WrestleMania 34 predictions: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

With WrestleMania 34 all set to invade the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana this coming Sun., April 8, 2018, live on pay-per-view (PPV) and the WWE Network, it's time to go about making predictions for the biggest show of the year. The match card is filled out and our staff of learned blowhards will give their best guess on who is going to emerge victorious this weekend.

But instead of doing this all in one post and giving you a wall of text and 5,000 words to read through, we'll give the top matches their own post, then cover the undercard.

Got it? Good.

Let’s go:

AJ STYLES VS. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

Geno Mrosko: If you win the Royal Rumble, especially as a babyface, you go on to win the title at WrestleMania. I have zero statistical evidence to back up this claim but I absolutely feel it should be the case. There are questions regarding AJ’s health, considering his recent knee injury, but we know they have great chemistry together. I wonder how much time they’ll be given. Considering the crowd, the atmosphere should be electric. This is going to be fun, and I fully expect a new champion crowned. Pick: Shinsuke Nakamura

Sean Rueter: Both because this feels like a now-or-never moment for Nak’s WWE career after the decision to put Jinder over him repeatedly last year and since it seems like maybe AJ could use a little down time to heal up from various injuries... Pick: Shinsuke Nakamura

Kyle Decker: This is a tough one, partially because there hasn’t been a huge build to point one direction or another. Plus, there’s this lingering issue with AJ that could affect the outcome. Is he good enough to work Mania but may need to take some time afterwards? I’m going to forget the injury for a moment since there’s not enough known about it and pick Styles. I just have a gut impression that they love Styles and while they like Nak, they’re not as all in on him. Pick: AJ Styles

Rev. Claire: So this is a tricky one. A few weeks ago I would have definitely said Nakamura would win, but then two things happened. One, the story of the match has gradually come to be about Nakamura’s confidence shaking Styles and getting in his head with all his “knee to the face” rhetoric. And two, Daniel Bryan got cleared to wrestle, and we all know that Shinsuke’s big number one WWE dream match is against the American Dragon. Not that there’s any reason for that match to not be for the WWE Championship when it happens, of course, but I dunno. Both together have me thinking that maybe the story here is AJ avenging his defeat at Wrestle Kingdom 10 and walking out as WWE Champion. Pick: AJ Styles

Cain A. Knight: The story behind this match seems rather boring and underwhelming, so I’ll have to settle on the action in the ring delivering the goods. After a year of mediocrity, it’s time for Nakamura to have an incredible jaw-dropping match on the main roster to remind everyone of his apparent greatness. If he can’t do that with AJ Styles, then there really isn’t much hope that he will ever set the world on fire in WWE. Styles’ health seems to be questionable right now, so I’ll go ahead and pick Nakamura as the winner. Regardless of who wins, Daniel Bryan hopefully won’t be too far behind to challenge the WWE Champion next. Pick: Shinsuke Nakamura

Pete Sweeney: This may go without saying, but to me, the title bout between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura is the odds-on favorite for match of the night. With this duo, the performance level being so high is kind of a curse—I think anything other than an outstanding match will be a disappointment to fans. Styles has been at it since 1998 and now WWE since 2016, and I believe he’s finally to a point among WWE fans in which he really doesn’t need a title. Nakamura does, and for that reason I think he goes over and starts the new wrestling year on top of Smackdown Live. Cue the “You Deserve It” chants. Pick: Shinsuke Nakamura

That’s what we think. What about you?