5 ways in which the Undertaker can shock the world at WWE SummerSlam 2017
The last anyone heard of The Undertaker, or indeed saw him, was at the end of WrestleMania 33, gingerly folding his wrestling gear and placing it in the middle of the ring.
For a man who always signified so much more with his actions than his words, those closing moments felt like a weary, broken goodbye.
He'd just been defeated for the second time at WrestleMania. But the writing had been on the wall for quite some time already.
As we held back the film of wetness welling up in our eyes and swallowed the painful lump in our throats, we had to grudgingly make peace with the possibility that we'll never see The Undertaker in a WWE ring again.
Only, probably hoodwinked by the poignancy of the moment, we forgot that you never say never in the WWE.
And sure enough, this happened.
In a report that later followed, Dave Meltzer also confirmed the veracity of this claim, even going as far as predicting that he may be involved with the pay-per-view in some way.
If that is indeed true, here are 5 possible ways in which that an Undertaker return scenario could play out and - in the process - shock the world at WWE SummerSlam.
#1 Formally announces his retirement
Nothing is set in stone in the WWE and even though WrestleMania 33 felt like the Undertaker's swansong, you really wouldn't be surprised if he wrestled again.
But should he?
Ever since Brock Lesnar broke his streak, The Undertaker has looked increasingly haggard in the ring each year. Photos of him clicked outside seem to suggest that he needs crutches to walk and that his knees just can't sustain the wear and tear anymore.
For his own sake at least, the Undertaker should seriously consider calling it a day. If he doesn't wrestle again, I -- for one -- won't complain at all.
But I do feel that a goodbye would be in order.
Instead of leaving fans to speculate about his status, given that the WWE didn't confirm his retirement either, it would be conducive for the man himself to address the fans.
Like Edge and Daniel Bryan did, the fans need an opportunity to listen to what Mark Calaway has to say and to thank him in person for the years of entertainment he's provided.
I think we owe him at least that much.