WWE News: Backstage Impressions Of AJ Styles & How Long His WWE World Championship Run Will Last
AJ Styles is arguably the best wrestler on the planet, so it goes without saying that he may be the best performer in the WWE today. His quick ascent to the top of the WWE food chain in 2016 has not come as a surprise to his faithful followers who watched him thrive in TNA, New Japan, and various promotions all over the world. But only recently has the WWE softened a previously hard stance on signing (and pushing) talents like AJ Styles.
Styles has certainly made the most of his opportunities in less than nine months under the mainstream bright lights of Vince McMahon’s WWE. A memorable debut at the Royal Rumble, a classic match with Chris Jericho on WrestleMania‘s biggest stage ever, main events with Roman Reigns, and a reunion (albeit brief) with The Club set the stage for AJ’s first championship victory when he defeated Dean Ambrose this past Sunday to become the new WWE World Champion.
Earlier this week, we reported that the decision to put Styles over Ambrose at Backlash and the finish to their main event match only started leaking out Friday morning, two days before the event. It was clear that there was plenty of debate behind the scenes as to who should have won, due in large part to the fact that Ambrose had been the champion for less than three months.
But they pulled the trigger and green-lit AJ Styles as the new champion, solidifying his current gimmick infringement of “The Face That Runs The Place.” That slogan, of course, previously belonged to John Cena, who had been absent from WWE programming since falling to Styles at SummerSlam until Tuesday night’s episode of SmackDown Live. AJ now claims that not only is he “The Face That Runs The Place,” but his title gives him the credentials to add “The Champ That Runs The Camp’ to his resume.”
And according to Cageside Seats, current plans call for AJ to hold on to the WWE World Championship for quite a while, and presumably, much longer than Ambrose did. Dean fell into an opportune spot back in June, cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to become the new champion because Roman Reigns violated the WWE Wellness Policy, and in effect, relinquished the title and his top spot on the roster.
But even though the fans received Ambrose with a great deal more warmth than they did Reigns, Dean never quite clicked in that coveted position at the top of the ladder. AJ’s success as the number one contender at Payback and Extreme Rules paved the way for him to return to the main event a few months down the line, and it certainly didn’t hurt that his summer angle with John Cena was arguably the most compelling content in the entire company.
Styles has continued to impress Vince and other WWE officials backstage, and it’s been noted in the past that Vince had wished he signed The Phenomenal One ten years before he finally arrived. Now that he’s the champ, the plan is to keep it that way.
On Tuesday’s SmackDown, Shane McMahon announced that Styles would defend the WWE World Title against both Cena and Ambrose in a triple threat match at No Mercy on October 9. Shane also made sure to mention that Ambrose will also get his rightful one-on-one rematch at some point down the line as well. So there are several factors that make Styles’ reign somewhat clear if everything stays in place.
We noted that Cena is scheduled to take time off again shortly after No Mercy, and his commitments to FOX would likely force him to miss WWE television for the remainder of 2016. That all but assures that Cena won’t be winning the triple threat. With Shane assuring Ambrose of a singles rematch with AJ Styles, it’s logical to deduce that the two will resume their feud after Cena departs, culminating at either Survivor Series in November or TLC in December.
Survivor Series will be the second pay-per-view that will feature matches and superstars from both brands, while TLC will mark SmackDown Live‘s third brand-exclusive show of this new era. Should Styles continue to get by Ambrose, the next most likely challenger would be Randy Orton. Obviously, Orton would still need to be cleared to wrestle after the concussion he suffered at the hands of Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, but that is expected soon so that he can continue his program with Bray Wyatt.
In the past, Orton and Styles both stated their desire to work with one another, and there were plans in place at one point to book a program between the two. Orton’s injuries and Styles’ ascension delayed anything for this past summer, but there’s a good chance those plans could kick back into gear to close out 2016, open up 2017, or both.
[Image via WWE]
