From the opening bell, Styles charged at Nakamura and hurled him around the outside of the ring. The Phenomenal One kept up his level of aggression for a good stretch.
An errant running splash left Styles vulnerable, however.
Nakamura used creative, destructive offense to hurt the champ. With a smirk on his face, he laid into Styles again and again.
The King of Strong Style withstood Styles' flurries and remained focus, in control and relentless.
He introduced a steel chair into the mix, a move that left Styles bloody. The Phenomenal One fought through the injury and traded low blows with his rival.
When neither man could stand, the referee stopped the bout.
The referee rules the match a no-contest. Styles retains the WWE Championship as a result.
Memorable Moments and Quotes
- Fans chant "Main event!"
- Nakamura flings Styles into and over the ring steps.
- "'The King of Strong Style' wasn't just something Nakamura thought of to put on T-shirts."—Corey Graves.
- Nakamura leaps from the second rope and nails Styles in the chest with a knee.
- Nakamura hits a reverse exploder suplex onto a chair.
- A flying steel chair cuts open Styles' cheek.
- Both kick each other in the crotch at the same time.
A transformed Nakamura flourished in a grinding clash that was hurt by a non-conclusive ending that followed a non-conclusive ending at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
This was vicious and the two rivals clicked. The finish, though, let out much of the air. A WWE title match that leaves the arena buzzing with boos is never a good thing.
It's bizarre, too, to put Reigns in the headline spot rather than the WWE Championship contest. That will only further antagonize his detractors.
