14 WWE WrestleMania 34 Impulse Reactions

3. Dream Feed

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Even the loyalest New Japan purists were calmly placing their cards on the table whilst the match was in progress - AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura were not having the match many had hoped they were still capable of after seeing such a dreamlike display just two years earlier at Wrestle Kingdom 10. It never materialised either. 'The King Of Strong Style' was beaten and beaten with ease when 'The Phenomenal One' dropped him with a Styles Clash after an anticlimactic 20 minutes.

Some subversive joy was salvaged in a far more exciting post-match sequence. Aping Asuka's respectful showing against Charlotte from earlier in the night, Shinsuke Nakamura instead sunk the Champion with a low blow and hit his promised "knee-to-face" finish on the arena floor after the match.

A heel Nakamura has intriguing potential and offers something desperately needed after a string of disappointing displays. Only against John Cena last summer has 'The Artist' crafted something resembling any beauty. Time on the other side of the fence may bring out the killer instinct that served him so well in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and possibly even make him a bigger babyface than he has been this time around.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett