Ghost Stories: Debunking the Conspiracy Theories Surrounding 2.21.11

One of the most hotly debated dates in recent memory is upon us.

For the last few weeks, we have seen mysterious promos featuring what was once simply a man in black boots and a trench coat.

Clues were then added—first, it was Johnny Cash's Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body Down), played at the end of the second promo. Then, during last week's video, we saw a man wearing a black, two-strap top, MMA-style gloves, and a large black hat.

Logic dictates the man in these promos is The Undertaker. Most people, including this writer, believed it was hyping the return of The Deadman when the promos first began airing a few weeks ago. Nothing we've seen in the promos has been any sort of evidence to think otherwise.

Regardless, a number of theories have arisen surrounding the identity of the man in the videos. Some say it's a man who has never stepped inside a WWE ring, some say it's a famous WWE superstar we haven't seen since after last year's WrestleMania, and some have even gone as far as saying it isn't even a man at all.

An Internet report last week stated two things: That the promos are "definitely for The Undertaker," and that Vince McMahon himself is fully aware of how crazy the Internet Wrestling Community (IWC) has been going since the promos began airing.

But that may not be enough proof for some. Maybe the following arguments will be.

Sting

The Case for Sting: Arguments for Sting have been possibly the most wide-ranging. Almost all of them, however, have Sting making his WWE debut to challenge The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak.

Supporters of the Sting-to-WWE movement have referenced the presence of a second man in the latest 2.21.11 promo. While it appears The Undertaker is the man inside the cabin, there is a shot of a man in a black trench coat outside of the cabin at the 38-second mark of the final promo. Many highlighting that point say the man outside is Sting.

Other pieces of evidence have been collected by the IWC. Some have said Sting's face is visible in the window of the first promo. Others have claimed a scorpion appears in the plaster on the stairs of the cabin.

More have said the figure standing outside the cabin in the first video appeared to be holding something in his right hand—Sting is known for carrying his signature bat.

The Sting speculation may have started when claims were made that the smoke trailing off the "2.21.11" image in the first video spelled out Sting's name.

The Case Against Sting: What may be the most damning evidence in the argument against Sting lies in the same report I referenced above.

The online report states there has been "no communication whatsoever" between WWE and Steve Borden, who portrays the Sting character. If Sting were on his way to WWE, chances are fairly high that the IWC would have heard something.

McMahon does his best to cover leaks of big stories, but something this big probably would have found its way to the masses in some form outside of what now appears to be a speculative New York Daily News report.

Further, we got a fairly decent look at the man's face in last Monday's video. The man wore no face paint, nor did he have the facial hair Sting has had over the past few years.

With no solid evidence pointing toward the Stinger, Steve Borden will not be making his WWE debut tonight. Whether it happens down the road remains to be seen.

Awesome Kong

The Case for Awesome Kong: One of the most physically imposing female wrestlers in history has been under WWE contract for weeks. It is only a matter of time before Awesome Kong makes her WWE debut.

The main case for Kong surrounds the attire shown in the video. Kong sports a black trench coat and boots to the ring, which is why some made the correlation.

Simply put, though, the case against Kong is overwhelming.

The Case Against Awesome Kong: Recent Internet reports have Kong being kept off WWE programming to drop some extra weight she gained between leaving TNA and signing with WWE.

But the most damning evidence is the most simple. The person shown in the promos is white, and Awesome Kong is black. Unless WWE pulled off an amazing makeup job, Kong will not be the one revealed to be subject of the 2.21.11 promos.

Triple H

The Case for Triple H: The argument for Triple H is one that is newer, and has been gaining steam over the past week, and it involves Triple H's real-life friend, the retired Shawn Michaels.

Many have pointed out the fact that the man in the promos only resembles The Undertaker, and is not The Deadman himself. Those same people have referenced the times Shawn Michaels posed as The Undertaker as evidence that there may be a man in the cabin attempting to disguise himself as The Deadman.

The argument states it is none other than The Cerebral Assassin, Triple H, masquerading as The Undertaker in the promos, leading up to an attempt by The Game to gain a measure of revenge on The Undertaker for ending HBK's career last year.

The Case Against Triple H: While I firmly believe Triple H will return, even as early as tonight, to attempt to avenge his best friend's loss at WrestleMania XXVI, he isn't the man seen in the videos.

There are two reasons why Triple H isn't the subject of the 2.21.11 promos. First, it would be a colossal waste of hype to essentially run a faux return promo. It would surely be a sign of Triple H's Cerebral Assassin nickname, but it would be ridiculous for WWE creative to run in such a direction.

Secondly, the man in the video does not physically resemble Triple H in any way. The Game is stacked, as we all know, and the man shown in last week's video is not. Triple H has light hair, while the man in the video has black hair. The bottom of the man's face shown in last week's video is a bit thinner, while Triple H has a wider jawline.

Any discrepancies in the physical attributes between the man in the video and The Undertaker can be attributed to a potential body double. Instead of interfering with Mark Calaway's rehabilitation schedule, WWE could have used a man who resembles Calaway. After all, we never see more than the bottom third of the man's face.

Tyler Black

The Case for Tyler Black: Black, who wrestles under the name Seth Rollins in Florida Championship Wrestling, is the latest IWC darling to make his name in indy promotions before arriving in WWE.

Black would be the dark horse, the one man most in the IWC say would be the man in the promos if they were hyping the debut of a brand new superstar. Black also fits the physical qualities of the man shown in the promos, sporting an average build and long black hair.

The Case Against Tyler Black: As Seth Rollins, Black is just starting to make his mark in FCW. He'll likely spend more time in FCW, earning championships and main-event status there before earning his call-up to the WWE roster.

An argument can surely be made for anyone, given the right set of evidence. We as fans see what we want to see, often looking past what is often right in front of us.

The speculation ends tonight in Fresno. 2.21.11 is here.