10 WWE Match-Ups That Were Better In Another Promotion
The wrestlers may be the same, but WWE still found a way to botch these.
Sometimes the easiest path to success is to do what's already been done. People love remakes, and giving something that already felt magical a second run provides the opportunity not to just work the same match's glory, but to add to it or even expectations.
WWE is full of matches like this. TLC II at WrestleMania X-7 eclipsed the SummerSlam original. That same night The Rock and Steve Austin outdid all their previous encounters. CM Punk and Chris Jericho wildly expanded upon their Wrestlemania XXVIII bout, substituting the dramatic tension of a title match for the raucous atmosphere that Punk always creates in front of his hometown Chicago crowd.
WWE often book its own rematches well, but they have a checkered history when the first encounter occurred under a different banner, be it the Hammerstein Ballroom or Korakuen Hall. WWE has a hard enough time acknowledging wrestlers' history outside of Stamford, and refusing to let that history exist in their continuity hurts matches from a narrative perspective.
But sometimes, even when they do as much as they can to bolster a match, for one reason or another, the action feels flatter than an open soda in the refrigerator...
10. AJ Styles Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
AJ Styles was an international legend by Wrestle Kingdom 10, getting accolades in whatever promotion he worked for, earning top belts in both TNA and NJPW.
Nakamura was still riding high as IWGP Intercontinental Champion, a title that main-evented Wrestle Kingdom 8. The two fighters put together a swansong where they beat respect into each other, showing international fans what Strong Style was all about, complete with lariats, flying knee strikes, and even a rare kickout from the Styles Clash. Their match had many fans switching their allegiance to the King of Sports.
From the moment they entered WWE, fans were clamouring for the inevitable rematch. WWE actually built it well, with Nakamura winning the 2018 Royal Rumble, and challenging AJ Styles for the belt at WrestleMania 34.
But the rematch never managed to live up to the hype. The bookers instead substituted the brutal moves that NJPW fights are known for with a shock heel turn where Nakamura struck Styles in the balls.
This later culminated in a dragged-out feud where Nakamura and Styles took each other to Dick Kick City, making fans feel like they just took a shot to the sensitive area.