Steve Austin says he has no interest in participating in a cinematic match, but gave the Undertaker and AJ Styles’ Boneyard match from WrestleMania 36 his highest praise. Speaking on Busted Open Radio on 3:16 Day, Austin was asked whether a cinematic match would appeal to him as a potential vehicle for a WWE return. The conversation had centered around the Boneyard match, which took place at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 at WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the event was held without a live audience.
Austin was direct when asked if he would want to do something similar. “No,” Austin said initially, before elaborating. “Yes and no. Because it could be done. But I remember that match and it was the right time for that match. To keep doing those, I don’t think so.”
Despite ruling out personal involvement, Austin was effusive in his praise for the Boneyard match specifically. “I remember watching that. I enjoyed the hell out of that,” Austin said. “I’ll go five stars, okay, whatever the scale is. I loved it. I love both guys as talents, as human beings. So it was badass.”
Austin acknowledged the unique creative appeal of the cinematic format while suggesting it works best as a rare event rather than a recurring format. “It is almost like a mini-movie, almost like the Michael Jackson Thriller video, right? Longer,” Austin said. “But I don’t think so. I think I am good.”
The Boneyard match is widely regarded as one of the most creative matches in WrestleMania history, with the Undertaker defeating Styles in a cinematic production shot across multiple locations. The format was used several times during the pandemic era of WWE, with the Firefly Fun House match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt at the same WrestleMania 36 event also drawing significant attention.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
