Shinsuke Nakamura Turns Heel On AJ Styles To Begin A Much-Needed Story

The dream match. A rematch of an instant classic match at Wrestle Kingdom. AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34. And it ended in shocking fashion.

When Shinsuke Nakamura eliminated Roman Reigns in the 2018 Royal Rumble to earn a shot at AJ Styles’s WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34, we know something special was on the horizon. When Styles successfully defended that title at Fastlane against five other men, one of them being John Cena, we knew that the dream match was inevitable.

Some fans complained about the slower pace of the match, but Nakamura and Styles were given slightly less time and left a little bit in the tank for a reason. Because after Styles countered Nakamura’s Kinsasha Knee Strike and hit the Styles Clash for the win, the real story began.

I mean, the match itself was excellent, don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t quite the five-star classic some fans were hoping for, but it was worth well over four stars, which is more than good enough. There were some fantastic sequences, and Nakamura’s selling of a left knee injury was a highlight.

Credit: WWE Universe on Twitter

At one point, Nakamura was in the calf crusher with the injury, but he countered it into a triangle. Styles got out of this submission by picking Nakamura up and hitting him with a devastating package piledriver, one of a few moves that both wrestlers pulled out of the deepest pocket of their arsenals.

So the match was solid, no doubt about it. But the ending was truly brilliant. In the build to this match, Styles and Nakamura protected each other and often spoke about how they wanted the other at 100% so they could put on a dream match as an encore to what they did in Japan. And in the build, Nakamura confidently spoke about how Styles would lose because he’s too emotional.

Nakamura was the emotional one.

Because when Nakamura lost, he stood with Styles as a sign of respect and they lightly embraced. Nakamura then grabbed the WWE Championship from the referee, went down on his knees, and handed it to his friend.

He only did it so Styles would be vulnerable, leaving his legs open for a low blow and a heel turn that shocked the world.

Credit: WWE WrestleMania on Twitter

Out of all the turns that could have happened, Nakamura’s was the most shocking, but it may have been the most necessary. Even though he’s charismatic and has an incredible pedigree coming from Japan, some fans still aren’t sold on him. They don’t understand the hype. They think he’s boring. They think he’s only good at wrestling.

Being a heel against a beloved, respected babyface champion whom he has history with in Styles is the perfect way to get people to realize that the 2018 Royal Rumble winner is more than just hype. There’s a reason why he was one of the biggest stars in NJPW. There’s a reason why he was a two-time NXT Champion. There’s a reason why he beat John Cena and Randy Orton mere months into his main roster call-up.

Nakamura has a world of potential, and that potential is best realized with his heel turn. He was at his best in Japan as a menacing, merciless striker. He’s a wrestling machine. He’ll take your head off with his knee. He’ll rip your arm out of its socket in submission holds or choke the life out of you with a triangle.

This Nakamura heel turn opens up a whole new world for the King of Strong Style, because, well, it will actually let him be the King of Strong Style. He’ll be able to live and breath a character that is equal parts mystical and scary with more than just a hint of brutality.

There’s a reason why Styles vs. Nakamura wasn’t a 30-minute instant classic worked at a fast pace with nearfalls and blinding counters. It was more “good” than “great”, simply because it was a teaser for what’s to come. That WrestleMania 34 dream match was a tease, because it was merely the first chapter in the Nakamura/Styles story on the main roster. The dream match was a ruse; it was Nakamura crushing Styles’s heart.

Next: WrestleMania 34 Live Review, Highlights, Grades, and Analysis

Although Nakamura wanted this match and lost, his turn on Styles means that he’s not in AJ’s shadow as “his friend who wants the championship”. He’s a threat in the WWE now, and there’s more than a good chance that these two will finish with a trilogy of matches, capping off with an exceptionally great bout when Nakamura finally defeats AJ to capture WWE Championship gold.

Get ready for one of the wildest rides and one of the best stories of 2018, because the WWE has a license to print money if they capitalize on this.