AJ Styles Shoots On WWE's WrestleMania 34 Rematch With Shinsuke Nakamura
What did 'The Phenomenal One' really think about WWE's New Japan follow-up?
AJ Styles told Corey Graves' WWE-produced 'After The Bell' podcast that fan expectations were too high going into his WrestleMania 34 match against Shinsuke Nakamura.
The 'Phenomenal One', who recently jumped over from Raw to SmackDown, said people felt let down after 'Mania 34 because they'd hyped things up too much in their own minds. Realistically, AJ says, he and Nakamura were never going to top their match at New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 10 two years prior.
Styles believes he and Shin were fighting an uphill battle to make the WWE Title match worthwhile, but says he's proud of what they achieved in New Orleans and thinks they still managed to tell a great story despite the crushing weight of expectations going in.
AJ added that they might've had more luck had the rematch taken place in front of the same crowd the original did; he noted the impact different crowd-types can have on how a match comes across to the viewer at home, which is a great point.
WWE might want to keep this in mind now they've decided that Edge vs. Randy Orton at Backlash 2020 will be the 'Greatest Wrestling Match Ever'. Overhype can destroy a bout's chances.