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I should also add that I watched Orton/Edge on my iPad, and there was so much grunting and panting, my wife thought I was watching porn. She just couldn’t figure out how the guy constantly counting to 10 figured in.

With the exception of like one person, this board is not exactly known for giving WWE the benefit of a doubt. And we’ve all pretty much spent the better part of the last month shitting on their feckless attempts to put on entertaining shows in the midst of this pandemic. I think maybe the people saying they really liked it just really liked it.

Or, people just like different things and their tastes dont need to be insulted? ?

Um I guess I'll be the guy. I didn't love The Boneyard Match because of lowered expectations or because "dumb fun" or any of these other reasons. I loved it because it was fucking great. No qualifiers.

I'd have liked a Taker shooting star press that was mostly a combination of wires and intersped clips of Lesnar's from Mania 19

Me: So are you a grizzled biker who had a successful wrestling career because you played mind games with your opponents using smoke and mirrors, or do you actually have supernatural powers? Taker: Yes.

Boy wait until Wrestlemania 40 when Cole vs Gargano vs Ciampa goes 75 minutes on the first fall

I loved the Boneyard Match and thought it was great. I agree with @MORELOCK about the music though. As awesome as it was, we will probably be stuck with shitty Limp Bizkit or Kid Rock as overdubs. -- (edit) Oh god...

If a groggy AJ said "Sara?" when Taker asked him what his wife's name was, I might have gone 11 stars. If the funhouse has a team America puppet fight, my pants might explode

I'd rather see them chasing each other in the old WM ring carts.

So much sleaze in one picture

That LMS went on for 6 years. The best things about the FFH was "Obsession" and Vince puppet saying it was "such good shit".

Y'know, since Vince didn't bother to try and explain why Roman was suddenly off the show and Braun was his replacement in a world title match, I kinda wish they had just leaned into it and pretended Roman was still in the match. Just announce Braun as "Roman Reigns", have him come out dressed in Roman's gear, and instruct Cole to no-sell the idea that the dude wrestling Goldberg was not Roman Reigns. Can Braun do a passable spear? If not, do a quick edit of Edge spearing Goldberg while wearing a black wig, then cut back to Braun.

I think 2 key things played into the success of the Boneyard match: 1. The sheer competence of the production. From the staging to the blocking to the lighting to the editing, you name it...It was very easy to follow the who/what/when/where/why of what was going on. It was simple to track the logic of the action as they moved around the set. That sounds really minor, but shit falls apart when you don’t have it, and most wrestling angles shot like this don’t. Good mise-en-scene is essential to telling a good visual story, and (by wrestling standards) this was very good. 2. They structured the match the same way they would have if they were in the ring. Taker got the shine right off the bat, AJ cut him off and gets heat, Taker makes a comeback, heel chicanery ensues, etc. All building toward a big spot that takes you to the finish. Just a really solid foundation that let both guys’ characters shine through. There was a world of difference between this and the House of Horrors match, which was basically Randy stumbling from room to room being attacked by Bray repeatedly with little rhyme or reason, while being filmed and edited by someone doing a bad Rob Zombie impression.

