Undertaker Super ShowDown Rumor, Edge Return Date, Rusev's WWE Status

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

Undertaker Reportedly Traveling to Saudi Arabia

The Undertaker is not booked for a match at Super ShowDown on Thursday, but he will reportedly be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the event.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Raj Giri), The Undertaker will join the WWE crew on the trip to Saudi Arabia, and it is likely that he will have some kind of interaction with AJ Styles at Super ShowDown.

Styles is part of the Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet match and Meltzer previously reported that Styles and The Undertaker are set to face off at WrestleMania in April.

The Phenomenal One and the rest of The OC attacked Aleister Black on Monday's episode of Raw, which led to speculation that Styles vs. Black could be a WrestleMania match instead.

If WWE wants both The Undertaker and Black to be involved with Styles, perhaps booking a handicap match pitting Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson against The Undertaker and Black at WrestleMania is an option.

That would allow Styles and Black to do much of the heavy lifting with The Undertaker simply getting his big spots in. It would also be a huge spot for Black, who has yet to be elevated to the top of the card on the main roster.

The Undertaker has not competed since the summer of 2019 when he beat Goldberg at Super ShowDown in June and then teamed with Roman Reigns to beat Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon at Extreme Rules in July.

Given how good The Phenom looked in that tag team match with more people involved to take the pressure off of him, going back to that well would likely be a smart move on the creative team's part.

Edge's Raw Return Date Set

WWE Hall of Famer Edge is reportedly scheduled to return to Monday Night Raw on March 9, which is the night after Elimination Chamber.

According to WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton, Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., is advertising Edge for the show.

After nearly nine years in retirement due to what was believed to be a career-ending neck injury, The Rated-R Superstar made his shocking return in the Royal Rumble match last month. During the match, he and former tag team partner Randy Orton joined forces until Edge eventually eliminated him.

Edge cut a heartfelt promo the next night on Raw, which Orton interrupted. It seemed as though a reunion was about to happen, but The Viper double-crossed Edge and took him out with a vicious conchairto.

While Edge has not been seen since the attack, Orton has kept the storyline going by destroying Matt Hardy in similar fashion. It figures to take another step next week as well since WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix is advertised for Raw to provide an injury update on Edge, who is her husband.

Assuming Orton gets involved and perhaps even gets physical with Phoenix, it would be the perfect way to set the stage for Edge's triumphant return the following week.

Edge vs. Orton at WrestleMania seems like a sure bet, and returning on the March 9 edition of Raw would give them a little less than a month to finalize the build for their match.

Fans have long hoped for Edge's return, and it appears that all the pieces are in place for The Ultimate Opportunist to come back in a big spot.

Why Rusev Was Removed from Super ShowDown

There are reportedly differing reasons being given for Rusev being pulled from Thursday's WWE Super ShowDown card in Saudi Arabia.

According to Meltzer (h/t Giri), it has been said within WWE that Rusev is injured, but Meltzer noted that Rusev "essentially backed out of the show."

The Bulgarian Brute had been scheduled to be part of the Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet match along with Styles, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, R-Truth and Andrade, but he has been replaced by Rey Mysterio.

Meltzer previously reported that Rusev was in the midst of a contract dispute with WWE, but that seemed to end when he teamed with Humberto Carrillo against Lashley and Angel Garza on the Feb. 17 episode of Raw.

Rusev had been part of a long-running angle that was featured heavily on Raw with Lana divorcing him and marrying Lashley. While Rusev had his moments, he came out on the losing end of essentially every match during the feud.

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that Lana, who is Rusev's real-life wife, signed a new five-year contract with WWE in November. Satin noted at the time that Rusev was negotiating, but there have been no updates regarding his contract status.

It is unclear if Rusev's absence from the Super ShowDown card has anything to do with his contract situation, but given the way he has been booked lately, it is unlikely that he was under consideration to win the Tuwaiq Trophy.

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