WWE WrestleMania 34: Predicting The Quality Of All 14 Matches

3. Charlotte Flair Vs. Asuka - SmackDown Women's Title Match

Aj Styles Shinsuke Nakamura Wwe
WWE.com

The genuine dedication to the Women's Evolution - on domestic shores, at least - should see this go the distance. The eponymous Women's bout headlined the Royal Rumble, and WWE also promoted the first-ever Women's Elimination Chamber match this year. The company adopts a cloying tell-don't-show approach to its storytelling, but paradoxically, they are also showing dedication, which equalises and more or less supersedes the resentment.

This hoped-for duration - a full 20 minutes - isn't mere varnish, as so much of the promotional bluster surrounding the Evolution is. The Empress is brilliant at adding dramatic wrinkles to her matches, particularly those that go long, as the threat to her legacy evokes the villain within the cocky facade.

In order to put over the idea that Charlotte is a genuine threat to Asuka's streak, the Empress must exhaust and repeat the reserves of her killer arsenal in a display of pure desperation, especially since Charlotte enters the match with an aura somewhat dimmed relative to her late Queen Bee of PPV 2016 career arc.

Predicted Star Rating: ****1/2

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!