WWE: The Boneyard Match was legendary, and we need more of these matches
WWE fans were perplexed when AJ Styles challenged The Undertaker to a Boneyard Match a few weeks ago, but after watching the main event of WrestleMania 36’s Night 1, we can only hope we get more of these in the future.
WWE WrestleMania 36 took place at the Performance Center, so the show’s pre-taped matches did not have an audience. While the crowdless matches on the first night of ‘Mania were solid enough, it was the main event between AJ Styles and The Undertaker that made a lasting impact.
A Boneyard Match, WWE fans were initially puzzled as to the nature of this stipulation match. But Styles, Taker, and WWE‘s excellent production team knocked this one out of the park.
Styles vs. Taker ended up being the best match of the show. The setting of the match in an abandoned field with a specific grave site and tombstone added so much, and WWE did a wonderful job of using The Undertaker’s ability to conjure fire and resurrect himself within this match. Taker’s powers can work in the wrestling ring, but they take on an added level of effectiveness in a match environment where special effects can work.
This match was special. The Undertaker showed even the most cynical fans, which can often include me, that he shouldn’t be retiring just yet. He put on an A-plus performance. And Styles was similarly exceptional, as this may have been his best showing in a couple of years.
Both men sold the hell out of the punishing nature of the match, and everything was laid-out perfectly.
WWE will have another one of these pre-taped matches occurring outside a ring setting when John Cena faces The Fiend, Bray Wyatt, on Night 2 of WrestleMania 36. That match should be just as incredible, given how creative Wyatt and Cena are and the extended history of their feud, which dates back to Wyatt’s transformative loss at WrestleMania 30.
It’s awesome that WWE decided to use Taker vs. Styles and Cena vs. Wyatt, which are perfect rivalries for these creative matches, to experiment with bouts that take place in settings beyond the ring and can have different kinds of story-telling. They clearly learned from their mistakes with the Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt “House of Horrors” match post-WrestleMania 33.
I hope WWE is encouraged by the incredible response to The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36 and takes this opportunity to do more of the same at future shows, whether it’s Raw, SmackDown, NXT, or even other Pay Per Views. We got to see another side of Styles in this Boneyard Match, and Taker turned back the clock, winning us all over again. Everything about this was done perfectly and played to the strengths of both performers, but there are so many other wrestlers who could benefit from this approach.
dark. Next. Where does Shayna Baszler go from here?
WWE can create more intriguing ways of telling stories after ‘Mania, using Styles vs. Taker as a blueprint. My colleague Raphael Garcia hinted at this possibility before ‘Mania if Taker vs. Styles and Wyatt vs. Cena prove to be successful. It’s safe to say the first of the two was a massive success and will be looked back fondly by wrestling fans. And it even leaves open plenty of future questions for both men in 2020.