AJ Styles to Face Shinsuke Nakamura at Saturday Night’s Main Event
AJ Styles is scheduled to risk his career against GUNTHER at the royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next weekend. Prior to that high-stakes match, Styles will compete against long-time rival Shinsuke Nakamura.
During a recent episode of “WWE SmackDown,” General Manager Nick Aldis invited Styles to the show after learning of his gamble with his career. Aldis revealed that Nakamura requested a meeting with Styles backstage. Nakamura questioned Styles’ willingness to potentially loose everything at the Rumble, and challenged him to prove he is still “Phenomenal” before facing GUNTHER. Styles accepted, setting up a match at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Styles and Nakamura have a significant history, dating back to their time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). They delivered a critically acclaimed match at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 2016, and competed in three additional tag team matches in Japan.After both wrestlers signed with WWE, they where kept apart for over a year before beginning a feud in 2018, sparked by Nakamura’s Royal Rumble victory.They clashed at WrestleMania 34 and in five subsequent televised singles matches. Their most recent encounter was on an episode of “SmackDown” in May 2020.
The match is the fourth contest announced for the Saturday Night’s Main Event card. The event will be headlined by a four-way match to determine the first challenger for Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s title. Other matches include Cody Rhodes versus Jacob Fatu,and a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship bout featuring Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY defending against Liv morgan and Roxanne Perez of Judgment Day.
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