There is a moment in the AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura match from WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend where I nearly said out loud, “ok, this is awesome.”
And no, I didn’t chant it out all alone in my living room, but I thought it.
Styles had Nakamura deep in the Calf Killer submission and all was right in the wrestling world. Nakamura writhed in pain, but Styles stubbornly left the hold in place, even if the leg he was trying to snap in two was on the body of a close friend and respected rival.
There was emotion in that moment. As a crowd favorite, Styles had the audience cheering him on to win ahead of his retirement match against Gunther at the Royal Rumble next week. Nakamura cried out in pain and that’s when the torture really started.
While watching, you obviously felt sorry Nakamura due to the agony he was in. There was sympathy for Styles too. Being the legacy babyface that he is, it was tough watching him wrench in his hold on his rival. There was conflict inside the audience.
Bravo Michael Cole and Company
The WWE announce team at the commentary desk sold that conflict. It’s rare to see Michael Cole and Company tap into match story, but they dove in head first there. As soon as Cole analyzes Styles maintaining the Calf Killer on Nakamura, I felt something. In doing so, Cole justified the feeling that most of the crowd had and called it out to make it an official narrative point in the match. Investment created.
AJ Styles sold it too. There’s a reason why Styles is a legend in the wrestling industry and it’s not just because of flashy moves and insane pace in the ring. Styles understands how and when to emote. As Styles deeply held in his submission on Nakamura, his facial expression captured not only the aggressiveness he needed for the hold, but frustration, empathy, and disbelief. It’s as if he wanted to yell out, “I love you, so just give up already!”
Nakamura eventually escaped the hold and that generated a different emotional response. There was excitement for Nakamura’s torture being over and the counter emotion of disappointment because Styles didn’t get the job done. It was a well-timed exit and a brilliant bow on reigniting the conflicted feelings both wrestlers wanted the audience to have.
I say all of this because it was an awesome moment and a fantastic match on an otherwise forgettable Saturday Night’s Main Event show. It was special for Styles because he’s likely set to retire in under a week after he loses to Gunther at the Royal Rumble. Seeing him have a match of this caliber for potentially the last time is something to remember.
The bigger story
Shinsuke Nakamura is the bigger story here. Nakamura isn’t retiring in a week. That guy is still going to be cashing WWE checks the rest of the year and the match this weekend was a reminder of just how good he can be.
There was a reason WWE wanted him so badly nearly nine years ago. Nakamura can work. He’s got a unique athleticism physically in the ring, but can emote and sell as good as anyone. Just look at the Calf Killer submission spot from above. Nakamura does his part in getting this over because of the panic in his eyes and demeanor as he struggles to escape Styles.
It’s the bigger story because we don’t see this much from Nakamura anymore. Due to his age and apparent lack of inspiration, Nakamura has become a one to two note gimmick wrestler, who’s place has been losing at the bottom of the card. If he can find this gear more often, not only will WWE fans get a treat for his final career stanza in the ring, but WWE will have an over enough star that they can put in elevated positions to draw some money.
Maybe a title feud against Drew McIntyre? Cody Rhodes perhaps? Gunther is certainly someone that looms over him just as he does Styles. How about Gunther vs. Nakamura in a retirement match down the road?
Who cares where this Nakamura has been?
WWE has options with Nakamura because he can still go in the way he did on Saturday night. Who knows where it’s been the last five plus years, but who cares? We all saw it this weekend.
Nakamura looked motivated. Was it the Styles retirement factor? Of course that played a part in it. However, if having something to sink his teeth into can pull out these kinds of performances, I want to see a full WWE Unreal episode next season that shows all the WWE writer talking heads debating and building a list of “what do we got for Nakamura.”
Like Styles, Nakamura’s career clock is ticking. Like Styles, Nakamura isn’t going to get the company plopped on his back at this point in time. And like Styles, he can make things matter to WWE fans.
Hopefully, Saturday was just the beginning of the end.
What was your favorite match on from WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
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