10 Reasons WrestleMania 33 Could Have Been The Best Ever

8. Styles Could Have Had A Real Opponent

The best WWE wrestler of 2016 was A.J. Styles. It wasn't even close.

Nobody in the promotion produced the quality of work he did, and very few have ever risen to the top as fast he did in their "rookie" year. His reward for all that is having to carry Shane "Someone Please Teach Me How To Punch" McMahon to a passable match at WrestleMania 33. It doesn’t feel right.

While from a prestige standpoint it could be a lot worse for Styles, from a match quality standpoint it's pretty bad. Shane was never a good wrestler in the Attitude Era, but at WrestleMania 32 he was badly exposed as being well past his prime. Styles is now given the unenviable position of having to sell the hell out of his weak offense.

The best long term plan would have been to wait for Styles/Cena to fight at WrestleMania. Their fantastic Royal Rumble bout would have been even better under the 'Mania banner and been one of the best in the event's history. The company also would have been able to promote Cena tying Flair’s record in a more effective manner.

Another solid alternative would have been to book Undertaker and A.J. Styles. While A.J. would still be doing the majority of the work, it would at least have been against an all-time legend. Nakamura/Styles would have also been a dream for many, and they could have delivered another classic as well. An inter-promotional Styles/Bálor, or Styles/Samoa Joe showdowns would have also torn down the house. There were so many great options!

Shane and Styles may sound good to pops, but the hardcore fans realize The Phenomenal One clearly deserved a more worthy opponent to test him in the ring.