In spite of everything, we’re still here. We’ve made it to the weekend. And WWE’s gonna go through with this. Regardless of what anyone might think, right or wrong, WrestleMania 36 is upon us. Among the many big matches for the double card, we will see the Undertaker take on AJ Styles in a Boneyard match. And man, is it ever a surreal thing to contemplate. The show itself moreso than the match, but yes, the match as well. We’re about to see WrestleMania play out over the span of two nights in front of an empty arena. We’re all in disarray. WWE is no different, no matter how much they might want to pretend that the outside world has no bearing on them.
It was only over the past year that I started writing about wrestling for a living. Suffice to say, I would not have guessed that the first WrestleMania I covered would be anything like this. Nevertheless… my name is Jordan Huie and I’m truly glad to have you here with us at the Overtimer. You can rest assured that we’ll be giving you the same coverage as always for WrestleMania. This year’s iteration, if nothing else, will be wholly different from any other. So with all that said… let’s get to the previews, as I have plenty left to write.
(Note: At the time of writing, WWE have not announced which matches will be airing on which day.)
Boneyard Match: AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker
So this is… a unique one, in quite a number of ways. In fact, let’s count the ways. #1. Well… it’s AJ Styles vs the Undertaker! Granted AJ’s had a lot of matches you never thought you’d see in his years with WWE but this one was high on the list. #2. It’s a feud that seemed to quietly mark the return of the American Badass, as the Undertaker has largely thrown away the theatrics and the spooky slow voice for this one. He’s also brought back his old bandanas and I wouldn’t be shocked to see the return of the motorcycle.
#3. It’s taken the form of a strange Russo-style worked shoot angle where AJ Styles repeatedly called Taker by his real name, Mark Calloway, brought up his age and deterioration, mocked him for coming back after his teased retirement and even brought up his wife, Michelle McCool. In turn, the Undertaker called AJ by his real name of Allen Jones and talked about how he was just mad McCool did the Styles Clash better than him and “got it over”.
And finally, #4… it’s a Boneyard match. Just like the Firefly Funhouse match, WWE have been very vague on what this means but from the moment AJ brought it up, I felt like I had a pretty good idea. The two of them will fight in a graveyard, which they’re calling a boneyard to be slightly more PG. And I’m guessing it also has either Casket Match or Buried Alive Match rules, judging by how frequently they’ve threatened to put each other in a grave.
The Undertaker doesn’t tend to lose big matches at this point and I feel like they wouldn’t see AJ as a guy that needs the rub anyway. But to be honest, after Taker buried him and basically this whole generation of stars this past Monday by claiming that AJ would never have succeeded in the Ruthless Aggression Era and could only become great after all of the best wrestlers retired, I kinda feel like AJ really should win. I mean given what he’s said about Taker, it’s kind of lose-lose in that department, neither man should be proven correct here. But I’d kinda rather bury the Undertaker than the entire rest of the roster on balance. It won’t happen though. The Undertaker and the aughts over.
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