AJ Styles After Chris Jericho

[Jack-Hammer]

As it looks like we're going to have Styles vs. Jericho IV for WrestleMania rather than them being involved in the IC title match, the most obvious question is: where does AJ Styles go after his feud with Chris Jericho ends?

While we all thought, for a while at least, that the program was over, this match will probably be the last in their series after which I expect Jericho will disappear again for a good long while and WWE will be left with putting Styles on a different path. I think the two most likely paths for Styles involve going after either the Intercontinental or United States Championships. He's had a couple of brilliant matches on television with Kevin Owens so going after Owens isn't a stretch. However, I think it's more likely that Sami Zayn will be in front of the line to take on Owens as it's a singles feud that makes the most sense; granted, I know that Vince frequently tosses logic out the window when it suits him, but I have a feeling that Owens and Zayn will feud. As for the United States Championship, I think it depends on whether or not Ryback defeats Kalisto for the title at WrestleMania, which is obviously a very real possibility. In their only outing on SmackDown a few months back, however, Kalisto scored a clean win over Ryback but with Ryback on this "a good big guy beats a good little guy every time" schtick, I can easily see Ryback capturing the title. If that's the case, then Styles is a logical opponent as he could be fitted into the "little guy" mold seeing as how he's bout 5'10" and around 210 lbs.

Another possibility is that they could have Styles sort of tread water for the next 2.5 months after WrestleMania until it's time for Money in the Bank on June 19th. The potential problem with putting Styles in that situation, particularly if he doesn't go into the match with a title or goes into it without a title and doesn't win, is that the "WWE is burying AJ Styles" bullshit is going to start up in a huge hurry. It'll be bullshit but, at the same time, Styles has a great deal of talent, fan interest continues to grow and WWE paid a lot of money to lure Styles from New Japan so it seems like a huge waste for him not to be involved in something worthwhile that leads to him making his way up the roster. By the time MITB comes around, Styles will be 39 years old so there's a strong possibility that there won't be a vast reservoir of time to get the most out of Styles before he starts going downhill. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Styles still can't be a viable asset to WWE for many years to come, but the odds are against it considering the toll it takes on a wrestler's body and that Styles has been doing it almost his entire adult life.

 

[Harthan]

I've been mulling this over a bit myself. Something that's interesting about AJ for me right now is he still has a very strong sense of otherness about him, and feuding with a part-timer like Jericho isn't helping him a ton. Watching Jericho/Styles is almost like watching a different company in some ways - they don't feel like "real" WWE guys to me. I think Styles will need to involve himself in a title feud, as you've said, to help resolve this - without going after a title, it'll just continue to make Styles seem a bit out of this world, to me. Styles with WWE gold around his waist will go a long way to resolving this problem, in my mind. His matches with KO have been a big necessity in my opinion to integrating him into the roster, and I think a prolonged campaign against KO after Mania could help him in that regard.

Tangentially regarding Kevin Owens, since you made the point about Zayn, I don't know if the WWE is very invested in the Zayn/Owens match. I wouldn't be surprised if they had the perspective that they did all they could do in NXT, and maybe they don't want to do it anymore. That said, there's also a logical progression of Payback (maybe Zayn wins at Mania) into Extreme Rules where they can have their signature ladder match. But this is too much of a digression already.

The somewhat bigger question in my mind is this: the WWE now has a huge glut of very talented guys who have never been world champion (Ambrose, KO, Styles, Wyatt come to mind). There's only so many of these guys who can get a world title reign in 2016, especially with the consideration that much of the year will be given over to Reigns and eventually Rollins as well. Short of Ambrose, who could believably win the title outright, I think you've correctly identified that Money in the Bank is the best opportunity for the rest of these guys to be elevated. Even if you isolate yourself to the three remaining guys from my short list, how do you decide which guy gets it? Should they try to extract a WWE Championship reign from AJ before it's too late? Or should they try to make one of their younger guys (KO is 31, Wyatt a shocking 28) now and set them up for a Hall of Fame tier career in the future.

The answer, of course, is to give the case to Sheamus.

Okay, no, obviously it's not that, but it's a puzzler. AJ Styles defies the traditional WWE signing in terms of age and this is the reason why - how do you set him up, long term? Or do you, even? Weirdly one of the closest comps I can think of to AJ's situation is DDP, who was something like a 35 year old rookie in WCW. DDP got three title reigns in, though all of them combined to less than a month, but this is a very different era and the WWE is not hurting for young superstars.

