The Undertaker is set to return to WWE on next week's episode of SmackDown Live at Madison Square Garden, and it'll mark his first appearance since the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

Undertaker isn't the only legend slated to return next week. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin will be making an appearance on next week's episode of Monday Night Raw - which also takes place at MSG.

There are currently no plans for Undertaker to wrestle at next weekend's Clash of Champions pay-per-view, and it's unclear when he will compete again. So why is WWE bringing back The Deadman if he doesn't have a match in the near future?

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ringside News), WWE brought back Undertaker "because they hoped that he would help sell tickets" for SmackDown, believing that the show "would need help." WWE also thought Raw "would be an easy sell-out," but that hasn't been the case.

If you take a quick look on Ticketmaster, you'll notice that there are still bundles of tickets available for the show. Just last week, Mike Johnson of PW Insider Elite reported that the Raw show was only "half sold out," and they brought Austin back for the purpose of helping them sell more tickets.

Related: Stone Cold Will Act As Moderator For Rollins vs Strowman Contract Signing

via WWE

Not only is WWE having problems selling tickets for Raw at MSG next week, but the Sept. 23 and 24 episodes of Raw and SmackDown, respectively, have also seen low ticket sales up to this point.

WWE is doing everything they can to enhance their ratings right now, and they hope the return of some all-time wrestling greats can be a solution. The July 22 Raw reunion special was obviously a ploy for improving the brand's ratings, which has been an issue for much of 2019.

Can Austin And Undertaker Help Ticket Sales?

WWE fans never get sick of seeing their favorite legends return, even if it's in a non-wrestling capacity. Austin and Undertaker can only do so much in enhancing ticket sales, since they're not wrestling here. But they'll undoubtedly help improve the ratings for next week, and it promises to be a special treat when both icons return.

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