5 possible reasons why The Undertaker squashed John Cena at WrestleMania 34

With no scheduled match for WrestleMania 34, John Cena began the show as a 'fan' at ringside, with WWE cameras pointing to him multiple times in the first two hours of the event to gauge his reaction to the opening matches.

We all knew the 16-time world champion wouldn’t stay in his seat for long, though, and it was always only going to be a matter of time before he came face-to-face with the man he has repeatedly called out in recent weeks, The Undertaker.

However, few people would have predicted that the long-awaited match would be over so soon, with “The Deadman” convincingly defeating his opponent in just 2 minutes, 45 seconds.

In this article, we take a look at five possible reasons why the decision was made for 'Taker to squash Cena on "The Grandest Stage of Them All".

---

#5 The Undertaker wasn’t ready to compete in a longer match

The Undertaker connected with a leg drop on John Cena

It was clear right from the moment that The Undertaker hit a running lariat on John Cena that the WrestleMania legend was unable to perform at the extremely high level we have come to expect from him.

“The Phenom” has produced some iconic matches throughout his career, with his last truly great match coming against Brock Lesnar at Hell In A Cell 2015, but it was obvious during the short encounter with Cena that he cannot compete in the same way that he used to.

Perhaps WWE decided to book such a short match to reduce the risk of mistakes being made and avoid the possibility of injury.

#4 To continue John Cena’s PPV losing streak

John Cena's run of losses began against Roman Reigns

John Cena went into WrestleMania on the worst PPV losing streak of his entire career, having suffered defeats in his last five PPV matches (No Mercy, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and Fastlane).

When the run started, it felt like WWE was misusing one of their most iconic Superstars, but it’s clear now that it was all part of a long-term plan to make “Big Match John” question whether he still has what it takes to perform at the elite WWE level.

Losing in such quick fashion to The Undertaker will add extra intrigue to Cena’s future high-profile matches, beginning with his battle against Triple H at the Greatest Royal Rumble on 27 April.

#3 To create a WrestleMania moment

John Cena looked terrified of The Undertaker

Whether you liked or disliked the John Cena vs Undertaker match, it was definitely memorable – and that’s what WrestleMania is all about.

Both performers have been involved in underwhelming storylines and matches at recent WrestleMania events, but the match they had at WrestleMania 34, regardless of how short it was, will definitely be remembered.

Can you imagine how disappointed the New Orleans crowd would have been if The Undertaker appeared but a match didn’t take place? Even though it lasted less than three minutes, the match still provided fans with a WrestleMania moment that they won’t forget in a hurry.

#2 John Cena had been drinking!

John Cena was a 'fan' for the first two hours of WrestleMania

Okay, so we’re not being 100 percent serious here, but can you imagine if John Cena blames his shock defeat on the amount of alcohol he consumed before the match?!

The 16-time world champion began the event as a ‘fan’ and he was seen drinking in the crowd during the kickoff show, so perhaps he was too drunk to put up a decent fight against The Undertaker!

Drunk Cena would be the most over gimmick ever! #WrestleMania

— Wrestling Talk (@WWE_Talk10) April 9, 2018

Cena was drunk, fluke win

— Adam Lash (@newfoundmass) April 9, 2018

The Undertaker defeats a Drunk John Cena at #WrestleMania

— Noah Houlihan @ Johncon (@TVsNoah) April 9, 2018

#1 To set up a retirement match at WrestleMania 35

The Undertaker is 53 years old

Now we all know that The Undertaker isn’t retired, the early expectation is that he’ll compete in another match next year at WrestleMania 35.

If that is the case, there’s a good chance it will be a retirement match, with John Cena being the obvious contender to end the illustrious career of “The Deadman” at WWE’s biggest show of the year.

In 2008, Ric Flair was retired by Shawn Michaels. In 2010, Michaels was retired by The Undertaker. In 2019, it would be fitting if ‘Taker passed on the retirement torch to Cena, another WWE icon, to bring a definitive end to his legendary career.