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  • WrestleMania 34 WWE Championship match: AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura, winners, video highlights and analysis

WrestleMania 34 WWE Championship match: AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura, winners, video highlights and analysis

By Gary Cassidy
Modified Apr 09, 2018 09:06 IST
The d
The dream match finally happened!

Well, was there ever any doubt? This match was incredible.

Before that, though, we saw one of the greatest WrestleMania entrances of all time when Alice Cooper's guitarist Nita Strauss and a huge string section played in Shinsuke Nakamura - an entrance befitting the Rockstar.

AJ Styles got a pretty phenomenal entrance himself, too, with a plethora of pyro ushering the WWE Champion to the ring.

As expected, this match had the crowd whipped into a frenzy from the get-go. The match started with both men locking up, but both men starting in extremely cautious fashion.

This match had everything you'd expect and then some. Ridiculously hard-hitting stuff, with some stiff forearms from AJ and the Rockstar more than making up for it with his strong style kicking. The first man to be dropped was Nakamura when Styles gave him a "knee to the face" of his own - a phrase the Rockstar had mocked the champion with.

Styles was in no mood for playing as he was ferocious from the start, hitting Shinsuke with a backbreaker and a snapmare before showing Nakamura that he could use his legs as effective weapons too.

This one got very interesting when Shinsuke ended up on the outside, but before Styles could take advantage, a kick to the shin flattened Styles and balanced the match. These two men know each other very well, so it's no surprise that timing was EVERYTHING throughout this match. They brought the physicality and told a great story - but the timing definitely made it all that much more effective.

Nakamura placed Styles on the top rope before kneeing him right in the ribs, but the Rockstar only managed a two count.

The Royal Rumble winner took control, suplexing Styles then locking in a front face lock, but Styles countered from the reverse exploder and planted Nakamura face first on the mat. Styles hit Nakamura with a forearm and got a two count of his own.

In a battle as psychological as it was physical, this match was very dynamic, switching tempo relentlessly. Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm, only for Nakamura to counter it, catching and dropping Styles for another near fall.

Nakamura planted Styles on the top rope and hit him with a kick before taking to the top himself, but Styles blocked the Superplex, slipped through the legs of Nakamura and went for the powerbomb - neither man could gain control but Styles landed a critical blow to Nakamura's knee, then identified the weakness by going for the Calf Crusher.

Nakamura countered into a triangle choke hold, and while Styles tried to counter, Nakamura wore down his opponent. Style eventually managed to lift his opponent though and drive him into the mat. AJ tried to go for the Styles Clash, only for his back to give out on him - and Nakamura hit back with some kicks, only to feel the effects of the earlier knee injury.

Nakamura placed Styles on the turnbuckle and went for the knee, but AJ avoided the attack and Nakamura kneed the turnbuckle. With the contender moving gingerly, Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm, but only got the two count.

We saw a great deal more physicality too - with some truly phenomenal moves keeping up the tempo. Nakamura picked up the pace and overpowered Styles to change the direction of the match.

AJ went back to the inside and tried a springboard 450, but Shinsuke got his knees up and managed another near fall.

Nakamura went for the kick, but AJ Styles rolled through and hit the Styles Clash to pick up the win and retain his title.

It was what happened after the match, though, that was truly phenomenal. Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles embraced, before Nakamura bowed to the champion, still selling the knee injury from earlier. He handed Styles the title and, with The Phenomenal One holding the belt aloft, struck AJ with a low blow then viciously attacked the WWE Champion to end a great match with a bang.

Result: AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura

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