5 reasons why WWE told The Undertaker he "wasn't needed" for the SmackDown FOX premiere

Despite being originally advertised for the SmackDown on FOX Premiere, The Undertaker didn't show up, leaving many fans confused and some even angry. The Undertaker being on Instagram is still a very weird thing for many fans, but it's perhaps time to accept that he changed with the times as well.

Either way, he likely wanted to be a part of the FOX Premiere since he is undoubtedly one of the 5 greatest Superstars in SmackDown history. For the entirety of the Ruthless Aggression Era, The Phenom reigned supreme over SmackDown, being among the very elite along with the likes of Batista, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, etc.

However, he didn't appear for the FOX premiere but posted a photo on Instagram. When a fan commented that he should have closed the show instead of Cain Velasquez following Brock Lesnar's WWE title win, The Undertaker responded stating that he was told "he wasn't needed"

Here are a few reasons why WWE told The Undertaker that he wasn't needed.

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#5. No potential feuds for him right now

The Undertaker and Sami Zayn

WWE teased Drew McIntyre vs The Undertaker at Extreme Rules 2019, but for some reason, it didn't come to fruition despite it being the obvious match to make for SummerSlam 2019. Now that McIntyre is out with an illness, there isn't any other feud that makes sense right now.

It's fine because they don't need him for a rivalry as they're already stacked with multiple feuds. Either way, it's inevitable that he gets into one and perhaps WWE felt that they didn't want to have him on the show unless they're building towards another match.

They've had him make many unnecessary appearances and perhaps they didn't want to waste one.

#4. Phasing him out because's too old

What is his end game?

It's been over two and a half years since The Undertaker's original retirement and we still have no idea what his end game is. Fans have unanimously agreed that The Undertaker should have retired following his WrestleMania 30 loss.

Since then, he has been a shadow of his former self. In those years, he has had three good matches: against Brock Lesnar at Hell in a Cell 2015, against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32 and the tag team match at Extreme Rules in 2019 when he teamed up with Roman Reigns to defeat Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre.

While he is a novelty, it's clear that he's past his prime and shouldn't be wrestling in singles matches at the very least. Although Brock Lesnar is the WWE Champion again, it appears that overall, WWE is slowly phasing out the part-timers who aren't in their physical prime anymore.

Lesnar, in that regard, can still go on for a while and it's going to be interesting to see how they handle him going forward.

#3. There was no spot on the show

The new set

SmackDown on FOX was an entertaining episode but on the whole, it was an average show. It catered to casual fans, which is why it's even more surprising that they didn't have The Undertaker make an appearance.

With that said, the biggest drawback was the fact that everything was rushed. Given that they wanted to get as many stars on the card as possible, many top Superstars such as AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, etc. didn't even get their entrances televised.

And to add to it, the WWE title match lasted ten seconds. That should tell you all you need to know about how packed the show was and how much they tried to cram in rather than spacing it out and making it feel special.

With that said, it's a very valid reason why WWE told The Undertaker that he wasn't needed. From WWE's perspective, they certainly aren't lacking star power on the show, even if they don't have a larger-than-life Superstar apart from Brock Lesnar.

While many would have loved to see him appear, it would have been like SmackDown 1000 where he just appeared and said a few words. Is there really any point of that?

#2. Saving him for Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is The Undertaker's WrestleMania

Since 2018, The Undertaker has appeared on all three Saudi Arabia shows, headlining two of them. The first one was at Crown Jewel last year when he teamed up with Kane to face DX in an unsuccessful effort.

This year, he had a disastrous match against Goldberg. He wasn't even called for a WrestleMania match and it seems as though WWE is now saving The Undertaker for Saudi Arabia shows because it's a massive payday for him and a good place for him to perform.

He is still a larger-than-life Superstar to many in Saudi Arabia and there isn't too much attention given to these shows once the day comes. As a result, he doesn't take up a very important spot as he would at a bigger show and it helps add to the star power. From WWE's perspective, he is very likely a needle-mover for them in terms of ticket sales.

Since there is a Saudi Arabia show later this month, WWE just needs to bring him in for an appearance or two to build to a match.

#1. He isn't a part of the "new direction"

The Undertaker is a top nostalgia act

The reality of The Undertaker in modern-day WWE is that he is a nostalgia act and his presence adds to any arena he enters. While he does have a presence about him, it isn't enough anymore as the aura has worn off.

WWE knows this and 2019 has been a very important year for the company because it has marked a major directional change. It has been clear since post-WrestleMania that WWE is beginning to place an emphasis on the newer Superstars while phasing out the part-timers.

Paul Heyman's hiring marked a huge directional change for RAW as he's the Executive Director of the show, directly involved in the creative side of things. Eric Bischoff's hiring was more to deal with his experience handling television networks, an important skill given that SmackDown is now on FOX.

The change to FOX has seen a big directional change as WWE is reportedly said to be moving in a more "sports-like" direction. The Braun Strowman-Tyson Fury interaction and Cain Velasquez's debut is proof of that. The Undertaker doesn't belong in this direction and thus, isn't needed.

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