Why Undertaker's Next Feud Must Be with Young WWE Talent

On Monday's episode of WWE Raw—the final one before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view—The Undertaker made one final appearance and turned the deadlock between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar into a Mexican standoff. The image of them locked in each other's hardened gazes was the final shot as Raw went off the air, and it was a foreshadowing of things to come.

All three men are entered in the Royal Rumble match. And depending on who eliminates who, that bout could determine who The Undertaker's opponent will be come WrestleMania. Last night's staredown seemed to indicate that the opponent will be a veteran.

Credit: WWE.com

There are positives to this decision. Pairing The Undertaker with a veteran such as Goldberg or John Cena can sell tickets; the match will have the grandeur and weight of years of contextual backstory. There's even speculation that The Undertaker might win the entire Rumble. OddsShark has given him the fourth-best chance of winning.

It might happen, but it shouldn't happen. This year, The Undertaker's WrestleMania match should be against an up-and-coming heel who can benefit from the type of rub that only The Undertaker can provide.

The narrative of The Undertaker facing a rising Superstar writes itself. It's almost too easy. All WWE needs is a young, cocky, disrespectful opponent to talk about The Undertaker's 30-plus-year legacy in dismissive terms, and he will become an instant heat magnet. 

WWE has run this playbook before. The last up-and-coming Superstar who Undertaker faced at WrestleMania was Randy Orton at WrestleMania 21. Orton was riding high on his Legend Killer gimmick, but he faced recurring criticism—both kayfabe and behind the scenes—that he lacked the mental and physical toughness of a bona fide champion. His match against The Undertaker and the build to it were crucial components of dismissing those preconceptions.

So who should this year's up-and-comer be? The most obvious choice is Baron Corbin, and he's already started the aforementioned dismissive talk. On last week's episode of Talking Smack, Corbin sneered, "The Undertaker said he's dug 29 holes. Good, because the world needs ditch-diggers."

Corbin has both the size and look of a man who can hang tough with The Undertaker. He's booked on SmackDown as a main event threat. But he still doesn't have the gravitas of a John Cena or AJ Styles. And how could he? Corbin doesn't have a marquee match (Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal notwithstanding) to stake his name on. But he could have a massive new notch in his belt come April 2 if WWE Creative books him properly.

The Undertaker should not be rehashing feuds from years ago. Fighting a veteran will, at best, settle a score that's already passed into history. But fighting a new guy? It's a smart investment in the company's future, and the new guy doesn't even have to win. He just has to barely lose. And that will be enough to push a Superstar like Corbin to the next level.