It pains me to say it, because I love AJ, but the WWE and others have been burned before by not making a young star before it was too late (Dolph Ziggler is a classic case). Pushing AJ to the exclusion of guys like Owens or Wyatt, other strong contenders to win MITB, in my mind, threatens the long term too much. AJ is an amazing wrestler, and I'd go crazy for an AJ MITB win into title reign, but truthfully, I think they'll be better served to go with someone like Owens for two reasons - not only what I've mentioned above about age, but also, we seem overwhelmingly likely to be looking at a long term Roman Reigns face title reign, and a heel like Owens is a much more natural fit to feud with him.

What I'm getting at is that AJ's best bet may be as holding down the midcard. It's not hard to envision, perhaps, AJ feuding with KO after Mania, taking the belt off him to free Owens for MITB. And AJ will then be looking at a new generation of great guys from NXT who he can steal the show with - Zayn now, soon Finn Balor and more. AJ helping make those guys for the next several years while he winds down his own career seems like a way better use of resources than trying to make AJ the main event in his own right. AJ who spends most of 2016 in and out of Intercontinental and US title matches and taking new wrestlers to their most outstanding matches seems like a surefire win/win - producing more classics from AJ, and seasoning a new generation for the long term.

I think I rambled too much so the short version of what I'm trying to say is that the WWE ought to keep an eye to the long term with AJ in 2016, and it's smarter to use him to get over the next generation than try to make him a main event player now.

 

[Azane]

Keep AJ as the ultimate tease on fans.
Put him in matches that involve Main eventers, those tag team matches on go home shows, those triple threats for #1 contenders, and keep having him either get screwed or just unlucky, and always being 1 beat away from the world title scene.

People will cry he's buried if he's not World Champion, use that as fuel. Treat him like Dean Ambrose has been since Survivor Series.

Give people ALMOST what they want, so they keep tuning in. They've already sort of made AJ a huge tease with the Style Clash. If he stays popular with WWE's fans (Im 99% sure he would), they can pull the trigger down the line. Money in the Bank or Royal Rumble dreams would both work (I would love if we had someone unpredictable win the Rumble that isn't being built up for it, it's been so long)

I feel like AJ's Stock drops overall once he tastes success, keep him chasing, the people who are fans of AJ's will eat it up as long as he keeps trailing.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Styles already has two clean wins over Jericho. The RIGHT thing to do is to have Jericho go over at WrestleMania, since he's lost his last two WrestleMania matches, then have Styles go on to compete for the Intercontinental or United States Championships. Win a few midcard titles over the next year or two, then move into the main event picture.

But what they WILL do is have Styles beat Jericho clean yet again, because lolTripleHsayssolol.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

First of all I think that the Styles vs Jericho match at Wrestlemania has to be an "I Quit" match, in which Styles of course wins. In no way their 4th match should be another normal wrestling match. Styles beating Y2J by making say I Quit, will give him a great Wrestlemania moment.

Now after Wrestlemania, Styles can take down 3 roads:
a) feud with Owens for the IC title. I guess this depends on how match the fans get behind Zayn vs Owens, because I think that's the feud they are going to run with for after Wrestlemania. Another scenario, sees AJ Styles beating Owens for the IC title, with Zayn's help. That puts Styles as the IC champ and also gives us Zayn vs Owens.

b) feud with Ryback for the US title. Of course Kalisto is the US Champion and I don't think he's gonna lose the match at Wrestlemania. Also, I think that the WWE has officially positioned the IC title as the #2 belt and the US title as the #3 belt, with future World Champions being IC champions (Owens, Ambrose) and the more technical wrestlers (Ziggler), while the US championship is help and challenged by midcarders. So I don't think WWE will put Styles on the US title scene.

c) feud with an upper midcarder, like Sheamus, until MITB or until Owens is done with his feud with Zayn.

My personal favourite is scenario a. Styles is definately a huge name on the international market and him being the Intercontinental Champion can do only wonders both for the belt and his career. Also Zayn costing Owens the belt can add more fuel to their feud. Plus, if Owens is title-free, it enables their feud to get more unpredictable as they can also trade some wins with each other without hot-potatoing the title.

I don't know if Styles will immediately go after the IC title. But in the end he will end up becoming the IC Champion in the next 2-3 months. That, I believe.

 

[laodaron]

Personally, I wouldn't hate Baron Corbin coming up from NXT or Austin Aries coming up from NXT, either as a heel, and either to face AJ Styles into the summer.

Corbin's anti-Indy thing would be perfect for someone like Styles to put over, since he was king of the Indies for so long.

