The Main Event: AJ Styles vs Shawn Michaels

[Davey Wrestling]

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to THE MAIN EVENT, a new series of threads from myself where WE, the members of Wrestling Smarks determine who would and should win a wrestling match between two of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

The concept is this: This is a one off Wrestlemania showcase match featuring the two competitors involved in their prime. You decide the winner and tell us why you would have them win. Simple!

So, our first match up: AJ Styles vs Shawn Michaels - who do you have as the winner? Why?

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[Chris]

Whoever the heel is wins bc of outside interference obviously

 

[Hoss]

This is a "WrestleMania showcase" match? Well, I think that makes the choice a lot easier for me. I have to go with "Mr. WrestleMania" himself in this instance.

Obviously the two are very close as far as their talent level is concerned. AJ might even be the slightly better overall performer but HBK is arguably the best big match performer ever, and thrives when the stakes are the highest. AJ's track record at major events is spotty at best. Going back to TNA, his Bound for Glory matches never were much to write home about. He had one Wrestle Kingdom match which was actually quite brilliant, as well as a Final Battle match against Jay Lethal that delivered. But then we come to WWE. AJ hasn't had a standout WrestleMania match yet (unless you want to put the Boneyard Match up there, but I don't). They even set the stage for him to do something memorable against Nakamura and it ended up tanking. So far in his WrestleMania career he's 2-2 with 3 highly forgettable matches. He's had slightly better luck at SummerSlam, but that isn't enough to make up ground I feel.

Now granted Michaels actually has a losing record at WrestleMania but his matches against Jericho, Undertaker, Cena, Hart, Flair, Triple H and Benoit pretty much put him in a league of his own and I think you have to consider the quality of opponent when you're assessing that record. Michaels has some of the greatest triumphs ever at the grand stage, but even in defeat he still looks like one of the best to ever do it.

 

[Apoho Creed]

Man Prime vs Prime this would be hella entertaining. Fans like us would have headaches watching these two try to follow those two flying around the Ring with no care in the World. I would say once that energy is blown off from both of them and it got tough, I trust AJ and his Submission Game to stop HBK when he makes one high risk too many.

 

[Dale]

All I can picture from this is AJ is primed on the outside of the ring, ready to leap in and hit the Phenomenal Forearm, old style camera flashes are going off like crazy in the background as Shawn nails him with SCM, ala Shelton Benjamin.

 

[Chris]

All I can picture from this is AJ is primed on the outside of the ring, ready to leap in and hit the Phenomenal Forearm, old style camera flashes are going off like crazy in the background as Shawn nails him with SCM, ala Shelton Benjamin.

And then AJ kicks at two

 

[Davey Wrestling]

For me, AJ has always been the equivalent of HBK, but for the current era. - Allow me to explain; back in the day HBK was the smaller main event guy that was flying around and putting on ridiculously good matches but, for me, never was much of a promo. And that's where AJ is.

The difference is that AJ had that Phenomenal run of work through the X-Division into the heavyweight picture in TNA where everybody could see he was special but he never seemed to get enough time to prove it. And then he went to New Japan and did just that.

Michaels for his part has been involved in some good moments, including probably one of the most remembered of all time when Marty Jannety tried to dive through the barber shop window to escape from him and had a good, cocky character, but I don't think his body of work holds up to Styles - certainly in the style that the majority of modern fans might find entertaining.

Having said that, HBK makes for a more engaging character - but for a one off dream match, that's kind of irrelevant (IMO)

For me, Styles is the best in ring wrestler of the modern era. Better than Bryan, better than Michaels and right up there with the likes of Bret Hart and Benoit, and for that reason, I put Styles over.

 

[Pat]

HBK because he would have a problem putting over someone like AJ.

 

[Mitch Buchannon]

One of them is one of the best wrestlers of all time and the other is Shawn Michaels, AJ for me easily