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AJ Styles is widely considered to be one of the best in-ring performers on the WWE roster today. The Phenomenal One is a former WWE Champion, United States Champion, Intercontinental Champion and could become one half of the RAW Tag Team Champions, alongside Omos, at WrestleMania 37.
Since debuting for WWE in 2016, AJ Styles has competed at 5 seperate WrestleMania pay-per-view events. Each match has had its own unique storyline, and some have certainly been better than others.
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Nevertheless, it goes without saying that any AJ Styles match at WrestleMania is considered to be a marquee match. The former WWE Champion's matches at WrestleMania have varied from WWE Title defenses to cinematic Boneyard Match presentations.
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From show openers to main events, let's take a closer look and rank AJ Styles' 5 best WWE WrestleMania matches.
#5 AJ Styles vs Randy Orton (WWE WrestleMania 35)
Criticizing AJ Styles' WrestleMania 35 match against Randy Orton may be somewhat unfair. From a technical standpoint, the match between the two former WWE Champions on the grandest stage of them all was very good. AJ Styles and Randy Orton are two of the best and most experienced in-ring workers on the WWE roster after all.
Unfortunately, the match was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Firstly, the bout was second on the WrestleMania 35 card. Historically, this already puts the match in a difficult position. At the beginning of any event, the opening match gets all the excitement and electricity from the crowd as the fans have a plethora of anticipation for the show ahead. After dispelling all that energy, the second match has to attempt to revitalize the crowd, which can be notoriously difficult.
It was ultimately a production error that truly hampered AJ Styles and Randy Orton's WrestleMania clash in 2019.
During the match, fans seated in MetLife stadium were blinded by yellow stage lights, which were meant to illuminate the crowd for television. Instead, fans were unable to see the ring and were forced to turn away or cover their eyes. This led to chants of "turn the lights off" and "we can't see" during the match.
Preoccupied by the lighting disaster, many fans were not paying attention to the match taking place in the ring. Those watching at home weren't initially aware of the issue before images quickly started surfacing on social media.
However, the displeasure of the live audience did slowly become apparent on television too. It was certainly unfortunate as the match itself, while not bad, is now largely remembered for WWE's major production mistake during it.
#4 AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura - WWE Championship (WrestleMania 34)
The WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura was hyped up to be a dream match. The Phenomenal One and The King of Strong Style had already delivered a 5 star classic match against each other in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Therefore, the WWE Universe was buzzing with anticipation for both WWE Superstars to replicate their magical chemistry on the grandest stage of them all.
However, the match just didn't click as expected. That's not to say that AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura's match at WrestleMania 34 was bad, because it really wasn't. But it's safe to say it didn't live up to fans' high "dream match" expectations. The match featured some textbook chain wrestling and beautiful counters that the WWE Universe reacted to. But ultimately, it fell short of fans' lofty hopes for the bout.
This is most likely because fans on social media and WWE television hyped the "dream match" up to a level that it could never truly live up to. The match ended with AJ Styles defeating Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the WWE Championship.
The encounter between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 is arguably best remembered for Nakamura hitting AJ Styles with a low blow after the match. The move marked Shinsuke Nakamura's first heel turn in WWE, which, much like the WrestleMania 34 match, fell short of many fans' grand scale expectations.
#3 AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho (WWE WrestleMania 32)
WWE WrestleMania 32 was a hugely important step in AJ Styles' WWE career. The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion made his WWE debut just a few months prior to this at the 2016 Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Despite the fanfare and reception that AJ Styles' received during his surprise appearance in the 2016 Royal Rumble match, there were still those within WWE that were skeptical of whether AJ Styles was truly all he was hyped up to be.
For years, professional wrestling fans around the world hoped that AJ Styles would eventually perform inside a WWE ring and perform in a WrestleMania match. After several long years, Styles finally competed on the grandest stage of them all, with his first opponent being WWE legend Chris Jericho.
The Phenomenal One and Y2J were locked in a fierce rivalry for several weeks prior to their bout at the showcase of the immortals. Styles and Jericho had developed a sound chemistry in the ring that was really beginning to show by WrestleMania.
The duo had arguably the match of the night despite being positioned as the second match on the card.
Chris Jericho eventually won the contest, pinning AJ Styles after hitting the Codebreaker. The match still served as a statement by AJ Styles to WWE officials that he really was all that he was hyped up to be.
After his performance against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, AJ Styles was quickly moved into the WWE Championship picture, eventually winning the WWE Championship later that same year.
#2 AJ Styles vs Shane McMahon (WWE WrestleMania 33)
In addition to several WWE achievements during his career, AJ Styles got to open a WrestleMania event. The former WWE Champion started the WrestleMania 33 pay-per-view event against Shane McMahon in 2017.
Despite Shane McMahon's propensity for gimmick matches, his clash against AJ Styles was a traditional wrestling match. The storyline heading into the match between AJ Styles and Shane McMahon was that the SmackDown commissioner was unable to out-wrestle the former WWE Champion.
Without the use of weapons, Hell in a Cells, trash cans or announce tables, Shane McMahon was useless in the eyes of The Phenomenal One. Before the bout, it's fair to say that most within the WWE Universe probably agreed with AJ Styles' assessment.
However, the match that opened WrestleMania was a pleasant surprise to fans in the stadium and those watching at home. Shane McMahon and AJ Styles began with traditional technical wrestling before a referee bump opened up the use of trash cans and other weapons. Ironically, these were introduced by AJ Styles.
The match culminated in Shane McMahon attempting to hit a shooting star press off the top rope but missing. AJ Styles then hit McMahon with a devastating Phenomenal Forearm for his first ever WrestleMania victory.
The match was far better than many imagined it would be and was arguably the best contest of the night. It is certainly up there among the best WrestleMania opening matches in history.
#1 AJ Styles vs The Undertaker - Boneyard Match (WWE WrestleMania 36)
AJ Styles' first WWE WrestleMania main event came during Night 1 of WrestleMania 36 in 2020. Originally, AJ Styles was set to face The Undertaker in front of a sold-out capacity crowd at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida for WrestleMania 36.
However, due to the global pandemic, WWE was forced to move WrestleMania to the WWE Performance Center in front of zero fans on a closed set. It was also decided that WrestleMania would be broadcast across two days.
In the build-up to WrestleMania, AJ Styles was embroiled in a bitter feud with The Undertaker. Styles even insulted The Phenom's wife Michelle McCool. This led The Undertaker to revert to the American Badass persona on WWE television.
Because of the pandemic, WWE decided to change AJ Styles and The Undertaker's WrestleMania showdown to a Boneyard Match. The showdown was shot and presented in a cinematic format as the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania 36.
The spectacle featured memorable moments like The Undertaker arriving on a motorcycle to the music of Metallica and AJ Styles being buried alive.
The match was critically acclaimed by fans and professional wrestlers alike. It also marked The Undertaker's final WWE match before officially announcing his retirement later that year.
It was arguably the best match of WrestleMania 36 and the best Undertaker match in years. It was a fitting send-off for The Phenom and proved that AJ Styles can deliver in a WrestleMania main event.