Aries v. Styles works only because they have enough history together that smarks and casuals alike would enjoy. The problem with Aries is that the WWE just hasn't made any mention of him outside of NXT booking, and too many people wouldn't know him. But I like him because he's enough of a CM Punk copycat that if the WWE played it right, they could use to get some serious heat on him, and turn him into a top notch heel.

 

[MERPER]

This is more lazy writing by WWE creative.

They've fought 3 times already, and while they were good matches, we really need to see a 4th? What can they possibly provide differently at Wrestlemania?

Owens and Styles had 2 good matches that didn't finish clean, why not build that feud and bury Jericho elsewhere?

Complete lack of care by WWE and mismanagement of talent.

 

[Harthan]

This is more lazy writing by WWE creative.

They've fought 3 times already, and while they were good matches, we really need to see a 4th? What can they possibly provide differently at Wrestlemania?

Owens and Styles had 2 good matches that didn't finish clean, why not build that feud and bury Jericho elsewhere?

Complete lack of care by WWE and mismanagement of talent.

I think this is something of an unfair point. It's only lazy for creative to book the match again if they don't change anything, but every one of their matches has told a different story. First, AJ was debuting, and it was all about his first night. Then, Jericho just wanted his win back, and got it. Then, they needed to settle the score, but all of it was based on respect. The stakes have totally shifted now to being a personal feud not just based on Jericho's disrespect of AJ but over the line personal attacks made from Jericho to AJ. Accordingly, my guess is that the Mania match will be much more physical, with Jericho playing much more of an old school heel, Jericho disrespecting AJ verbally and cheating, while AJ can counter with a lot more physical offense that he has but hasn't shown yet (including the apparently reserved Styles Clash, which, if it's going to be a super finisher, this is the situation to use it in).

It's the transition from a war of respect to a true blood feud and I think, actually, it's one of the best set up storylines going into WrestleMania. Not every feud has to end because there were three matches and they all ended clean. AJ and Jericho have a new story to tell and as long as that's the case, why not keep booking them?

 

[laodaron]

This is more lazy writing by WWE creative.

They've fought 3 times already, and while they were good matches, we really need to see a 4th? What can they possibly provide differently at Wrestlemania?

Owens and Styles had 2 good matches that didn't finish clean, why not build that feud and bury Jericho elsewhere?

Complete lack of care by WWE and mismanagement of talent.

I can't comprehend where you're getting this from. First of all, it's pretty obvious that Jericho was brought in on this particular stint to feud with Styles and get him over and get him into the WWE style. Secondly, this makes much more sense than a rushed 2 week feud to get Styles a payday, and instead, we're going to get probably a physical brawl between the two, hopefully to show that Styles can go either way.

No matter what, it's not bad booking to have a feud go 4 fights. They've all be different, telling different stories each time.

 

[Gallops77]

First of all I think that the Styles vs Jericho match at Wrestlemania has to be an "I Quit" match, in which Styles of course wins. In no way their 4th match should be another normal wrestling match. Styles beating Y2J by making say I Quit, will give him a great Wrestlemania moment.

Now after Wrestlemania, Styles can take down 3 roads:
a) feud with Owens for the IC title. I guess this depends on how match the fans get behind Zayn vs Owens, because I think that's the feud they are going to run with for after Wrestlemania. Another scenario, sees AJ Styles beating Owens for the IC title, with Zayn's help. That puts Styles as the IC champ and also gives us Zayn vs Owens.

b) feud with Ryback for the US title. Of course Kalisto is the US Champion and I don't think he's gonna lose the match at Wrestlemania. Also, I think that the WWE has officially positioned the IC title as the #2 belt and the US title as the #3 belt, with future World Champions being IC champions (Owens, Ambrose) and the more technical wrestlers (Ziggler), while the US championship is help and challenged by midcarders. So I don't think WWE will put Styles on the US title scene.

c) feud with an upper midcarder, like Sheamus, until MITB or until Owens is done with his feud with Zayn.

My personal favourite is scenario a. Styles is definately a huge name on the international market and him being the Intercontinental Champion can do only wonders both for the belt and his career. Also Zayn costing Owens the belt can add more fuel to their feud. Plus, if Owens is title-free, it enables their feud to get more unpredictable as they can also trade some wins with each other without hot-potatoing the title.

I don't know if Styles will immediately go after the IC title. But in the end he will end up becoming the IC Champion in the next 2-3 months. That, I believe.

