10 Ways To Make WWE WrestleMania 36 NOT Totally Weird
3. Accentuate The Positives
In a wonky, half-endearing way, some of this is working. It might be collective bargaining, the wild novelty, the sheer "At least it's something" force of will, but across those two SmackDown and RAW shows, this isn't a complete, sad failure.
There's a certain charm - and it will grow old - but there's a certain charm, nonetheless.
Asuka's incendiary performance at the commentary booth was so captivating that she developed a sense of immersion. She should guest commentate, again, mocked up in an old garish WWF-badge suit jacket for a visual gag. That isn't a joke; WWE should ramp up the visual Easter eggs and callbacks, using every wrinkle of inspiration, in order to constantly distract us from the overarching distraction.
Triple H cut loose and earned plaudits for his performance. If the crowd provides the occasion, and that crowd isn't there, do not strive for spectacle or gravitas. Go meta. Deploy comedy, to a point, for flavour: if the seats must be there, pan over them at a glacial pace to capture a punchline of splendor. Acknowledge what this has to be, and deftly switch modes as to not outright bury the occasion by promoting matches visceral in thudding impact. If it can't look spectacular, make it look painful, realistic.
Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano beat the sh*t out of each other in a similar context to this. They needed no crowd in the opening phase of last week's brawl to get it over.
No flips, just...