5 reasons why Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles is a match of the year candidate

Last night at Survivor Series 2017 Raw's Universal Champion Brock Lesnar went one-on-one with the "Phenomenal One", SmackDown's WWE Champion AJ Styles. Not only was this the first ever match pitting a Universal Champion against a WWE Champion, but it was also the first time Lesnar and Styles exchanged blows in the ring in a match that had every true WWE and Indy fan salivating.

Survivor Series originally looked like an underwhelming PPV, with a match card that pitted the Lesnar against...of all people...Jinder Mahal. What a waste of one of Lesnar's limited appearances. Luckily the "Beast Incarnate" and his advocate Paul Heyman shared that sentiment and nixed the Lesnar-Mahal match.

Hype surrounding NXT War Games forced WWE to completely revamp the Survivor Series card, including giving Lesnar a more...phenomenal opponent. AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship on SmackDown Live (Hallelujah!), catapulting him into the champion vs. champion match against Lesnar at Survivor Series. There were concerns that this dream match of epic proportions would not be properly booked, but thankfully it was. It was so good that for these five reasons it may even be the match of the year.

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#5 Not a squash match

Everyone's biggest fear was that the Phenomenal One would be fed to the Beast Incarnate

If you've seen one Lesnar match since his cataclysmic Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker on October 25, 2015, then you've seen them all; shoulder thrusts and knee strikes in the corner, a barrage of German suplexes that make your head and neck hurt by just watching, maybe a Kimura Lock depending on the credibility of his opponent, and then an F-5 to seal a victory that was never in doubt. And people complain about Hulk Hogan's five moves of doom.

Lesnar has been putting in considerably more work in the ring with the likes of Goldberg, Samoa Joe, and Braun Strowman, but it was always going to be hard not to worry about Styles suffering the same fate as Randy Orton did at Summer Slam 2016. Lesnar is capable of so much more than strikes and german suplexes, when he debuted he powerbombed Spike Dudley three times in a row, Lesnar used to utilize backbreakers, power slams, a variety of different suplexes, and the devastating Brock Lock submission hold.

It was easy to imagine AJ Styles being sacrificed to the "Beast Incarnate" in order to appease Vince McMahon who wants to keep Lesnar looking unstoppable until his inevitable WrestleMania match against Roman Reigns. Styles was, however, booked to push Lesnar to his limit. Styles forced Lesnar to reach down into his bag of tricks, dusting off some manoeuvres we haven't seen from him in quite some time.

The match clocked in at 15:25 -- the longest singles match for Lesnar this year.

#4 It was believable

Lesnar brings a legit fight feel

Brock Lesnar a force of nature, he was an NCAA Division I Heavyweight wrestling champion, he lost only three matches in his collegiate career, and he was a UFC Heavyweight Champion. In a world of predetermined matches, Brock Lesnar is a legit fighter, and he makes all his matches feel like fights.

When the bell sounded Lesnar began mauling AJ Styles and thrashing him around the ring like a wild animal. After several minutes of the Beast toying with his prey, Styles finally mustered some offence. Once Styles got out of the gates he hit a flurry of his signature quick strikes. Momentum shifted and what had started out as a display of power by Lesnar was now a systematic attack by the smaller Styles as David brought Goliath to his knees.

At WrestleMania 33 Lesnar defeated Goldberg for the Universal Championship in under five minutes, in a match that featured a surprising amount of big spots, but AJ Styles is not a past his prime Goldberg. Styles survived the initial onslaught from Lesnar, leaving the Conquerer gassed and vulnerable to the lightning-fast strikes of the perennial underdog.

In the end, Lesnar looked dominant, Styles was defiant, and even though only one man could have his arm raised there were no losers.

#3 No screwy finish

Many great matches have been ruined by outside interference, but who would want to get in between these two men

Screwy finishes are common in sports entertainment, the most famous of which being the Montreal Screwjob. Lesnar is not impervious to such booking misdemeanours, look at his 2015 Summer Slam match against The Undertaker.

With Styles beating Jinder Mahal to win the WWE Championship and be inserted into the match just weeks before Survivor Series, many speculated that a vengeful Mahal could cost Styles the match. Mahal interfering to help Lesnar win makes sense but it would have been an unnecessary and unwelcome booking decision.

Paul Heyman causing some sort of distraction or getting involved in any way shape or form would also taint victory for the Beast, but instead, Heyman sat on the outside of the ring holding the Universal title, stroking it like a James Bond villain strokes a cat.

#2 Legend vs Legend

AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar are living legends

Ever since Styles made his WWE debut in the 2016 Royal Rumble fans have been fantasy booking Styles against all kinds of opponents. Styles has faced Chris Jericho, John Cena, and Randy Orton, but had never crossed paths with Brock Lesnar.

We have already run down Lesnar's accolades outside of the WWE, but within the realms of the McMahon empire, Lesnar has been just as successful. Lesnar is a 5-time WWE Champion and was the one who ended the Undertaker's fabled WrestleMania streak at 21-1. As for Styles, the former TNA and IWGP champion came to WWE and won the biggest prize of them all, twice. The 2-time WWE Champion is also a 2-time United States Champion.

Both Lesnar and Styles are icons that are viewed as two of the best ever to compete inside the squared circle, making the battle between them so much more meaningful.

#1 It lived up to the hype

Styles was able to weather the storm

Anyone who was actually looking forward to Brock Lesnar vs Jinder Mahal was either a corporate yes man in WWE or a Mahal hater who was hoping for a rehash of the Lesnar-Orton match. While watching Mahal get the alleged steroids beat out of him sounds like fun, it's not something that needs to happen. Once Mahal was replaced with Styles, the WWE Universe got more excited than Mojo Rawley when he goes partying with Rob Gronkowski.

The match between Lesnar and Styles didn't have much time to be built up, but it didn't need to be, the match sold itself. Even if the match didn't sell itself, Paul Heyman did. If Enzo Amore is "trash-talker Skywalker" on the "mic-saber" then Paul Heyman is Darth Sidious. There is nobody better at building people up or tearing them down using nothing but words.

Heyman praised AJ Styles, making Styles sound like the greatest performer and challenger Lesnar will ever face, before reminding everyone that there is still no chance anybody can beat the Beast Incarnate "BARRROOOOCK LESSSSSNAAAR"! Heyman claimed that Lesnar would take Styles to suplex city where he would be beaten victimised and conquered. For the first five minutes of the match that is exactly what happened, but Styles caught a second wind and mounted a comeback. Styles forced Lesnar into an actual wrestling match, as the two battled for fifteen and a half minutes in a match that truly lived up to the hype, and fulfilled Heyman's prophecy.