I loved every single second of that show. It was so much fun. Also, you really got to see a lot of artistry in how the performers were all adjusting in their own way to the new setting. I think it also showed in a lot of ways how the WWE live audience can be totally worthless. So many times it just takes away from the show instead of adding on to the show. Having no audience really just let everyone lean into what they wanted to do the most. Kabuki Warriors vs. Nikki/Bliss was great since the KWs and Nikki just did their usually shtick. That actually make a lot of sense to their characters since they're all off to various degrees. Corbin vs. Elias was the most "whatever" match to me but Corbin's a really good heel. He's the one guy I think all night who clearly works better in front of a live audience since he does not care about being a heel at all. Bryan vs. The Great Liberator was so enjoyable. You an tell those guys had a great time putting it together. Sami's new act is pretty brilliant, if you asked me. There's no way I would have ever thought he'd be an excellent wormy cheapshot heel after his outstanding run as a babyface in NXT. But he's found a way to be uniquely irritating but still entertaining. Rollins vs. KO was my favorite match (non-Boneyard division) of the night. I don't hate Rollins at all. He's especially good as a grating self-absorbed heel. I think this felt like a really great comic book fight since it was so heavy on dialogue. Both guys really know how to use their voice during matches in front of live audiences better than anyone else. One of the more stand-out moment last decade was when Rollins left his brothers in the rematch against The Wyatts on that one Raw and said "YOU NEED TO WORK THIS OUT!" and the like. KO is also really great at talking in matches and making himself heard. They both really leaned into that so much. Rollins saying stuff like "YOUR MOUTH ALWAYS GOT YOU IN TROUBLE KEV" and the like was really good. But KO screaming "HOW'S THIS FOR A WRESTLEMANIA MOMENT?" before his huge dive was a really great iconic moment. Becky vs. Shayna was super snug and felt like a real fight. It was the same thing they did in NXT where Shayna lost the women's belt and went off by saying "I wasn't beat. I lost. And you'll never understand the difference." It's a great way to continue the feud some more since Becky's clever way to pin Shayna wasn't a decisive tap-out win. I'm hoping they get into a submission vs. submission match. The ladder match was a fun spectacle. Kofi's one of the all-time great in any setting they put him in. That hurricanrana spot was mindboggling. I also loved the "I KNOW YOU GOT HEART!" before laying in a boot into whatever Uso that was. My only problem with the match is JoMo. He's such a fun and singularly unique wrestler with his parkour stuff. But wow does he not do anything fun character wise. But that was a great car wreck. I will fess up to not paying attention to Braun/Goldberg. The Boneyard Match was just everything I (and a lot of other people I've talked with) need wrestling to be at this really horrible point of time for people. This is such a fucking stressful moment for a lot of people -- myself included. But having something that was just pure, unadulterated fun and silliness was a perfect read on what to do. Great commitment from everyone around and buying into the magic tricks. A+ all around and a really great distraction from what we're all enduring.

Damn, y'all, were your expectations low enough? "The best possible use of Taker" if he has to be there is this, I guess, but the best possible use of Taker is sending him home and never having him work a match again. I'll go ahead and say again that the biggest problem in WWE is the amount of video packages, replays, and absurdly long intros and exits. They waste SO much of their time. Literally nothing happens quickly in WWE, and it's so fucking boring. The opportunity cost of having that much filler in every single show is very high. Also - licensing music is awesome, and it's a great way to add to bigger shows - right up until the time they dub it over for replays on the Network. If you want to use them, that's great. PAY for them. If you're just going to overdub them later, don't use them in the first place.

My low-key highlight of the night was JBL and Cole talking about Sami never shutting up “in and out of the ring” transitioning into JBL giggling like a little girl as Bryan beat the ever loving crap out of Sami. Boneyard Match - 666 stars.

If that's where they went with the Boneyard Match, I'm hoping for a full-on "Fear and Loathing" acid trip for the Firefly Funhouse match tomorrow. Maybe Cena and the Fiend turning into puppets like something out of an episode of The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I wonder if they can top it.

We could finally get a filmed version of he and Big Show riding motorcycles through Death Valley.

They have a network and a studio. I don’t know why they can’t make cheap TV shows with retired stars. I’d like an old school syndicated show where Taker rides from town to town righting wrongs before revealing his Deadman powers when he’s in a jam and then moving on (cue sad Hulk theme.)

Guess I'm in the small minority that thought the AJ Styles-Undertaker match was stupid. I hate the SyFy channel's original bad movies. Didn't like this. Final Deletion was fun once. I wanted AJ Styles vs Undertaker and if they can't do that then don't. Owens-Rollins was motn. Fun brawl, good trash talking. Thought the show picked up after the first hour.

