The Undertaker returned to WWE’s showcase event, WrestleMania for a unique scored and filmed Boneyard match. Every year, WWE produces its Super Bowl equivalent show, WrestleMania. This year, WrestleMania 36 was supposed to happen in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing becoming an essential technique to combat the virus, the company could no longer produce their major show in front of a jam-packed stadium full of fans. Although, instead canceling the event, it was announced WrestleMania 36 would go on without an audience and in a new location, the WWE's training facility, the Performance Center. It was also decided to make it a two-night event, instead of one.
This year’s card for WWE’s ‘Show of shows’ was full of high profile names such as the returning Edge, Fast 9 star John Cena, and former WCW legend Bill Goldberg. Also on the card was the company’s longest-tenured star, The Undertaker. The wrestling legend and AJ Styles were going to do battle in what people thought would be a traditional wrestling match, but due to the unusual circumstances, WWE opted to put them in a Boneyard match fitting of The Undertaker’s 'Deadman' persona. Few knew what to expect from the match as it has never been done before in the WWE, but they knew it would be something different. Last night, in the main event of Part 1 of WrestleMania 36, the two superstars did indeed perform in something very different.
The Undertaker and AJ Styles match was the only match from last night’s show that did not take place inside the Performance Center with commentators and a referee. Instead, both Undertaker and AJ Styles were on a graveyard set for a match that was filmed and resembled an action scene from a film. It featured a score throughout, with great close-ups and a bird's eye shot of Undertaker entering on his motorcycle. WWE posted a short clip of the match to Twitter that you can check out below.
Never before has WWE ended its premiere show in such a way. As is evident by the match's setting, its constant change in camera angles, and even the constant dialogue between the two wrestlers, it felt like a mini film as opposed to a traditional WWE wrestling match. Also, in addition to the eerie horror movie score that plays during the match, Metallica’s “Now That We’re Dead” also played during The Undertaker’s entrance as he rode in on his motorcycle, reminiscent of his American Badass character from the early 2000s.
Despite being a somewhat surreal experience for fans, the first night of WrestleMania 36 has earned some great reviews, most notably for its epic, cinematic style conclusion featuring The Undertaker and AJ Styles, which has drawn comparisons to Evil Dead (and rightfully so). That style of production has not been in WWE since Woken Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt’s ‘Ultimate Deletion’ on RAW in 2018. The company showed their ability to reach deep into their bag of creative tricks with this Boneyard match, and with tonight’s Part 2 of WrestleMania featuring a similar concept with Bray Wyatt and John Cena competing in a Firefly Funhouse match, expectations will likely now be high after what fans witnessed last night.
Source: WWE/Twitter