New Cinematic Segments Suck!

As you can probably tell from the title, I’m not a fan of these corny cinematic segments that WWE keeps force-feeding us. The most recent example was the segment leading up to WarGames, featuring Punk, Roman, and Heyman sitting at a table discussing the upcoming match. The premise was clear—they needed to team up despite hating each other—but I just can’t stand these cinematic, movie-like shots. They do nothing for me; if anything, they take me out of the moment.

Roman seems used to this style, and it felt more natural for him, but Punk looked like a fish out of water. The raw energy of his live promos or backstage segments was completely absent. The aura of ‘this guy says whatever he wants—he’s Mr. Pipebomb, you better watch out!’ was gone. It’s obvious that they willingly sat down and filmed this segment with a director. Compare that to how WWE used to handle similar interactions: a spontaneous backstage run-in or an in-ring call-out. Those moments felt natural and organic. Instead, now they’re sitting there having a conversation as if they’re unaware of the entire film crew in front of them. It’s jarring because the audience knows this isn’t just a WWE camera guy catching a candid moment—it’s a carefully scripted movie scene, and it doesn’t feel right to me.

What’s interesting is that I loved when Lucha Underground used similar cinematic segments. I think the main reason I connected with Lucha Underground is that it was consistent. The entire show embraced this cinematic style, so it felt cohesive. In WWE, however, the show has always carried the expectation that what we’re watching is live and anything can happen in the moment. Even when WWE events are taped, we’re meant to believe they were filmed live. These cinematic segments clash with that expectation and disrupt the flow of the show we grew to love.

Take, for instance, Cody and Roman’s meeting at the Georgia Bulldogs stadium. While visually striking, it felt out of place and killed part of the show’s overall aura. WWE’s attempts at cinematic storytelling just don’t fit the live-event energy that makes its programming unique.

- Suplex Gunk