they have never used racist language. He also accused the WWE of offending 80 percent of its fanbase, which is obviously nowhere near accurate.

It's interesting that Beck accused the WWE of stereotyping, because he did the exact same thing during his diatribe. He said that he didn't believe that any Harvard, Ivy League-educated professors are watching WWE, which essentially suggests that he doesn't feel as though the WWE attracts high-class individuals.

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Although the WWE's tag team division has certainly experienced a renaissance of sorts over the past few months, thanks to Team Hell No, there is no question that things have been going in the wrong direction as of late. With Darren Young of The Prime Time Players potentially on the shelf for a significant amount of time, the WWE's tag team depth will be challenged moving forward.

According to the Wrestling Observer (via TWNPNews.com), Young could be out until October due to a knee injury. The exact nature of the injury and precisely how it happened is unclear, but it may stem from his elimination in the Royal Rumble. Young took a tough bump and personnel acted as if he had been legitimately injured, including one person throwing up the "X" symbol.

Young has been seen on WWE programming since then, but The Prime Time Players' exposure has been lessened significantly. Most fans really took notice on the most recent episode of Main Event. Young's partner, Titus O'Neil, faced Justin Gabriel in a singles match, but Young didn't accompany him to the ring and was nowhere to be found.

In one respect, this can be looked at as a positive since it gives O'Neil the chance to shine as an individual. Most believe that O'Neil is the strong link of the team and has a bright future due to his charisma and size. I like O'Neil personally and feel like he could be a factor as a singles wrestler down the line, but there isn't much room for him currently.

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With Elimination Chamber taking place this past Sunday and the road to WrestleMania getting underway, there is no question that this week has been an important one for the WWE. More eyes are on the company now than they will be at any other point in 2013, so it is vital that everything goes smoothly moving forward.

It would be fair to say that the WWE didn't get off to a good start in that regard due to the actions of Jack Swagger. Just two nights after he won the Elimination Chamber match to become No. 1 contender for Alberto Del Rio's World Heavyweight Championship, Swagger was arrested on DUI and marijuana possession charges. His immediate and long-term future is now very much in question.

If not for the Swagger situation, this week would have been a much more positive one for the WWE. Not only did it announce where and when WrestleMania XXX would be held, but The Rock made many fans happy when he retired the spinner belt and introduced a new WWE Championship. It was a busy week, to say the least, and we figure to see more of the same as WrestleMania draws closer.

Keep reading for more in-depth analysis on all of the latest news and rumors surrounding the WWE for the week beginning on Feb. 17.

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