Danranza
Apr 6, 2020
8/10
Undertaker vs AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match review:
When I say that pro wrestling is art I always mean it as a means of how it radiates such uniqueness that transcends sports and even film.
It is common knowledge that film is the form of art held to the highest standards and when something as niche and shunned out as pro wrestling can exceed the standards of film it's one hell of an experience.
For some context, AJ Styles had challenged The Undertaker to a match at Wrestlemania because he thinks that The Undertaker is now a shell of his former self, his mystique and aura are now more dead than him being the Deadman; he doesn't think someone like The Undertaker should be posting instagram selfies, making videos with his wife and other human qualities that The Undertaker is expected to not be associated with;AJ Styles even went as far as calling The Undertaker by his shoot name, "Mark",on live TV. Now taunts of this nature are the first of it's kind so it shows that it infuriates and gets on the nerves of The Undertaker but his method of retaliation was done by channeling those qualities because it's been demonstrated that that's the opponent AJ Styles is under the impression is more vulnerable so it's now The Undertaker, or Mark Callaways duty to prove AJ Styles wrong.
Now as I previously mentioned before, the boneyard match transcended both merits of sports and film and it did that by having a wrestling match in an arena where it does not happen inside of a wrestling ring or an arena at all. The setting of the Boneyard Match is in an outdoor graveyard and it is not the first time a pro wrestling match has occurred in this way. A long time ago, luchadore enmascarado El Santo would often step outside of the ring to star in films where he would square off against monstrous foes such as vampires, aliens, and werewolves but the action sequences of these films showcased El Santo using his arsenal of pro wrestling holds against such beasts for his definite victory. The cinematic pro wrestling of El Santo and many of his colleagues had inspired New Japan Pro Wrestling founder Antonio Inoki, who is one of the legends known to think out of the box to also wrestle out of the arena where he would have matches in open fields against Masa Saito, eventually this idea stuck with only so little brains in a very conservative Japan except for the famously outlandish promotion Dramatic Dream Team wrestling. But those El Santo movies had only touched the merits of film and those NJPW matches had remained within the confines of pro wrestling. The boneyard match definitely owes most to Matt Hardy's 2016 gimmick of the Broken Universe where his Hardy Family had owned an off map compound where many wrestling matches would happen all over the property but that was all the point of Matt Hardy's gimmick.
The quality of this boneyard match was entirely unexpected given the known classic wrestling styles of both The Undertaker and AJ Styles. AJ Styles is one of the most accomplished world champions ever who has a huge fanbase worldwide but his introduction where he fools the audience into thinking he's The Undertaker by entering in a hearse and casket garnered him lots of heel heat which I can imagine is not the easiest task for a wrestler as likable as him. As for The Undertaker he is a bit "old school" for a lot of modern audiences so his fanbase nowadays are mostly just those who know him by name instead of his actual body of work. The Undertaker comes into the graveyard on his motorcycle with his bandanna to the music of Metallica to put full emphasis on his return as The American Badass gimmick from WWE's Ruthless Agression Era. To some (including myself) this looked very corny or laughable because of a stereotype of old white men liking motorcycles and old rock music but this is definitely the first time Undertaker could be comfortable playing the character he's portrayed as through the camera lens. He's now Mark Callaway as AJ Styles arrogantly calls him, but with this title and gimmick he's under no restraint. With his freedom we see The Undertaker talk a heap of smack to AJ Styles as they battle it out in a dramatic battle where effects and music are used effectively so this battle can gain depth. It was structured as a feature film where three acts are present, channeled themes of horror and action but gave gothic moods with the eerie setting and satisfying ending.