Vince McMahon: WWE Planning More Cinematic Matches Similar to WrestleMania

Building on the success generated by WrestleMania, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon confirmed Thursday during an earnings call the company will stage more pre-taped cinematic matches, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin.

The first night of WrestleMania ended with The Undertaker beating AJ Styles in a Boneyard Match, while the second night featured a Firefly Fun House Match between John Cena and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.

Heading into the show, fans were cautiously optimistic when it became clear the Boneyard and Firefly Fun House Matches were deviating from the typical script.

The House of Horrors Match at Payback 2017 was a failure, but Matt Hardy's Ultimate Deletion in 2018 was well-received at the time.

WrestleMania exceeded expectations as the cinematic encounters were two of the best matches on the pay-per-view. They also succeeded in delivering two contrasting experiences.

The Boneyard Match was ripped from the climax of an action movie, while the Firefly Fun House Match was far more cerebral and required a wider understanding of Cena and Wyatt's shared history in the ring.

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to keep WWE events behind closed doors, carrying the idea over to future PPVs makes sense. Since fans can't attend shows, the need to keep every match confined to the ring isn't there.

It's also a way to delve deeper into unique characters such as The Fiend or The Undertaker.

The only worry from here is that the promotion relies on the approach so much the novelty begins wearing off, providing steadily diminishing returns with each new edition.