John Cena is in the middle of a legendary troll campaign. Using ancient photos, crude illustrations, and spoofy imitations of The Undertaker, Cena is literally begging to get a reaction from the Deadman. And while his latest attempt may not reach Taker, it certainly had an effect on us.
Most fans only observe The Undertaker in WWE‘s lexicon—to think that he ever wrestled under the name Mark Calaway is a tough reality to swallow. So when John Cena posted a photo of Texas Red, a 1980’s WCCW version of The Undertaker, we couldn’t help but feel a little jarred. But even more unsettling is the blacked out masked that makes him look like a darker version of The Blob from Billy Madison.
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Cena has become uncharacteristically desperate in recent weeks trying to find an opponent for a match at WrestleMania 34. First, he tried to win the No. 1 contendership for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber but was pinned by Braun Strowman. Then he managed to insert himself into the WWE Championship six-pack challenge match at Fastlane but failed to wrench the championship away from A.J. Styles. Now as The Undertaker continues to play coy with his response, fans are left wondering if the dream match will in fact happen.
However, don’t let a coy Undertaker fool you, this match is happening. Rumors have Taker showing up at the final RAW before April 8th’s WrestleMania to officially accept Cena’s challenge. If that’s the case, then Cena has one more episode of RAW to mock Taker, something he’s clearly up for doing.
This version of Cena has been interesting to watch. Bouncing between wrestling’s version of an existential funk and impishly goading the Undertaker, Cena has flashed new layers of his character. Even more, Cena’s dares have had villainous notes and when WrestleMania gets here, Cena may be this story’s bad guy.
Photo: John Cena/Undertaker
