5 Big things we learned from The Undertaker's 'Boneyard match' against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36

The Undertaker main-evented Night 1 of WrestleMania 36 against AJ Styles - who now has a WrestleMania main event accomplishment under his belt. It was a pre-taped cinematic-like match, but nobody anticipated that it would be the best match of the night.

In the eyes of many, the match set such a high standard that night 2 would have a hard time following up. In all likeliness, you might be reading this after night 2 and by then we'll see if any match was able to reach that level.

It is undoubtedly the most unique WrestleMania main event of all time and one that could revolutionize WWE's way of filming matches. The Performance Center setting is only temporary and they're going to get back to crowded arenas in a few months. But there has been a lot to take away for WWE in terms of shooting, taping, and promo work.

Here are five things we learned from the Boneyard match at WrestleMania 36.

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#5. Old school storytelling mixed with new-age cinematic shooting could be the future

We've learned over the years that old school storytelling and psychology is the way to go for a great wrestling match. We're lucky since the current WWE roster is undoubtedly the most athletic and talented in the company's history. Because of this factor, we could be seeing a major change happening.

The cinematic style of shooting was a big success and one of the reasons for it was the old school psychology involved in it. It certainly helped that The Undertaker was the coolest character on the entire show and that he felt like an old western movie hero.

But after a couple of attempts at cinematic-style shooting, it seems that WWE may have found the formula for a great match going forward.

#4. WWE needs to try the cinematic style of shooting more often...but within a limit

The cinematic style of shooting the Boneyard match was done to perfection and may very well be the best wrestling match shot in this style so far. In our opinion, Matt Hardy is largely responsible for the match happening and it all started with "The Final Deletion" four years ago in Impact Wrestling.

WWE tried to make a replica of that when The Wyatt Family faced The New Day, but as it turns out, it wasn't well received. It takes time to perfect things like that, but WWE utilized the empty arena opportunity and had Styles face The Undertaker in an undisclosed set.

Given that there was no crowd reaction anyway, we doubt they would have had a better match. We had mentioned in earlier articles that this is the perfect opportunity to try something new. And, having a WrestleMania main event shot from a location outside was the best thing that they could have done given their limited resources.

WWE needs to try this style of shooting more often - but draw the line and not overdo it to avoid removing the novelty of it.

#3. AJ Styles gave The Undertaker his best match in 7 years

The man who suggested that The Undertaker face AJ Styles is none other than a legend who's been in the ring with both superstars - Kurt Angle. The WWE Hall of Famer told Marc Raimondi that he had a conversation with The Undertaker. During the conversation, The Phenom revealed that he wanted to redeem himself for the disastrous match against Goldberg at Super ShowDown 2020.

It was Angle who told The Undertaker to work with AJ Styles:

It's a popular running joke among wrestling fans that AJ Styles can have a great match with a broomstick, but given his track record, it may be more than just a joke. The Undertaker hadn't been in too many memorable matches since WrestleMania 29 (though his WrestleMania 30 defeat is different for other reasons) and it was the following six years where people wanted to see The Undertaker retire.

AJ Styles' dream match with The Undertaker turned out to be an instant classic and one of the most memorable WrestleMania main events.

#2. The Undertaker should have changed his gimmick years ago

The Undertaker officially returned as The American Badass at WrestleMania 36, but it wasn't all about that one gimmick. Throughout the match, he would have brief moments where he reverted to older gimmicks - including The Deadman and the cult leader of The Ministry of Darkness.

It was a mix-up of his previous gimmicks, but the attitude seemed to be brand new. His promo on the RAW before WrestleMania 36 was fantastic. Another thing that the Boneyard match proved is that The Undertaker needed to let go of The Deadman gimmick a long time ago.

It's nice to hold on to nostalgia, but the reality is that The Deadman gimmick had simply run its course. An edgier side of himself like we saw in the Boneyard match is exactly what he's needed and we don't doubt that he'll make the most of the opportunities that he has.

Perhaps changing it a few years ago would have saved a lot of trouble. But, perhaps, in this case, it's better late than never.

#1. The Undertaker is just getting started

The Undertaker is 55 years old and over the last six years, watching his matches has gotten increasingly painful. It was clear that he's far past his prime and even in big matches, there were moments where he wasn't able to hold his own.

However, hip surgery and time away may have done the trick for him. As Tom Colohue reported, The Undertaker has been in great physical shape and the gimmick change was something that all parties wanted and worked on.

And as it turned out, the rumors were true. The Undertaker proved that he's in great physical shape. While there were most likely many takes to make him look better, it was clear based on his movement alone that he's in a much better place health-wise.

If that is the case, then The Undertaker will be looking to constantly redeem and reinvent himself. There are many more opponents that this reinvigorated Undertaker can face and that may include World Championship opportunities down the line as well.