WWE: The Undertaker more than redeemed himself at WrestleMania 36

The Undertaker wanted to redeem himself at WWE WrestleMania 36 after a sour 2019 match against Goldberg, and he more than did that during his Boneyard Match with AJ Styles.

Before the Firefly Fun House match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt blew our collective minds on the second night of WrestleMania 36, WWE gave us a stellar cinematic Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles on the first night’s main event.

When Styles first challenged Taker to a Boneyard Match, wrestling fans were skeptical and immediately wondered just what the heck it was supposed to be. We soon found out, as WWE used the creative freedom of cinematic matches perfectly to give us something totally different than what we’re used to on their shows.

Cinematic matches have been utilized before by Lucha Underground, Matt Hardy, and other promotions, but there was something special about seeing The Undertaker and AJ Styles – two of the biggest names in wrestling history – star in one during the main event of WrestleMania.

More importantly for The Phenom, this match was a redemptive moment for an iconic wrestler who turned in some unfortunate performances recently.

On the first night of WrestleMania 36, ESPN’s Marc Raimondi tweeted that Kurt Angle told him The Undertaker was so disappointed with his match against Goldberg in Saudi Arabia that he wanted to “redeem himself” to fans. Angle told Taker that he should wrestle Styles, whom Angle faced in TNA, and that’s exactly what ended up happening.

Styles played his role perfectly as the arrogant heel who overlooked Taker due to his age, only to be met by a rude shock when The Phenom resurrected himself – as he tends to do – in the middle of the match when he seemed buried.

The Undertaker’s match with Goldberg in Saudi Arabia was indeed a disaster class that was moreso the fault of WWE for booking it in the first place, but you can absolutely understand why The Dead Man wanted to do everything he could to make up for what happened.

He did exactly that at WrestleMania, reminding fans for a half-hour why he’s a legend and why he still has something to offer to us as a performer despite all the years and injuries. Taker’s mind for the business, selling, and wrestling psychology are still excellent, and he and Styles used the cinematic format to create a masterpiece for the audience.

Taker more than redeemed himself with the Boneyard Match, and while Styles did play a role in it, The Phenom more than did enough to wash away the embarrassment of that doomed 2019 match with Goldberg.