AJ Styles and 4 other WWE Superstars who surprisingly lost their first WrestleMania match

Competing on the grand stage of WrestleMania is an honor for every WWE Superstar. Every professional wrestler aims to perform at the Show of Shows so their name is etched in history books forever.

While some superstars get to give their careers a massive boost with a victory in their first-ever WrestleMania match, not every wrestler gets that privilege.

In this article, let's look at five WWE Superstars who surprisingly lost their first WrestleMania match.

#5. Sting lost to Triple H at WWE WrestleMania 31

After not signing with Vince McMahon's promotion for almost two decades, Sting finally made his much-awaited WWE debut in 2014.

His first feud was against Triple H, who was one of the most despised heels at the time. It was surprising to see Sting go after The Game, as people wanted him to challenge The Undertaker on his debut.

The two icons clashed at WrestleMania 31, a contest that turned out to be better than expected. After The Stinger applied the Scorpion Death Lock on Triple H, De-generation X came out to make the save.

In a shocking turn of events, The nWo arrived to even the odds for their WCW rival. The struggle between the two factions continued for a while before Shawn Michaels appeared to lay down The Vigilante with a Sweet Chin Music.

Triple H proceeded to hit Sting in the face with the Sledgehammer, resulting in a hard-fought victory for The Game. Sadly, this was the one and only Wrestlemania Sting ever competed in.

#4. Shinsuke Nakamura failed to capture the WWE title at WrestleMania 34

Shinsuke Nakamura won the Royal Rumble 2018 to ensure he got a world title opportunity in his first WrestleMania appearance. The Japanese star chose AJ Styles as his opponent, confirming a highly-awaited dream match.

People expected WWE to create a new superstar by having Styles lose his title at the Show of Shows. However, WWE never had any plans to put the WWE Championship on the King of Strong Style.

Those who wanted to see the former NXT Champion's coronation as the new face of WWE were highly disappointed at WrestleMania 34.

After an underwhelming contest, The Phenomenal One defeated Shinsuke Nakamura with a Styles Clash. This loss derailed all the momentum that Nakamura had built in the last few months.

Since then, the Japanese star has competed in only one WrestleMania match, which also ended in a defeat.

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#3. Kevin Owens failed to retain his Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 32

Kevin Owens walked into WrestleMania 32 as the reigning Intercontinental Champion.

Unlike others on this list, Kevin Owens' first Mania match wasn't a singles contest, as he had to defend his title in a seven-man ladder match. Despite the circumstances, Owens was confident that he would turn the Show of Shows into "The KO-Mania."

However, Kevin's arch-nemesis, Sami Zayn, made sure that the champion does not leave the AT&T Stadium with the title. In the end, Zack Ryder pushed The Miz off the top of the ladder to pick up a shocking victory.

#2. Kane lost his first WrestleMania match against The Undertaker

Debuting at the 1997 Bad Blood pay-per-view, Kane left a lasting impression on everyone's mind by attacking The Undertaker. The act of breaking the steel cage door with his bare hands quickly established Kane as WWE's resident monster.

At WrestleMania 14, The Big Red Machine collided with his brother in a highly-intense match. It was probably the first time someone made The Deadman look vulnerable at the Grandest Stage of Them All.

The demonic superstar proved to be a perfect match for his brother's strength. He even kicked out of the Tombstone Piledriver, making fans believe he was the one to end the streak.

Although he was stunned by Kane's resilience, The Undertaker still found a way to take down the Devil's Favorite Demon. A couple of vicious moves, followed by another Tombstone Piledriver, allowed The Deadman to topple Kane in the latter's first WrestleMania match.

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#1. AJ Styles lost to Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 32

Like Kevin Owens, AJ Styles also made his WrestleMania debut in the 32nd edition of the event.

His opponent was Chris Jericho, who betrayed The Phenomenal One a few weeks ago. Although Styles already had a couple of victories over his opponent, the stakes were much higher this time.

AJ had never competed before on the WrestleMania stage, which gave Jericho an edge over his opponent. Their match turned out to be an exciting one, filled with fast-paced action and innovative reversals.

On a couple of occasions, it seemed like AJ would pull off the unthinkable by pinning the Y2J. Ultimately, Styles succumbed to a mid-air Codebreaker from Jericho, leading to his defeat.