From the WWE Rumor Mill: Big WrestleMania plans for The Undertaker were cancelled

What's the story?

The WWE may have originally had plans for The Undertaker to portray a cross between "The American Badass" and "The Deadman" at WrestleMania, according to a report from The Dirty sheets.

However, this idea was reportedly shelved in favour of The Undertaker's traditional entrance after the company received complaints about Kid Rock's Hall of Fame speech.

In case you didn't know...

After his emotional exit at WrestleMania 33 and cryptic promo at Raw 25, a number of fans started to speculate that The Undertaker would return to face John Cena as "The American Badass" — especially since it coincided with Kid Rock's induction into Hall of Fame.

However, The Phenom made his long-awaited return as the traditional "Deadman" and Kid Rock was nowhere to be seen at WrestleMania.

The heart of the matter

Even though The Undertaker's entrance was always going to start with the iconic gong, he was reportedly going to reveal an American flag in the lining of his jacket. This would've then prompted Kid Rock to come out and play the "American Badass" theme.

Unfortunately, it appears that these plans were scrapped after WWE received complaints about some of the politically-inclined comments in Kid Rock's Hall of Fame speech. The multi-platinum recording artist was reportedly sent home and didn't even appear alongside his fellow Hall of Famers at WrestleMania 34.

What's next?

Just after his match with Cena, a number of outlets reported that The Undertaker would wrestle several times in 2018. This means that a match at Summerslam isn't entirely out of the question.

Author's take

Even though long-time WWE fans who've watched the product since the early '90s aren't necessarily fans of "The American Badass", The Undertaker could've done with a fresh coat of paint after his loss to Roman Reigns. It's a pity that this idea was scrapped.

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