Undertaker's Appearance on WWE Raw Reveals Feud Is About McMahons, Not Deadman

Undertaker's return to WWE Raw on Monday left viewers with little doubt that a showdown with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32 is happening. 

Instead of using one of a multitude of reasons as to why he's willing to face Shane in a Hell in a Cell match, The Deadman issued only a terse but stern warning to WWE CEO Vince McMahon: Shane's blood is on your hands.

It wasn't just foreshadowing. It was a plot summary of this entire story: Undertaker has no dog in this fight.

This latest McMahon family soap opera being played out inside the squared circle is about power, money and pride.

No Reason for Undertaker's Involvement

One of the biggest questions heading into Raw was whether The Deadman would give a reason for allowing Vince to book him against Shane. As Bleacher Report's Donald Wood wrote earlier on Monday, "Undertaker has no vested interest in the outcome of the bout other than being forced to fight."

From the look and tone of his appearance, Undertaker isn't being forced. He's a willing participant. Still, WWE hasn't given its fans an answer to the most important questions: Why?

That point wasn't lost on viewers Monday, many of whom expressed their disappointment in the entire exchange:

If the point of Undertaker's promo wasn't meant to offer explanation, at least it showed The Deadman as a willing and hardened participant, one who wouldn't be responsible for the beating he would put on Vince's son.

The message itself was delivered in a succinct and powerful way. It was a great lesson for the company's younger wrestlers: Promos need not be long to be effective.

Vince and Shane Playing Games a Month Before Event

Remember: There is still more than a month until WrestleMania 32. While Vince laid out his masterstroke after Undertaker's ring exit, we still don't have answers to a number of other problems with this plot.

First and foremost, how will Undertaker's history with the entire McMahon family play into this story? Also, what was the big "screw-up" Shane alluded to on last week's episode of Raw that led to Shane bailing out his dad? How much does Vince owe Shane?

All of this has to come out over the next 32 days to lend credibility to this feud.

Now that Vince has laid down the gauntlet and Undertaker has signed on, it's up to Shane to respond—likely on Raw next week. Maybe Shane gives Undertaker a reason not to trust Vince. Maybe he enlists help from within the WWE roster.

The chess game is on between Vince and Shane, and Undertaker is nothing more than a pawn in one of his final WrestleManias.