Two weeks ago on WWE Raw, with all of his other paths to WrestleMania 34 closed, Cena formally called out the Undertaker for a one-on-one match at The Grandest Stage of Them All. His challenge was met with silence (to many fans’ disappointment).
Last week, Cena continued his tirade against The Deadman, calling him a “coward” and stating that his cold silence was disrespectful to both him and the WWE Universe. This time, Cena did get a response, though not exactly the RSVP he wanted: Undertaker’s kayfabe brother (and current mayoral candidate, believe it or not) Kane, who answered Cena with a chokeslam.
This week on Monday Night Raw, Kane challenged Cena to a match in response to the disrespect towards his brother, and as a result Cena faced down The Big Red Machine. During the match, Cena continued to play with fire by mocking The Deadman’s infamous signature poses, including the iconic “throat slash.” Cena ultimately came out on top, pinning Kane for the victory.
But Cena wasn’t done. After the match, he made it explicitly clear that he is fed up with Undertaker’s silence and demanded answers, saying “You only have one week left, one week that sums up your entire career. You can do something, or you can do nothing.”
Rumors of Cena’s showdown with ‘Taker have circulated for months, starting in January prior to Raw’s 25th anniversary. While Undertaker made his first WWE appearance in 9 months during Raw 25, his speech was vague and did not clear up whether or not he had officially retired from competing. Complicating matters was his behavior after his loss to Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 33, where he left his jacket and hat in the ring as a possible goodbye to fans.
