The Undertaker was one of the many legends that WWE announced for the SmackDown Live Fox premiere, but fans were understandably disappointed when The Deadman didn't show up on television.

This was a historic event that featured the returns of many all-time greats, including The Rock, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Trish Strats and Lita. But The Undertaker - who was instrumental in building up the SmackDown brand during the 2000s - didn't appear on television.

WWE insider Brad Shepard reported that The Phenom "was backstage" during the show, but he he departed for reasons unknown. Well, Undertaker responded to a fan's question on Instagram and said that he was told that he "wasn't needed" that night.

More information will hopefully come out soon, but it's certainly hard to understand why WWE and/or Fox would decide not to use The Undertaker after he was brought out anyway. His presence makes every show that much better, and countless fans were thrilled about the idea of seeing him again.

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The Undertaker last appeared on the Sept. 10 episode of SmackDown Live, where he attacked Sami Zayn after being called out by the latter. Undertaker's last match took place at Extreme Rules, where he and Roman Reigns defeated Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre in a tag team bout.

It was reported back in August that The Undertaker is under a lifetime contract with WWE, so one would think that there isn't any backstage tension of any kind between he and Vince McMahon. That's why it's all the more baffling as to why Undertaker didn't end appear on the 20th Anniversary of SmackDown Live.

Missed Opportunities On SmackDown Fox Premiere 

Though the SmackDown premiere was full of action and entertaining promos, but it could have been even better if more legends appeared on television. Fans were hoping to see some special segments involving the returning WWE greats, but they were left disappointed in that regard.

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