The Undertaker
In this picture, The Undertaker vies with Shawn Michaels during a tag team match as part of World Wrestling Entertainment Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Nov. 2, 2018. FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

As the euphoria of WrestleMania 35 reaches a crescendo, questions still remain about the possibility of The Undertaker – real name Mark Calaway – making an appearance with talks escalating after a recent appearance. This week saw the last airing of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live before World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) flagship pay-per-view.

The buildup to WrestleMania continued during the two televised events with main event contenders Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch getting into an all-out brawl, which required police interference while Seth Rollins also left Universal champion Brock Lesnar writhing inside the squared circle after a low blow and curb stomp.

The triple-threat for both the Raw and SmackDown women’s titles between the three women’s division stars and the Rollins vs. Lesnar match for the Universal championship are the two biggest draws of the event. The clash between WWE legends Triple H and Batista coming a close third in terms of popularity.

The possibility of The Undertaker making an appearance at WrestleMania has been spoken about in the months leading up to the event. There were talks that he has retired, which was refuted but there is no match scheduled for the "dead man"’ at the moment and it will be the first time he has missed the event since 2000.

Vince McMahon, the WWE chairman, is said to be keen to include him in the show and according to eWrestling News, The Undertaker was backstage at SmackDown Live on Tuesday. The report claims that Undertaker normally does not make an appearance unless there is a plan, which could indicate a possible role at WrestleMania.

Meanwhile, rumors about The Undertaker’s potential appearance at the Starrcast event in May has been dispelled by Conrad Thompson, the promoter of the wrestling fan convention. The event is happening on the same weekend All Elite Wrestling's (AEW), the newly formed wrestling promotion, first show "Double or Nothing" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Thompson confirmed that there will be no stage show involving Undertaker. He confirmed that extensive talks were held with the WWE superstar’s management team but their demands finally ensured that it was not possible to bring it to fruition.

WWE CEO McMahon will be relieved after multiple reports indicated that he was disgruntled at The Undertaker for taking part in an event that has close connections with rival promotion AEW. While questions continue to arise about The Undertaker’s WrestleMania participation, one thing that is certain is he will be part of WWE’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia in May.

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