The best final shot of Raw before WM.

Loved the Firefly Funhouse Stuff. And surely with every other Wyatt feud ending with a heel or face turn, Cena as the first challenger for Drew or Braun could be kinda fun. Really liked the opening match. The LMS was a great way of reconsidering how long self-isolation really is.

Wish that whole Cena segmented ended with John Cena in a karate gi and Freddy Kruegar slicing him to ribbons. Bayley is the best.

I thought you wanted a passable spear.

I felt The Boneyard Match was produced A LOT better than those previous Wyatt segments with Orton and New Day. The cinematography last night was a lot better, you could actually see what was going on and the score was good too. Plus, you had two characters that play their roles perfectly. I don't think it works as well if it's not Undertaker vs. AJ Styles. It played to both of their strengths as characters and ended up playing out like a cross between horror and an old western where a grizzly old bastard saves the town from the obnoxious young gun.

I can see watching stuff for distraction. That being said... There is tons of good Wrestling on the Internet. There are loads of good movies aswell. Even many good "bad movies" I'd say. The segment seemed bad as wrestling, bad as a good movie and bad as a bad movie. It was like the next step (down) from the "cinematic" Taker vs HHH WrestleMania Hell in a Cell, which is one of my least favourite high profile matches ever. Yeah, if this is the best use for Taker these days, his best use is not to be used at all.

Loved Seth's gear and look and was happy that him and KO worked a really snug match. That was probably my favorite "match" on the show, but that boneyard match was awesome if just for the constant shit talking. I was laughing my ass off at the end with Taker all like, "it's ok AJ! I ain't gonna bury you! You fought a hell of a fight!" - *big boot* So much shit talking. Bikertaker is my favorite version and I was happy to finally get him back. Close second is Shootfighttaker. I loved this. In fact, a lot of people made the most out of the fact that you'll hear everything. Seth gasping for air and earlier doing a villain monologue, KO talking shit, everyone talking shit. Like, well done wrestlers. You leaned in to us being able to hear everything. I never want Bikertaker to leave and want him around more often for more of this shit. This is the version that should have been there for years. I think the Deadman gimmick is dumb post-HBK matches. And yeah, the only thing that sucked was the entrance music. I'd rather have American Bad Ass playing, but I'd settle for Rollin or Dead Man Walkin. If Borash was the one responsible for this, give him all the fucking money and a job for life.

They should present matches in the style of old NFL Films videos. Not as full matches, just tell the story like they did with games. Slowed down a bit, cool music, and get one of the legends to do voiceovers.

I think most people would recognize him better with a shaved head and a tank top.

Can’t unsee it.

“Everyone knew the murder case was bullshit. It was the animal rights people and the government going after him for visiting my park. They even had to add that pyrokinesis charge for setting that dilapidated barn on fire to make the murder charges stick. But I’m not going to talk about all that because it starts here and ends with, ‘Oh, you’re a cult leader who keeps a harem of women in stalls.’ I’m not stupid. Not going there.”

I fail to grasp how the Boneyard Match doesn't get the same Feedback as the House of Horrors shit got. And I'm not even trolling.

I of course agree. I'm just trying to find the silver linings in it for the talents for who I really feel sorry they lost their moment. To go along with that theme: Shayna Baszler is pushing 40 and may not get this stage again. In the grand scheme of this crisis, that means nothing. But as a wrestling fan and a fan of her work, this sucks.

I don't know if it's a perfect sendoff for Undertaker or if I'd like an Undertaker Cinematic Universe.

Seriously Undertaker is the greatest at talking shit when you beating someone up. I mean thinks like "Come on go out like a man" would have me pissing my pants

Anyone that shits on that Boneyard match needs to be kicked off the fucking board Okay sorry I have been drinking heavy tonight. But seriously if you hate that match fuck you go watch EVOLVE or some shit