A report from Cage Side Seats reveals that Vince McMahon of WWE offered Mark Calaway aka The Undertaker an opportunity to compete at this year's WWE SummerSlam event but the latter rejected the idea. The report points out that this is a strange occurrence given the good relationship between the Undertaker and McMahon.

According to a report from MNR Daily, the Undertaker and McMahon have had a strong relationship particularly due to the fact that the Undertaker is the longest-running veteran in the WWE, having started all the way back in 1990. While other wrestlers have come and gone, even big superstars such as Brock Lesnar, the Undertaker has remained the most loyal wrestler in the WWE.

It is also pointed out that the Undertaker's friendship with McMahon has given the former more control over his stage persona and storylines, even to the point where the Undertaker can dictate the results of his matches and whom he wants to fight during major WWE events such as Wrestlemania and SummerSlam.

There are speculations that this is all part of a new story where the Undertaker becomes a new heel or villain in the WWE and that Brock Lesnar will be marketed as the hero. Coinciding with this rumor is the announcement from WWE that Lesnar will indeed be competing at Summerslam after the WWE allowed him to compete in UFC 200.

Fans speculate that the reason for the Undertaker's decision to decline may be due to his age and his injuries and not because he is forging a new storyline. The Undertaker is 51 years old and has sustained multiple injuries over the years competing in the WWE. It is possible he is merely reducing the chances of suffering from further incidents.

WWE SummerSlam will be held on Aug. 21 at the Barclays Center in New York. This is where SummerSlam 2015 took place and is also set to be the venue for SummerSlam 2017.