Examining Undertaker's Future After WWE WrestleMania 2016 Win vs. Shane McMahon

It may not have been his finest hour at the pay-per-view, but The Undertaker’s WrestleMania career will continue after his victory against Shane McMahon at WWE WrestleMania 32 on Sunday. But what's next for The Deadman?

Per the stipulations that were created before the match by Vince McMahon—although they were hardly mentioned during the bout, which seemed strange—Taker’s career can continue into 2017 after scoring a win at the biggest pay-per-view of the year.

But what lies in his future, both in the short and long term? In the immediate future, you’d imagine a break would be on the cards. He played a fairly prominent on-screen role in the weeks leading up to ‘Mania this year, also getting involved in a few physical segments, something we’ve seen less of in recent years.

His busier-than-normal schedule in 2015 suggests he’s in good enough shape to fight again in the coming months, but if he is ready to fight at, say, SummerSlam, who could he take on?

You still feel like John Cena would be a potential opponent, as it’s not only a WrestleMania match that's been suggested for quite some time, but it’s also one of WWE’s dream matchups, something the company likes to do at its biggest pay-per-view events.

Could the company hold off on Taker vs. Cena until WrestleMania 33? That’s a possibility, as The Deadman can definitely participate in at least one more match at ‘Mania. The problem is that since there are so few opponents left for him to take on, the company will have to do something out of the ordinary, like it did this year with Shane McMahon.

Another potential opponent fans and critics have discussed for The Undertaker at different points this year is Braun Strowman, but with The Wyatt Family in a state of flux after another disappointing night at ‘Mania on Sunday night, is Strowman ready to step into the ring with such a big star? Could Taker revive his rivalry with Bray Wyatt instead?

Monday’s taping of Raw could give us a few clues as to what lies ahead for Taker next. The power struggle between Shane and Vince McMahon probably isn’t quite over yet, and it remains to be seen whether Vince will decide he’s done with the services of The Deadman. If he isn’t, perhaps this mini-rivalry with Shane could carry on, although that doesn’t seem likely, as ‘Mania is the place where feuds generally come to an end, and another match for The Undertaker so soon after WrestleMania probably isn't the best idea.

It would be bizarre if WWE dangled the end of Taker’s WrestleMania career in front of fans, have him secure it and then not compete at the show ever again. What the victory tells us is that for at least one more year, we will see Undertaker at WrestleMania.

Everyone suspected this would be his last due to it being in his home state of Texas, but we probably have not seen the last of The Deadman yet. In fact, if last year taught us anything, it’s that Taker will be back in the ring a lot sooner than WrestleMania 33.