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What’s the story?
In a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, WWE Champion AJ Styles opened up about the possibility of having a dream match against Daniel Bryan and, defending his Championship belt at WrestleMania 34 against 'The Artist' Shinsuke Nakamura.
In case you didn’t know…
As noted, earlier on in the month, WWE doctors finally decided to medically clear former four-time WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan and thus, allowed him to compete and wrestle in the ring for the first time in almost two and a half years.
Bryan’s return to in-ring competition, has certainly opened up about the possibility of many potential dream matches within the WWE, that we the fans could witness within the next few years or so.
The heart of the matter
While speaking with Justin Barrasso, AJ Styles discussed a host of wrestling related topics and below are the highlights from the interview:
According to AJ Styles, his forthcoming clash against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 is certainly going to be a special occasion among the entire Pro Wrestling industry, due to the fact that the entire wrestling world is yet to witness a showdown between Styles and Nakamura inside a WWE ring.
"This match is special because we've yet to see it in WWE. The only other time we were in the ring together was more than two years ago [in New Japan Pro Wrestling]. We gave people a taste in the "Money in the Bank" match, and that moment let everyone in the back know how special this match could be. The fans responded by asking for this match, and I want to give it to them. Shinsuke won the Royal Rumble, so now we have that opportunity."
Additionally, Styles also noted, that both Nakamura and Styles are more than capable of doing some absolutely amazing stuff inside the squared circle and, after mixing the two elements of Styles and Nakamura’s in-ring capabilities, the outcome will certainly turn out to be something special.
When asked about the possibility of a dream match against Daniel Bryan, Styles responded by stating that he is not sure about the fact, as to when he will get to share the ring with Daniel Bryan.
However, in addition, Styles claimed that there are guys like Randy Orton, Finn Balor, and Seth Rollins with whom 'The Phenomenal One' has to step into the ring with on a second occasion. But, now that Daniel Bryan is indefinitely cleared to compete, the former WWE World Champion is also in line.
"Shoot, now that he's cleared, who knows when Daniel Bryan and I will have the opportunity to get in the ring together? But who knows when I'll get in the ring with Seth Rollins, or again with Finn Balor, or even Randy Orton? There are guys I have yet to get in the ring with, but now that Daniel Bryan is cleared and ready, he's in line.”
What’s next?
AJ Styles will defend the WWE Title against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 on the 8th of April, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Author’s Take
A match between Styles and Daniel Bryan is something fans have been wanting to see for a long, long time and now that Bryan is finally cleared to compete, the right choice from here onwards will be to book the two men in a marquee main-event in one of WWE’s biggest shows of the year, most notably at this year’s SummerSlam or next year at WrestleMania 35.
