Examining The Undertaker's WWE Future Following WrestleMania Win vs. AJ Styles

Nothing seemed guaranteed for The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36. 

This was always the case given his opponent, AJ Styles. Anything can happen against a modern legend like Styles, never mind in a personal feud like this that wound up getting settled outside the ring. 

But the idea was further hammered home once Mania switched its format away from live audiences and split into a two-day affair because of coronavirus concerns. Was what was once planned as a farewell match changed to something different? Would Undertaker ultimately say goodbye in a cemetery as opposed to a historic sendoff in front of a live crowd? 

Here's a chronicle of the big match that took place Saturday night, as well as what it might mean for the future of The Phenom.

The Clash with Styles

This one got personal real fast. 

Undertaker got into a spat with AJ Styles. It felt a little random, but there's nothing wrong with a longstanding "what if?" match fans have asked about for a long time, right? Styles then poured gasoline on the fire by bringing up Taker's wife and away they went. 

Saturday night, Styles and Taker met for a Boneyard match and beat the tar out of each other. It was typical wrestling fare, plus some dramatic movie-esque moments with cheesy sound effects and plenty of trash talk between the two. 

Believe it or not, the trash talk is what added to the impact of the match. It felt personal, and while it still had some mystical elements like The Phenom straight up summoning some fire to cut off Styles, this was gritty and fun given the circumstances. 

Undertaker ended up winning, of course, burying Styles before riding off on his motorcycle. From his perspective, it felt like a "to be continued" moment. 

Who's Next?

The question now is simple—who does The Undertaker take a shot at next? 

It never really felt like Styles was going to get a win here. He didn't need the rub of getting a pin on The Undertaker. He's fine without it. 

If and when Undertaker truly goes out, it's probably going to be on his back against someone who needs it. So while it might be fun to speculate he gets into another slugfest with a modern legend like Brock Lesnar, a better idea might be getting him in a ring with an Aleister Black-type. 

Black isn't the only one who qualifies. Bray Wyatt's The Fiend permanently putting down The Undertaker could be one of the most historic modern wrestling moments if done right. 

But it's hard not to loop back to Black. He's been uber-protected by the company so far, and he's got the mystique of an Undertaker-type character. He's also a big-time striker with a brilliant finisher and good on the mic. If Taker's next match slants toward a final goodbye, it's hard to imagine a better pick than Black. 

American Badass or Deadman?

Here's a fun one worth asking—which Undertaker ultimately returns?

Saturday night finally saw the return of the badass, bike-riding Taker who used to spar with a young Brock Lesnar and otherwise during his glory days. More recently, he'd gone back to the mystical approach, which is hard to complain about. 

But having the American Badass version of Taker fistfighting Styles outside a WWE ring just felt right. 

Given the surefire rabid reaction to this main event, WWE might feel some pressure to keep Taker coming back in this form when he returns. The guy who rides bikes and suddenly has a strong presence on social media can still throw down. 

Call it the perfect modern Undertaker, and not a moment too late. 

When...Not If

The question isn't "if" Undertaker will return.

If Styles had up and buried the Deadman, we'd at least have a little bit more of an interesting conversation here. But given his nickname, even then, a return would've been impossible to rule out.

But now a return seems guaranteed. As nice as it was to see Taker get on his motorcycle with his logo splayed on the background behind him and ride off into the night victorious, it just didn't feel right as a final goodbye. 

Though The Phenom and WWE have teased it before, the best possible way for Undertaker to go out is in front of a live crowd. His doing so—preferably at the next WrestleMania—would help fans signify a return to normalcy in their day-to-day lives...just like the silliness of Saturday night 100 percent embraced the strangeness of the times. 

When Undertaker comes back, and if it's goodbye that time, it's probably at WrestleMania in a way only he can.