WWE's next pay-per-view may live up to its "Horror Show" tagline. The next big show, titled The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, features a unique showdown between Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio. The two will clash in a match that is being advertised as an "Eye for an Eye match."
WWE's latest advertising appears to lean into the idea that the match will not only be cinematic in nature, but that someone's eye is going to be damaged. A movie-esque poster, complete with wrestler names and a title, features close-up image of Mysterio's eye. Light illuminates his eye and parts of his mask. It's worth noting that the eye on display is the one Rollins injured earlier this year.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, their match is expected to be filmed in a cinematic style. Rumors suggest the wrestling promotion may use CGI to simulate one of the Superstars actually losing an eye.
Rollins and Mysterio's feud has been a deeply personal affair over the past few weeks, with Rollins previously injuring Mysterio's eye by driving his face into the corner of the ring steps, which wrestlers use to enter the squared circle. Since his eye was injured, Mysterio has been wearing black mesh over the hole on the right side of his mask, covering the injury. Their rivalry has escalated since then, leading to the inclusion of Mysterio's son Dominik.
If this "Eye for an Eye" match is delivered cinematically, it will be WWE's latest in a growing number of cinematic matches. WrestleMania 36 saw John Cena take on "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Fun House match-up. The Undertaker also fought AJ Styles in a well-received Boneyard Match. Both were pre-recorded and edited to give them a more controlled, cinematic aesthetic. WWE's Money in the Bank show in May also had pre-recorded, cinematic Money in the Bank matchups, with both the Men's and Women's Money in the Bank matches taking place at the same time.
Although Edge and Randy Orton's Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania 36 was pre-recorded, it did not have a cinematic edge to it. The same was true for their recent Backlash matchup, which was advertised as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever."
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules takes place on Sunday, July 19 at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT on the WWE Network.