The Undertaker appears and other takeaways from Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania

The Dead Man highlighted a night of surprises, as is the case for the Monday Night Raw following WrestleMania.

The night after WrestleMania, the event’s city continues playing host to the WWE, with Monday bringing Monday Night Raw and Tuesday, SmackDown Live. This year’s Raw after WrestleMania, haling from Brooklyn’s Barclays center featured a number of debuts and surprises as is customary for the show.

None was more surprising or exciting than the appearance of The Undertaker. The Undertaker did not show up nor have a match at WrestleMania 35, the first time since 2000 we’ve been without the Dead Man at the Showcase of the Immortals. But he did make an appearance on Raw, as the latest interruptor to Elias’ performance, something telegraphed by Elias claiming that anyone who interrupts him would have “hell to pay,” and, in the ring, claiming that “anyone who dares interrupt me is a dead man.”

And the familiar gong struck.

Elias began to exit the ring but instead ultimately decided to take on ‘Taker. Needless to say, it didn’t go well, with Elias taking a Chokeslam to Hell and finally, a Tombstone.

That, of course, wasn’t the only development as the WWE kicked off its “new year.” Lars Sullivan made his long-awaited main roster debut by attacking Kurt Angle while the legend was making his goodbyes following his farewell match loss to Baron Corbin at WrestleMania. Alexa Bliss returned in to in-ring competition, defeating Bayley. Lacey Evans did more than just walk up and down the ramp, instead interrupting the celebration of double Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and getting into a brawl with “Becky Two-Belts.”

Dean Ambrose also took part in his final match with WWE (with his contract set to expire this month). The match, against Bobby Lashley, never got officially underway, as Lashley made an insulting comment about Ambrose’s wife, Raw commentator Renee Young. Lashley got the upper hand in the beatdown, leaving our last image of Ambrose on WWE television being his body slumped over the announce table.

But as Ambrose’s WWE door closes, Sami Zayn’s has re-opened. Zayn returned from last summer’s double-shoulder surgery on Monday night and faced Finn Balor for Balor’s Intercontinental Championship. After Zayn’s loss, he then cut a promo blaming the WWE fans for the company’s “toxic environment,” and promising to hold the fans accountable for their cruel criticisms. It was intended to signal a heel turn, and it will likely take hold in time, but in front of the post-Mania crowd, there was little chance of Zayn not being revered a hero.

The tag team of Bobby Roode and Chad Gable also turned heel, a slight surprise given everyone had expected that Roode alone would turn heel against Gable, setting up a feud. Instead, they were sore losers following their defeat by Ricochet and Aleister Black. This move suits Roode perfectly; as a babyface, there was not a lot for Roode to work with beyond his “Glorious” entrance theme. Heelishness is Roode’s natural state, and this turn should result in more television time and better storylines going forward.

Oh, and Bray Wyatt apparently either has (or … is?) a buzzard puppet wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

But perhaps the most bizarre move of the night are the events which bookended Raw. At the top of the show, newly-crowned Universal Champion Seth Rollins alighted the ring to celebrate. The celebration brought out The New Day, who have celebration on their mind as well given Kofi Kingston’s defeat of Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.

It was a good-natured meeting of the champions (and, in Kingston’s case, their best friends) and in the sprit of competition, the two decided to take each other on (without the accompaniment of Big E and Xavier Woods for Kingston or Ambrose and Roman Reigns for Rollins), with the winner taking all. Yes, Rollins and Kingston put both titles on the line, a la the stipulation for WrestleMania’s main event between (then-) Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, (then-) SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and Lynch.

The match began, but was quickly interrupted by The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus), causing a disqualification. Kingston and Rollins then decided to team up, and the match restarted as a tag affair, with Rollins ultimately getting the pin on Cesaro following a Stomp.

It’s a curious series of decisions, from the initial “winner-take-all” conceit to the disqualification ending, to the choice of The Bar being the ones who caused it. Perhaps this will be clarified on Tuesday’s SmackDown (where a celebration of Kingston’s championship win is set to take place) or during next week’s Superstar Shakeup; maybe Cesaro and Sheamus will be broken up, with both men going after their respective brand’s top championship?

Either way, the surprises are set to continue as WWE wraps up its week in the New York metro area with SmackDown at the Barclays on Tuesday night.