WWE viewers were treated to an appearance by zombies at WrestleMania Backlash in honor of Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead. The film combines the heist and zombie genres in an entertaining mashup, following Dave Bautista's Scott Ward as the leader of a mercenary group. Army of the Dead also stars Ella Purnell, Tig Notaro, Ana de la Reguera, and several others. For Snyder, it comes on the heels of his Justice League cut, which debuted on HBO Max in March of this year.

Army of the Dead released in select theaters on May 14, so some have already had a chance to check the movie out. It's been praised for its cast and action elements, but has faced criticism for not quite nailing either the heist or zombie elements, despite its best efforts. Still, the general reception to the film will become clearer once it releases on Netflix May 21. At that time, a wider audience, including those not quite ready to return to theaters, will be able to finally see it.

Related: Army of the Dead: Zombie Apocalypse Backstory and Heist Timeline Explained

Ahead of Army of the Dead's streaming debut, the WrestleMania Backlash event provided the perfect opportunity to promote the film. WWE star Bautista returned to provide the introduction to the event, which included some snippets of Army of the Dead. From there, John Morrison came across some zombies he tried to tell The Miz about before they entered the ring. Though Miz didn't take him seriously, he soon encountered the zombies himself. Check out the entertaining videos from WWE (via Bloody Disgusting) below:

Considering Bautista's connection to the WWE, this is pretty genius promotion for Army of the Dead. It ensures any wrestling fans who like the actor are now aware of his upcoming project if they weren't already. It's also just fun to see WrestleMania Backlash take such a wild turn, especially since everyone involved is clearly giving it their all in the videos.

Hopefully, this bit of Army of the Dead promotion encourages more people to check the movie out when it releases on Netflix. It will be interesting to see if the reception to the film changes as more see it, or if others will merely confirm the general consensus so far. With Netflix already in the midst of turning Army of the Dead into a full fledged franchise with a prequel movie and animated series on the way, the streamer is likely hoping the extra promotion at WrestleMania Backlash encourages more people to watch the film when it releases.

More: Does Army Of The Dead Have A Post-Credits Scene?

Source: WWE (via Bloody Disgusting)

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