Undertaker Thanks Fans; Charlotte Injury Rumors; McIntyre Tweets Ziggler
June 23, 2020
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
The Undertaker Tweets 'Thank You' Message
With The Undertaker's legendary in-ring career potentially over, The Phenom took to Twitter on Tuesday to offer his gratitude:
On the finale of Undertaker: The Last Ride, which aired Sunday on WWE Network, The Undertaker said that he has "no desire" to wrestle another match after his critically acclaimed Boneyard Match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.
The docu-series gave fans an inside look at the past few years of The Deadman's career and his internal struggle regarding when to hang up the boots. Taker originally planned to retire after his loss to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33, but he kept coming back when Vince McMahon called.
Even after saying he didn't want to wrestle anymore at the conclusion of Undertaker: The Last Ride, he admitted that he would consider it if McMahon is ever "in a pinch" and comes calling again.
If The Undertaker does retire, then he undoubtedly went out on a high note. The Boneyard Match was born from necessity when the coronavirus pandemic prevented fans from attending WrestleMania, and the result was a classic and memorable match.
While it was far from a traditional wrestling match, it was arguably one of the best segments in the history of WrestleMania and in Taker's career.
The Undertaker did show an ability to thrive in a different environment even at the age of 55, though, which begs the question of whether he can continue to do cinematic-style matches for the foreseeable future should WWE pitch him on that idea.
Whatever the future holds for The Undertaker, there is no denying that he is one of the greatest and most respected wrestlers in the history of the business.
Reported Timetable for Charlotte Flair's Return
Following her involvement in an injury angle with Nia Jax on Monday's episode of Raw, Charlotte Flair is reportedly set to miss some time.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Charlotte is scheduled to undergo surgery and there is "hope" she could be back in time for SummerSlam in August. PWInsider's Mike Johnson noted that the surgery is "elective" and expected to keep Charlotte out for six weeks.
Alex McCarthy of TalkSport reported that Flair plans to take some personal time off after the surgery and may not be back until around the time of the 2021 Royal Rumble in January unless a good storyline opportunity pops up for Survivor Series.
There is seemingly a great deal of uncertainty regarding what The Queen's plan actually is, but even a little bit of time off could actually be a good thing for her and WWE as a whole.
As fantastic as Charlotte is, it can be argued that she has been overexposed lately due to the fact that she has appeared consistently on both Raw and NXT, although her NXT stint now appears to be over after she dropped the NXT Women's Championship to Io Shirai at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
Charlotte taking some time away will give other women a chance to shine, especially on Raw where the likes of Asuka, Jax, Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair could become a big part of the brand moving forward.
It will also give fans a chance to miss Flair and ensure they are more invested in what she is doing when she does return.
If the report about Charlotte taking six or seven months off is accurate, then it could be a star-building period for the women's division, especially since Becky Lynch is also gone due to her pregnancy.
Provided WWE can build and strengthen other stars in the women's division, it will give Charlotte more intriguing and fresh matchups when she does ultimately return.
McIntyre Warns Ziggler on Twitter
Following Dolph Ziggler's move from SmackDown to Raw on Monday night, WWE champion Drew McIntyre offered a word of warning on Twitter:
Ziggler interrupted a promo by McIntyre in the opening segment and demanded that McIntyre give him what he deserves in the form of a title match.
The Showoff referenced the fact that he brought McIntyre to Raw two years ago in a storyline sense and went on to team with him. McIntyre and Ziggler had a successful run that saw them hold the Raw Tag Team Championships and run through many of the company's top teams.
After McIntyre and Ziggler broke up, McIntyre became a top singles heel and then eventually turned face, won the 2020 Royal Rumble and beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36.
Ziggler insisted that he was responsible for McIntyre's success and deserved a title shot because of it. McIntyre didn't necessarily agree with Ziggler's assessment, but he still agreed to give his former tag team partner an opportunity at Extreme Rules.
McIntyre and Ziggler have shown in the past that they have strong in-ring chemistry, so fans will certainly expect a great performance from them at Extreme Rules.
Drew figures to be a heavy favorite to retain and enter SummerSlam with the title in tow, but there is some excitement surrounding the Extreme Rules match nonetheless.
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