WWE Money In The Bank 2018: Star Ratings For All 10 Matches

3. Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. AJ Styles - Last Man Standing WWE Title Match

Jinder Mahal STAR RATING 1
WWE.com

Remember this time last year - almost to the day - when the electrifying exchange between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles at Money In The Bank 2017 acted as an awesome teaser trailer for life after Jinder Mahal's WWE Title run? Relatively, this programme is far superior to anything Jinder managed throughout that cruel summer. 'Relatively' should have nothing to do with it.

This was a very good match. Even with a trusty stipulation and a Chicago crowd fawning by the finish, it never reached that ineffable gear of greatness. There's a strange and almost unflattering methodical quality to this programme that is difficult to shake, even when unburdened by the lofty pre-WrestleMania expectation.

This match followed a similar slow-burning pattern, though both men maximised the minimalist drama at the home stretch. The selling was first-rate in itself - Shinsuke's crumpled agony resonated so well that the unexpected reckoning of a finish felt deserved in WWE's fiction more so than it felt weird in the reality of the booking - and especially great relative (there's that word again) to the popcorn finisher kick-out festivals that otherwise make up the name on the marquee.

The finish was conclusive, but very strange. Shinsuke Nakamura's credentials as a headliner are knackered, which probably means we're set for another rematch in WWE's incoherent approach to storytelling.

Star Rating: ***3/4

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!