Opinion: The Fiend should face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36
Ever since the Universal Championship was sent over to SmackDown, things have been better for the title. Not only has the color change to blue legitimized the title's appearance, but being paired with Bray Wyatt, the hottest Superstar at the moment, has lead to the so-called 'cursed' championship becoming the most intriguing thing going on atSmackDown.
The first feud for the Universal title on the Blue brand was the Universal Champion defending his title against Daniel Bryan, with The Miz's involvement only making things better. Though this feud can go all the way till WrestleMania 36, I believe that WWE will end this feud by Royal Rumble, the reason being that Roman Reigns is the current favorite to win the 2020 Royal Rumble and challenge the Fiend for his title.
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So, The Fiend v/s Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36?
Well, all the things currently point towards this feud. Both men are the faces of not only SmackDown but WWE as a whole. With this being the first WrestleMania of WWE after their association with FOX, Vince and co. are sure to put their best foot forward. But, in my opinion, WWE should go with a WrestleMania 31 rematch between Bray Wyatt and The Undertaker. I want to thank WrestleFanEnt for their inputs on this topic. Even Dolph Ziggler reached out to them!
Why Reigns and The Fiend shouldn't square off at WrestleMania 36 is a question that has been answered by me in another article which you can read here, so I won't bore you by repeating those points here.
As has been talked about by my colleague Divesh Merani in his piece, The Undertaker vs The Fiend screams WrestleMania's main event. As unfortunate it is, we all know that The Phenom is way past his prime and has not only missed WrestleMania this year, but also Crown Jewel as well. He has been in a lot of out-of-character interviews recently too. All these facts indicate a possible retirement for The Deadman.
With Taker not having a lot of matches left in him, it will be a wise decision to capitalize on The Fiend's momentum and have The Deadman put him over on the Grandest Stage Of Them All. A match of this caliber will surely add to the prestige of the title, thus making it the best possible option for this year's WrestleMania.
Both WrestleMania and The Undertaker define each other, and thus it will be a better decision to have this match take place on the Showcase of Immortals than at a Saudi PPV or later on in the year. WWE can surprise everyone with The Phenom entering the Royal Rumble at No. 30 and last eliminating Roman Reigns to book his match with The Fiend.
It goes without saying that a faceoff between The Undertaker and The Fiend is a big money match and can sell out WrestleMania.
It also provides the fans with some intriguing television during the Mania season, which will bring in more viewers to the product. From what we know about The Fiend till now, one thing is clear: he never forgets.
When these two men battled it out at WrestleMania 31, fans thought that Wyatt winning was a sure thing. However, this did not happen, and this was a big step in the decline of the previous persona of Wyatt.
Five years after that incident, Wyatt (through the Fun House Wyatt) can call out The Undertaker once again, to avenge what The Deadman did to him. Similar to the WrestleMania 34 build-up, Taker should not show up, until the go-home show or at the event itself.
With Wyatt now being WWE's new face of fear for all practical purposes and Taker inching closer towards his retirement, it is a sure thing that The Phenom will put over Wyatt in what will be an absolutely classic feud.
The Fiend may even adopt the Tombstone Piledriver or the Chokeslam from The Undertaker's arsenal. A WrestleMania main event will be the perfect way for The Phenom to ride off into the sunset. Their previous feud, except for the outcome, was a huge success. With Wyatt reaching a whole new level as The Fiend, things will only be better this time.
Though The Undertaker has deserved it, it will not be an intelligent booking decision on WWE's part to give nostalgia the edge over a gimmick on which they have invested so many resources and screentime.
Taker's reign as the champion will be quite similar to Brock Lesnar's run in the last few years, which has been loathed by the fans. Not only will this tarnish Taker's legacy but will also lead to a decline the product quality. Thus, WWE should book The Fiend to defeat and retire The Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania 36, in my opinion.