WWE WrestleMania 34: Predicting The Quality Of All 14 Matches

2. AJ Styles Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - WWE Heavyweight Title Match

Aj Styles Shinsuke Nakamura Wwe
WWE.com

The only concern ahead of the match is the duration, not that AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura couldn't have a very good match in 15 minutes. We are expecting something great - because we've already seen a great match between both men at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom - and because WWE is explicitly promoting it as a Dream Match, conditioning the audience to draw comparisons between the classic 'Mania matches of yore.

It will be a different match to the January 4, 2016 classic, in which badass babyface Nakamura dealt a brutal redressing to AJ's injury-feigning sh*thouse heel tactics. The technical dream match will turn into a nightmarish fight at the first transgression of the sporting pact forged over the last few weeks, unravelling into a glorious procession of stiff kicks and precision counters, as eager fans massive in number turn up the volume.

That is the optimistic idea, anyway.

It is a dream match for a reason - potential sequences materialise in the mind's eye through excitement, like AJ fluidly countering the Kinshasa with the Calf Crusher - and the expectation is that Styles, Nakamura, and WWE will deliver.

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!