Undertaker Returns, Warns Team SmackDown Ahead of WWE Survivor Series 2016

After more than seven months away, The Undertaker made his return to WWE programming Tuesday in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, as part of the 900th episode of SmackDown Live.

Undertaker started by praising SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon, sighting his epic dive off the cell during their WrestleMania 32 match, as WWE shared:

The Deadman then issued the quote of the night when wanting to move past WrestleMania and look toward the future, per WWE:

Undertaker would later say that if the SmackDown Survivor Series team lost to Raw’s team on Sunday, there would be reason to fear him, as WWE shared:

Ringside Xcess speculated what might happen if SmackDown were to lose at Survivor Series: 

The WWE Universe was taken by surprise on Nov. 2 when the Mohegan Sun Arena's official Twitter account revealed that The Deadman was scheduled for Tuesday's event.

Prior to his appearance, The Undertaker hadn't been on WWE television since he defeated McMahon in the previously mentioned Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 32 in April.

At the age of 51, rumors are constantly swirling regarding Taker's wrestling future and whether retirement is on the horizon.

Following The Phenom's clash with McMahon, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com (h/t Wrestling Inc) reported that The Undertaker told people privately that he had wrestled his final match.

Hall of Fame WWE announcer Jim Ross quickly disputed that notion on his website (h/t Wrestling News World) when asked if The Last Outlaw was hanging up his boots: "Don't you think that if The Undertaker had retired from WWE that [we] would have all known about it? Taker is not retired."

Concern regarding The Undertaker's status grew in October when a photo of him using crutches leaked online, as seen in this tweet courtesy of Pro Wrestling & MMA:

Despite that, Taker appeared outside the Cleveland Cavaliers' locker room just two weeks later in full wrestling garb without any support, as evidenced by this photo from Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post:

While that, coupled with his return on SmackDown, provides hope that The Undertaker has at least one more match left in him, his status in that respect remains unknown.

Taker is one of the top special attractions in professional wrestling now or ever, so another match isn't likely to occur anywhere other than a huge event such as WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida.

There are countless intriguing options for The Deadman in terms of potential opponents from a legendary showdown with John Cena to an eerie encounter with Finn Balor should he return in time from shoulder surgery. After Tuesday's appearance, Styles has now emerged as a possible option as well. 

Even though Taker is technically past his prime, he remains capable of putting on great matches, and his entrance and character alone are worth the price of admission for the WWE Universe.

The Undertaker's eventual retirement will mark the end of an era for wrestling fans, but his arrival on SmackDown Live provides a great deal of hope that he isn't done quite yet.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.