2015 has been an interesting year in the WWE when it comes to one of their most decorated and well-known performers, the Undertaker. In recent years, WWE has limited not only the Undertaker’s live appearances but also his in-ring matches, which have been almost exclusively reserved for WrestleMania.
But this year ‘The Phenom’ has not only made more live appearances for the WWE but has also competed in more matches than he has in recent years. His feud with Brock Lesnar over the past several months has produced three matches; one at WrestleMania 31, one at Summerslam and the last on at Hell in A Cell. And while fans may be content with Taker’s trilogy of matches in 2015, they should be prepared for even more.
WWE is heavily marketing the 25th Anniversary of the Undertaker’s debut at Survivor Series. It was at the 1990 edition of Survivor Series where ‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase introduced his mystery partner. That partner, led to the ring by Brother Love, was the Undertaker, who put on an impressive display of dominance and also showed the pro-wrestling industry a new character that had not been see before.
Fast Forward to 2015 and the WWE is now preparing for the conclusion of the Undertaker’s legendary career. Like squeezing the last bits out of a toothpaste container, WWE is squeezing the last out of the Undertaker’s storied career and it appears he will have at least a few more matches before officially riding off into the sunset.
As I mentioned in my previous article, WWE has laid the foundation for a Survivor Series showdown between Undertaker, Kane and additional partners (one likely to be Sting) to square off against the Wyatt Family in a traditional, Survivor Series 8-man tag-team match.
But the celebration of the Undertaker is not only a respectful sendoff, but is also big business for the WWE who has already had a strong 2015 financially.
Earlier today, WWE announced the company’s Q3 2015 financial results which showcased a strong third-quarter. Some of the highlights include:
Net income for the quarter was $10.4 million, compared to a net loss of $5.9 million for Q3 2014
WWE Network had 1,233,000 paid subscribers at the end of Q3 2015, and averaged approximately 1,173,000 paid subscribers during the quarter, representing a 62% increase from Q3 2014.
Which adds weight to the idea that WWE is going to milk the Undertaker’s 25th anniversary for every bit it can. WWE recently announced The Undertaker for the November 10th WWE SmackDown television taping from Manchester, England and it’s likely there will be a few more shows booked for Taker in between his matches on PPV and appearances on RAW.
WWE is likely to be building to an epic sendoff at WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, Texas where the Undertaker can have one final match and end his career in his home state. With WWE planning to set attendance records and viewership records, executing a proper plan for the “swan song” for the Phenom means big money and “can’t miss” TV for the WWE Network.
Per the WWE’s financial report, they have already financially benefited from events that Taker has been involved in, such as Summerslam and that trend is likely to continue.
As of right now, it appears the plans for that last match will be the long-awaited “dream match” between the Undertaker and Sting and is likely to be the final match for both men’s careers. It is also possible that he could be inducted in 2015 to the WWE Hall of Fame, much like Ric Flair was inducted the night before his last match in WWE.
Expect WWE to ride the wave of the 25th Anniversary of the Undertaker all the way to an epic conclusion at their biggest annual event and expect the sendoff to be like nothing fans have seen before.
It appears to be the end of the road for the Undertaker and his legendary career and that means big money for the WWE.
:
