From the moment it became clear that WWE had made two major signings in AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, fans wanted the two former NJPW stars to battle inside a WWE ring to recreate their classic encounter from Wrestle Kingdom 10. WWE kept the pair apart for a year, before pulling the trigger on a contest that they billed as a dream match. However, their feud never lived up to expectations and flopped on nearly every level.
Styles And Nakamura Wrestled A Classic At WK10
Both AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura were big deals in NJPW. After years of being one of the top guys in TNA, Styles took his talents across the world, showcasing why he should be considered as one of the best wrestlers on the planet. Styles made a huge impact by joining the Bullet Club upon his arrival, and quickly won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, becoming the first American to do so since Brock Lesnar, as he became a two-time champion.
Nakamura had been one of the more prominent names in NJPW for a long time, pegged to be the future in his earlier years, becoming arguably the best IWGP Intercontinental Champion of all time. He won pretty much everything there was to win in the company and reached even bigger heights upon reinventing himself into “The King of Strong Style”. The two men fought at Wrestle Kingdom 10 for the Intercontinental Championship in one of the matches of the year, tearing the house down in a match that got fans all over the world talking, so it was clear to see why people couldn’t wait to see them battle in WWE.
WWE Hyped Up Nakamura Vs Styles Too Much, And In The Wrong Ways
The two men took different paths in WWE, with Styles debuting on the main roster and rising the ranks quickly, becoming WWE Champion within his first year with the company. Nakamura went through NXT, establishing himself as one of the most over and popular names on the roster, carrying an air of incredible charisma. When Nakamura was called up to the main roster, they were largely kept apart, though they would team together on occasion, and face off to a huge pop in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
At the 2018 Royal Rumble, Styles successfully defended his WWE Championship during his second reign, now as a babyface, and Nakamura emerged victorious in the Men’s Rumble match, which set a date for a rematch at WrestleMania. The first issue that this match faced was the billing. At a time when WWE rarely acknowledges other promotions, they chose to hype up this as a dream match, mentioning their previous classic in NJPW. The term “dream match” was thrown around so much that there was simply no possible way for it to live up to all those lofty expectations.
Fans knew it was a dream rematch from NJPW, but they didn’t need to be told every week about that fact. For fans unfamiliar with NJPW, this would have raised the bar even more, being told constantly by WWE that Nakamura and Styles would wrestle in a classic. Even during the match itself, commentary continually referred to their match using those terms, which sucked much of the life out of the contest from the fans at home. The fans in attendance suffered a great deal too, but for other reasons.
The Rivalry Between Styles & Nakamura Was A Failure
WrestleMania 34 was a painfully long show, with the WWE Title match coming 12th on the card. By this point, the fans were completely shattered, and there was zero electricity in the arena when Styles and Nakamura fought. A lot of this comes down to the placing of the match, but the booking of the contest did it no favors. The two men never got out of first gear, wrestling a slow match and not doing anything that resembled their previous encounter. The build to the match didn’t help either, with there being very little tension built up, due to them both respecting each other in the weeks prior, with them both being faces. WWE had them shake hands, team up, and didn’t make fans want to see them fight, due to their rivalry not being personal.
Styles would win, with the post-match featuring a Nakamura heel turn. Despite the match being a let-down, this could have salvaged the feud going forwards. However, their feud featured double count-outs, disqualifications, and a lack of true belief in Nakamura as a star, with Styles retaining the title at every turn. Everything in terms of booking was working against them both, and WWE made it impossible for them to live up to the billing.