Opinion: WrestleMania 36 Was One of the Most Important in History

One of the most discussed things in the world of sports today has been WrestleMania 36, which emanated from the WWE Performance Center over the past two nights. The company went on with their most important show of the year, despite having to relocate from Raymond James stadium in Tampa, due to the threat of the Coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the world.

While this was a controversial decision, not only do I think that it was the right one, I believe that WWE has stumbled upon something that will be looked at as a pivotal moment in the history of the industry.

In my opinion, WrestleMania 36 was one of the most important in history, and will forever change the history of professional wrestling, in a very positive way.

Now, that’s not to say that the show didn’t have its faults. The two major title matches were short and were basically squashes, but that’s all that you could really do in that situation. Matches like those need the crowd to feed off of and give the performers something to react to. However, both matches accomplished what they needed to and got the belts on to the performers that will be leading the company through the COVID-19 crisis.

There were some other great spots too. John Morrison continued to show why he’s still got it, with some amazing athletic moves in the triple threat ladder match. Kevin Owens jumping off of the WrestleMania sign through the table onto Seth Rollins.

Otis finally getting the girl and getting his kiss with Mandy Rose! Admit it, you loved that segment too.

However, the most talked-about and important matches from this weekend did not take place in the Performance Center. They were produced, shot and edited pieces of cinema that were nothing short of brilliant.

I, of course, am referring to the Boneyard Match between AJ Styles and The Undertaker and the Firefly Funhouse Match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt.

Both of these were absolutely brilliant in their own way.

Styles and Undertaker told the story of two guys settling their differences away from civilization, in what gave off the vibe of a final movie fight scene, where the good guy finally gets the bad guy. Because it is The Undertaker, there was just enough of a hint of the supernatural to give it that other-world experience, while still giving fans something to mark out over. Lighting the roof on fire and showing The Undertaker symbol after burying AJ Styles was absolutely awesome and I was so hyped up at home.

Cena and Bray Wyatt told a completely different story, but one that was just as entertaining. This production was all supernatural and featured incredible acting by both competitors. They each took subtle shots at each other and Cena relived his entire career; including both his professional and personal successes and failures. He really put himself out there, which is incredibly brave and he deserves a ton of credit for that.

The Firefly Funhouse match was not designed to be a wrestling match; it was designed to be a piece of cinema that gave the fans an opportunity to escape the reality of the difficult world that we are living in and be immersed in something that was captivating and entertaining as hell.

So, why is this so important for the history of wrestling? For a number of reasons.

One, it will finally give rise to a new style of wrestling matches; ones that Matt Hardy described as Cinematic Matches. Now, I give credit where credit is due; he did start these with the Broken Matches that he did in Impact Wrestling, and even in WWE with “The Ultimate Deletion”.

My twitter feed exploded.

Thanks for all the love, folks.. I’m truly honored. Cinematic matches 100% work with the right characters, scenario & fanbase – I envisioned them as a new branch of pro wrestling years ago.

Much like TLC did, The #BROKEN Universe will leave its mark.

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) April 5, 2020

However, WWE took it to a whole new level, with all of the right performers in unique situations. Both matches were incredible and will be talked about for many years to come.

Second, WrestleMania 36 also proved that professional wrestling will always be an outlet for people, whenever the world is in chaos.

Who would have thought that we would be living in a time when the NCAA Basketball Tournament, The Masters, Wimbledon and others would be either postponed or canceled altogether? No major sports are going on right now and the world needs some kind of entertainment and escape from the harsh realities of our world.

Both WWE and AEW are providing that on a weekly basis, and they are exactly what the world needs right now.

How will WrestleMania 36 be looked at in 10 or 20 years?  Who knows; you can’t predict the future. All I do know is that this event will go down as one of the most important in history, and for good reason. You can’t convince me otherwise.

What are your thoughts on WrestleMania 36? Leave us a comment below, or post a comment on our Facebook page! Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Follow @WrestleRumors