WrestleMania 34: AJ Styles Retains WWE Championship

AJ Styles walked into WrestleMania 34 as the WWE Champion. And after an intense match with Shinsuke Nakamura, Styles walked out still the champ.

Late in the match Nakamura appeared to have the match in the bag when he set up for his Kinsasha finisher, a move he'd been teasing Styles with for weeks with his "knee to face" catchphrase. But Styles pulled off a huge counter and rolled Nakamura through, right into a Styles Clash for the victory.

The two embraced after the match, and Nakamura got down on one knee as he presented the title to his opponent. But in a shocking turn of events, Nakamura then nailed Styles with a low blow. The Japanese superstar solidified his heel turn by knocking Styles out with a vicious beatdown.

The two had a long history entering the match, stretching back to their bout at WrestleKingdom 10 at the Toyko Dome in 2016, where Nakamura successfully defended his IWGP Intercontinental Championship against the then-Bullet Club leader in Styles. The two both made the jump to WWE in 2016, with Styles making a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble while Nakamura arrived several months later at NXT TakeOver: Dallas.

Despite being on the same roster for over a year, the two never crossed paths on SmackDown Live with the exception of a staredown during the Money in the Bank ladder match in June.

Nakamura finally earned his shot at a world championship by winning the Royal Rumble match in January, eliminating the likes of John Cena, Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns.

Styles won the WWE Championship for the second time in his career back in November when he dethroned Jinder Mahal on an episode of SmackDown Live.

"The Phenomenal One" made history in the process by becoming the first man to win WWE's most prestigious championship overseas. In the months leading up to WrestleMania, Styles successfully defended his tile in a handicap match against Zayn and Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble, then in a six-pack challenge at Fastlane against Cena, Owens, Zayn, Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler.

Styles was one of only three champions to successfully retain their titles at WrestleMania 34. Charlotte Flair managed to make the undefeated Asuka tap out to her Figure Eight submission to hold on to her SmackDown Live Women's Championship, while Brock Lesnar retained the Universal Championship in a bloody main event with Roman Reigns.

WWE's next pay-per-view, Backlash, takes place on May 6 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.