AJ Styles Believes Expectation Were ‘Way Too High’ For WrestleMania Match Against Shinsuke Nakamura
It was billed as a “dream match” in WWE. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura were set to clash at WrestleMania 34, two years after their classic match at Wrestle Kingdom 10.
Styles and Nakamura had already proven to have instant chemistry and on the WrestleMania stage, most fans believed they were in for another classic. Unfortunately, the match didn’t live up to the hype as the two worked a solid match, but certainly not the memorable bout fans were expecting.
“Expectations are way too high,” said Styles on WWE After The Bell when asked about the match. “(I felt that going in). I know Nakamura felt that too. No matter what we would have done in that match, the expectations were way too high. Here’s what a lot of people don’t understand. Fans are everything. They set the tone on what is a great match. It’s how they respond to it. In Japan, they are so respectful and when they do respond, it’s huge. ‘Wow, it’s such an amazing match.’ Had that same match been done in a WWE ring without that same response, it’s not going to be declared as that great of a match. Fans are everything, they dictate a great match. It’s the reality and the truth and something a lot of people don’t understand. The expectation were so high because of what we did at Wrestle Kingdom. I was like, ‘Oh man.’ I still think [WrestleMania] was a great match.”
The WrestleMania 34 bout was the first of many bouts between Nakamura and Styles as the two men feuded throughout the spring. Styles capped off the feud with a victory in a Last Man Standing match at Money In The Bank 2018, which is generally considered the best match of their WWE series.
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