#3 Could Nakamura and AJ Styles give WWE a 5-star match?
Trending
The one saving grace on this card was the stare down and mini match between Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles. The two have been hovering around each other for a while on Smackdown, which should fill us all with confidence that these two are going to meet at some point. This all feels like an effective slow build towards an inevitable pay off, hopefully at Wrestlemania 34.
Considering WWE now relies more on good in-ring action as opposed to storyline and drama, the sheer lack of ‘5-star’ wrestling matches must upset WWE creative just a little bit.
Will John Cena beat Ric Flair's record? A former WCW Champion thinks so HERE
Vince might claim to be above the thoughts and opinions of so-called internet marks, but he must know the IWC’s voice is as strong as it has ever been, and most of their approval is going in the opposite direction. The WWE needs a feud to rival the Omega Vs. Okada masterpiece over at NJPW, and perhaps ironically, Nakamura and Styles might be the ones to give it to them.
Some claim that Dave Meltzer, the man responsible for dishing out 5-star accolades, has a bias against WWE. His last such rating was for John Cena Vs CM Punk back in 2011, and it’s probably safe to say this is unfair.
Daniel Bryan’s victory over Triple H at Mania 30, or his loss to Bray Wyatt at the Royal Rumble 2014 could have easily been awarded the five stars, and fans wouldn’t have had many objections. Meltzer also refused to award five stars to Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate after their incredible match at NXT Takeover: Chicago last month.
The WWE seem to be doing the right things at the moment with these two. It is going to be very tempting to go too soon and have them wrestle one-on-one before the year is finished, but they simply need to hold off and give us what we want on the biggest stage possible.
5-star matches should be as much about the backdrop as it is the in-ring action, and these two have a lot of history to work off. There will be a lot of pressure resting on their shoulders when Mania 34 comes around, but if there are ever two men you’d want to put forward for the occasion, it is the Phenomenal One and the King of Strong Style.
