WWE News: WWE Planning Huge Match For AJ Styles At ‘WrestleMania 33’ Against Shane McMahon
No one has been better in WWE over the past year than AJ Styles, so WWE officials are planning something big for him that the WWE Universe isn’t expecting. Until recently, Styles was getting the short end of the stick as far as his position on the card for WrestleMania 33 is concerned before WWE officials made some major changes to the card. For awhile, it seemed like AJ was being pushed aside for the John Cena vs. Undertaker match.
As of this writing, The Phenomenal One is set to defend the WWE Championship against John Cena at the WWE Royal Rumble in two weeks. The expectation is that Styles will be dropping the WWE Championship to Cena at the PPV, but WWE’s plans after the title change are unknown. However, we don’t know if that is even the plan anymore after Vince McMahon canceled Cena vs. Undertaker, so where does that leave Styles?
The WWE Universe is behind AJ Styles after his first year in WWE and is said to be pushing hard on social media for him to be part of the main event of WrestleMania as a reward. Unfortunately, it’s being reported that Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar III is penciled in as the main event of the show, but WWE has big plans for Styles heading into the grandest stage of them all, and he may have an opponent almost no one saw coming.
Last year at WrestleMania 32, Shane McMahon had one of the most unpredictable and exciting matches on the show against The Undertaker. It was a losing effort for Shane O’Mac, but his high dive off the top of the Hell in a Cell gave him the unconditional support of the WWE Universe. Since April, he’s been working as the commissioner of SmackDown Live, and his presence may even be causing some tension backstage.
On SmackDown, Shane competed with Team SmackDown in the five-on-five Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team match against Raw at WWE Survivor Series. WWE wanted Shane O’Mac included in the match to help boost the numbers for the PPV for WWE. He ended up taking a rough bump during the match, but SmackDown was victorious. Now, WrestleMania is around the corner, and Shane’s status is unknown.
The only update we’ve had for Shane McMahon heading into WrestleMania 33 is that he would be wrestling on the grandest stage of them all, but WWE officials were still trying to find him an opponent. Originally, it was rumored that WWE was planning a feud between Brock Lesnar and Shane. However, Goldberg’s return to WWE has Lesnar busy through WrestleMania 33, so WWE officials had to find him another opponent.
After this week’s changes to the WrestleMania 33 card, it’s being reported that WWE officials have penciled in AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon for the grandest stage of them all. On paper, this rivalry could work really well for SmackDown. AJ Styles is arguably WWE’s best heel and Shane has the universal love of the WWE Universe, so their pairing makes for a good dynamic, especially if Styles turns up his heel persona and talk.
The buildup to McMahon vs. Styles is something that could be a lot of fun over WrestleMania season. Their feud would likely start after AJ loses the WWE Championship to John Cena at the WWE Royal Rumble. He could blame Daniel Bryan and Shane for putting him in that match in the first place and progress the feud naturally from there. In the ring, AJ Styles would have to do the heavy lifting, but that isn’t unreasonable.
Shane McMahon’s rapport with the WWE Universe would make up for any gaps regarding in-ring ability, and AJ Styles can have a good match with anyone. What is more important is Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles could be an emotional rivalry that the WWE Universe would be absorbed in and give the WrestleMania card a strong match. If AJ Styles isn’t going to be in the WWE Championship match, this is a great substitute.
[Featured Image by WWE]
