5 Things WWE Cinematic Matches Should NOT Do (And 5 Things They SHOULD Do)
It's a thing now. Better run with it.
Cinematic matches continue to polarise. Some are entertaining, and some are a mess. In the space of just four months, they have become entrenched in WWE programming, irrespective of ongoing popular reaction. A gut response to this might be 'ditch them and never look back', but it may also be worth breaking this situation down and looking a little bit deeper.
Let's at least appreciate that this is an offshoot of the current global situation, so it's fair to give the creators credit for trying to entertain in bleak times. Yet at the same time, cinematic matches run the risk of fully deterring audiences amidst already dwindling viewing figures. It's a tough balance.
So can WWE afford to take the risk with this stuff, and if they insist on keeping it around, what improvements should they make going forward? While many are forced to remain on the fence on whether this convention should get a fair run or die a death, here's a list of ‘Dos’ and ‘Don'ts’, in equal measure to clarify their best route ahead... for however long that may be.
10. DON’T: Meander Between One Convention And Another
While it's become the norm, there needs to be at least a few rules.
Presently there are standard wrestling matches, and there are cinematic matches, and blurring the two together is the first thing WWE need to put some reconsideration into. Giving matches the cinematic touch, and grounding cinematic spectacles so far into normality that they might as well have just taken place in the empty arena, makes the convention extremely confusing and leaves audiences wondering what the heck they were even looking at.
The Randy Orton vs. Edge ‘Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ of Backlash 2020 had no end of weird cutaways, which ruptured the illusion at a very early point. Editing segments together to create a whole impression is one thing, (probably necessary given the circumstances) but shooting the two competitors from underneath during their first lock-in, only to have said cameraman disappear in the next shot is just plain weird… borderline patronising in fact.
So was it even cinematic or not? WWE are urged to clarify beforehand and keep with the programme.