5 Things WWE Cinematic Matches Should NOT Do (And 5 Things They SHOULD Do)
5. DO: Nominate The Cinematic Match With Care
Case in point: The Backlot Brawl of NXT Takeover: In Your House.
Adam Cole versus Velveteen Dream: That concept alone is a winner. Then, in the run up, William Regal announces the match type: A Backlot Brawl. That’s basically a ring outdoors, with street fight rules, right? Good handle...
Except, when it came to the event, it got just a pinch of the cinematic. As with the Randy/Edge match, it was almost regular wrestling but not quite. None of that was necessary, and the match would have been a superb spectacle without it. If it's a concept that can be done equally or more effectively in the ring, then it should be kept as such.
This proves that, as a rule of thumb, it’s unwise to re-jig existing matches into the cinematic format. Surely it would be better to create a blank cinematic slate beforehand and then weave in the finer details accordingly. Having this level of foresight would give greater rise of the question: Does this need to be cinematic? If the answer is anywhere close to a 'no', then a neat pass will earn a lot of gratitude from audiences.