10 Expectations Vs. Reality For WWE WrestleMania 38

9. Edge Vs. AJ Styles

Steve Austin Expectation Reality
WWE.com

Expectation:

An absolute classic for the ages, a match every bit as seminal as Kurt Angle Vs. Shawn Michaels, Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker, Randy Savage Vs. Ricky Steamboat, Daniel Bryan Vs. Kofi Kington, Bret Vs. Owen...

Both men are outstanding at the craft and will be granted plenty of time to reach the "epic" stratosphere on a gimmick-packed celeb night with not too many matches listed thus far. They each excel at the counter, which should create some superb, heart-in-mouth drama even before their deep repertoires are kicked out of as the acute near-falls pop the crowd down the stretch. Anything less than very good would be considered a major disappointment, but luckily, that is effectively impossible. Both men are simply too great at this, which is why the match was made in the first instance.

Edge countering the Phenomenal forearm with a mid-air Spear, AJ Styles landing on his feet after Edge ducks a Pele kick, only to be met by the Edge-o-Matic...

Rejoice!

This can't not be fantastic!

Reality:

It will be fantastic, but be prepared for some ac-ting from your man Edge, who seems desperate for a Hollywood exec to notice him. He might even pull up a stool and say long words for the sake of appearing intelligent when talking trash.

****1/2 wrestling, 0 chance of an Emmy despite some cringe-worthy attempts.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!