I tend to agree with your scenarios. Though a feud with Ryback would be terrible. Ryback is someone who should be an unstoppable US Champion after Wrestlemania. Continue him feuding with Kalisto for another month, then maybe Ziggler, and lead to a match at Summerslam with someone who can test his size and strength but he gets over.

AJ Styles feuding with Kevin Owens for the IC Title I think is the best bet too. They can work some incredible matches, especially if given time on PPV.

If he's getting into a feud with a upper mid-carder, I choose Alberto Del Rio. Better style in ring to complement Styles, and the guy is a former World Champion as well. I almost wouldn't mind him feuding with the entire League of Nations after Wrestlemania, and then brings in Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows to help fight them off.

I think getting over Jericho is the first order of business. A clean win over Jericho at Mania is a start and gets him his first feud win. He needs to be pushed on the mic more his next feud and be given a chance to shine more.

 

[MERPER]

I think this is something of an unfair point. It's only lazy for creative to book the match again if they don't change anything, but every one of their matches has told a different story. First, AJ was debuting, and it was all about his first night. Then, Jericho just wanted his win back, and got it. Then, they needed to settle the score, but all of it was based on respect. The stakes have totally shifted now to being a personal feud not just based on Jericho's disrespect of AJ but over the line personal attacks made from Jericho to AJ. Accordingly, my guess is that the Mania match will be much more physical, with Jericho playing much more of an old school heel, Jericho disrespecting AJ verbally and cheating, while AJ can counter with a lot more physical offense that he has but hasn't shown yet (including the apparently reserved Styles Clash, which, if it's going to be a super finisher, this is the situation to use it in).

It's the transition from a war of respect to a true blood feud and I think, actually, it's one of the best set up storylines going into WrestleMania. Not every feud has to end because there were three matches and they all ended clean. AJ and Jericho have a new story to tell and as long as that's the case, why not keep booking them?

Yeah cause so many are so intrigued by the rivalry taking a turn because Jericho doesn't like the fans chanting AJ Styles' name instead of his.

What an amazing curve and super intense feud. OMG they chant your name!!!

Give me a break. It's lazy writing to not have moved on to another feud by now. Plain and simple.

WWE creative makes plenty of money to do a better job than this.

 

[MERPER]

I can't comprehend where you're getting this from. First of all, it's pretty obvious that Jericho was brought in on this particular stint to feud with Styles and get him over and get him into the WWE style. Secondly, this makes much more sense than a rushed 2 week feud to get Styles a payday, and instead, we're going to get probably a physical brawl between the two, hopefully to show that Styles can go either way.

No matter what, it's not bad booking to have a feud go 4 fights. They've all be different, telling different stories each time.

You can't comprehend why I am angry that a feud has 4 fights, not one for a championship, and the major selling point is "I don't like the fans chanting your name!!!"

As I said to the other poster, WWE creative makes a lot of money to be better than this. It is complete laziness we haven't moved on from this already.

Jericho can feud with anyone on the roster (many need more work than AJ does).

AJ vs. Owens for the IC title would be MUCH better right now, if for no other reason than the IC match we're getting includes 4 guys who don't deserve consistent RAW time let alone Wrestlemania time.

 

[laodaron]

AJ vs. Owens for the IC title would be MUCH better right now, if for no other reason than the IC match we're getting includes 4 guys who don't deserve consistent RAW time let alone Wrestlemania time.

AJ v. Owens is lazy booking. There's no reason that that feud exists, and it would have been sloppy had it been thrown together 2 weeks before Mania.

 

[Harthan]

Yeah cause so many are so intrigued by the rivalry taking a turn because Jericho doesn't like the fans chanting AJ Styles' name instead of his.

What an amazing curve and super intense feud. OMG they chant your name!!!

Give me a break. It's lazy writing to not have moved on to another feud by now. Plain and simple.

WWE creative makes plenty of money to do a better job than this.

I think it's fairly clear that it's about a lot deeper than fans chanting AJ's name. Jericho is harping on that because he can't very well say what's really bothering him - that he's older and slower than he used to be, that he doesn't know how much longer he can keep doing this, and for him to, in his mind, be giving it his all and have to look at this other guy be like a better version of him and so effortlessly get the chants, that obviously infuriates him. Sure, the chanting is what triggered him, but underlying it is the subtext of Chris aging, not being the Internet darling he once was, dealing with a new era of wrestlers replacing him. He can't handle it and he's snapped. This isn't "They chant your name but I'm 100% okay otherwise", it's "They chant your name and that triggers my deep seated fear of being replaced, of not being able to entertain anymore, of not being the young lion I used to be." And it all makes perfect sense, considering this is what Chris Jericho the heel has always been - desperately trying to convince you how great he is because of his own insecurity that he isn't as good as the next guy.

