10 Biggest Matches WWE Can Book In 2018
Dream Sequence
Recent seismic changes to consecutive WWE pay-per-views have already rendered December 2017's Clash Of Champions an expected disappointment.
Two months ago, the prospect of the card being headlined by Jinder Mahal and AJ Styles in a WWE Title match was mostly maddening, such was the crushing inevitability that 'The Phenomenal One's incredible talents would be used to try and bolster the 'Modern Day Maharaja's failing title reign one last time before the Road To WrestleMania finally began.
The frenetic adjustments that engulfed the company over October and November didn't even culminate with a unexpected title change between the two on a Manchester SmackDown Live!, but they definitely peaked there. Triple H's announced involvement in the Survivor Series the following Monday couldn't trump the spectacular potential of AJ's match with Brock Lesnar that came as a result of the equally cathartic dethroning of Mahal.
Styles/Lesnar was a bonafide dream match. The type of contest that thrilled Paul Heyman so much that he refused to be limited to only promoting it before it happened. Heyman was as excited to wax lyrical about the match (and AJ in particular) afterwards as he was in his bombastic go-home Monday Night Raw address. Overjoyed with the announcement of it even occurring, fans were even more delighted when it delivered in spades.
In an era where more fantasy contests come together than ever before only to disappoint, the actual realising of a wrestling dream was magnificent. The big match magic still exists, WWE just have to try a little harder to find it.
10. AJ Styles Vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?
When AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura has a video game stand-off midway through 2017's Money In The Bank Ladder Match, fans erupted for the 'King Of Strong Style' in a manner they've not done before or since following his post-WrestleMania promotion to the main roster.
At this point, the audience know what's better for Michael Cole's best mate Shin more than WWE do themselves. The cheers weren't just for old New Japan Pro Wrestling rivals staring through one another, nor for either to particularly 'win' the tussle and scale the ladder. The ovation was for the idea of the match itself - a special pairing requiring zero build akin to Nakamura's NXT debut against Sami Zayn.
It's the same excitement that went A.W.O.L during Shinsuke's listless programmes with Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin and Jinder Mahal. He's not a weekly television wrestler that requires an angle - merely an iconic enigma that requires a big match. And one with WWE Champion AJ Styles is the biggest the company has.