Well, it's happening. Two years ago, at New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual January 4th Wrestle Kingdom show, AJ Styles challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. They tore the house down in a match that most certainly lived up to the hype. Mere hours later, it became apparent that both men would be making the move across the pacific to set foot in WWE. Styles debuted in the 2016 Royal Rumble in a (sort of) surprise while Nakamura was built up as the biggest acquisition in NXT history.

Fast forward to 2018: AJ Styles is the WWE Champion for the second time and the face of the SmackDown brand, unequivocally the best in-ring performer plying his trade on a regular basis. Shinsuke Nakamura, after a medicore run atop NXT and an underwhelming roll-out on the main roster, has won the 2018 (Men's) Royal Rumble match. As is their destiny, both men shall face each other on WWE's grandest stage, this time with Nakamura challenging Styles for his championship. Its being called a 'dream match' (as much as something that's already taken place with both men at peak powers can be called a dream match) and is essentially the 'hardcore' fanbase's main event.

Frankly, we all have high expectations for this. As I alluded to earlier, Nakamura hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire, even after winning the Royal Rumble, while Styles is essentially the biggest deal on SmackDown. But when the bell rings, these men are equals. The in-ring quality should be extraordinary, regardless of what time the two men get, and that will be enough for many, but the real test for WWE is building interest and investment in this match beyond the die-hard fans. I have little faith in SmackDown, given the way the show's devolved over the past year, and its ability to achieve this, but it'll be intriguing to see how they go about building it.

As for a winner? Surely this is Nakamura's? He was a victim of the Jinder Mahal experiment and sacrificed not once, but twice at that alter. The Rumble win did a lot to reverse that damage, but winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania? That'll all but erase those issues. Styles doesn't need the win, he's had a strong run with the title and has the credibility with the fans at this stage to absorb a major loss such as this. Nakamura needs it that much more, and I sincerely hope we see him take the gold.