That's what's really at stake for the character of Chris Jericho and it's a way more compelling motivation than many other matches taking place at WrestleMania. Sometimes creative's job is to let the subtle details tell the story, instead of having to spell it out for you. That's why they're called "creative", after all.

 

[thekooljt]

You can't comprehend why I am angry that a feud has 4 fights, not one for a championship, and the major selling point is "I don't like the fans chanting your name!!!"

As I said to the other poster, WWE creative makes a lot of money to be better than this. It is complete laziness we haven't moved on from this already.

Jericho can feud with anyone on the roster (many need more work than AJ does).

AJ vs. Owens for the IC title would be MUCH better right now, if for no other reason than the IC match we're getting includes 4 guys who don't deserve consistent RAW time let alone Wrestlemania time.

I said this before to a friend when I saw AJ in the Royal Rumble this past January. And now that he's been in WWE for a few weeks, I'll say it a little louder now. AJ Styles should have went to NXT first before coming to the main roster. The talent in NXT is better suited for his style of wrestling.

 

[MERPER]

I said this before to a friend when I saw AJ in the Royal Rumble this past January. And now that he's been in WWE for a few weeks, I'll say it a little louder now. AJ Styles should have went to NXT first before coming to the main roster. The talent in NXT is better suited for his style of wrestling.

I completely disagree with this.

His skillset needs very little refining and he has transitioned well. They only needed him to fine-tune his skills to cater to WWE standards and he can't do that in NXT against people who have never been in WWE before.

Furthermore, with a depleted roster, he instantly brought star power and intrigue that they desperately needed.

Finally, injury risks exist all the time. Could you imagine if he had gotten hurt in NXT before ever debuting on the main roster? The Wrestlemania card would be even worse than it currently is.

 

[MERPER]

I think it's fairly clear that it's about a lot deeper than fans chanting AJ's name. Jericho is harping on that because he can't very well say what's really bothering him - that he's older and slower than he used to be, that he doesn't know how much longer he can keep doing this, and for him to, in his mind, be giving it his all and have to look at this other guy be like a better version of him and so effortlessly get the chants, that obviously infuriates him. Sure, the chanting is what triggered him, but underlying it is the subtext of Chris aging, not being the Internet darling he once was, dealing with a new era of wrestlers replacing him. He can't handle it and he's snapped. This isn't "They chant your name but I'm 100% okay otherwise", it's "They chant your name and that triggers my deep seated fear of being replaced, of not being able to entertain anymore, of not being the young lion I used to be." And it all makes perfect sense, considering this is what Chris Jericho the heel has always been - desperately trying to convince you how great he is because of his own insecurity that he isn't as good as the next guy.

That's what's really at stake for the character of Chris Jericho and it's a way more compelling motivation than many other matches taking place at WrestleMania. Sometimes creative's job is to let the subtle details tell the story, instead of having to spell it out for you. That's why they're called "creative", after all.

You're putting way too much thought into it and building an entire mentality and background that, quite frankly, doesn't exist.

But hey, you do you. Whatever helps you enjoy it more and makes you enjoy it, don't let me ruin it for you.

I am just tired of it.

 

[MERPER]

AJ v. Owens is lazy booking. There's no reason that that feud exists, and it would have been sloppy had it been thrown together 2 weeks before Mania.

If they had done it correctly it's not lazy booking, pretty simple really.

After Styles beats Jericho for the 2nd time of their 3 matches, thus what should have been the end of their rivalry, you have him promo about how he's ready for the big time and a run for a title belt.

And how there's one guy with a real bad attitude and big ego he'd love to bring back down to earth and show what being a seasoned veteran who has worked around the globe can really do.

Then have him call out Owens with some insults about how he's truly accomplished nothing compared to Styles, Owens music hits and BAM... rivalry begins

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

I think the best thing said on this TOPIC is OFFTOPIC. Ryback should win the US title in no-pun intended styles clash. Ryback should remain DOMINANT as Champ through Summerslam where a returning Cesaro has had enough time to gain momentum and BAM instant Classic feud.

 

[Gallops77]

I said this before to a friend when I saw AJ in the Royal Rumble this past January. And now that he's been in WWE for a few weeks, I'll say it a little louder now. AJ Styles should have went to NXT first before coming to the main roster. The talent in NXT is better suited for his style of wrestling.

AJ Styles didn't need NXT. He is a big enough name in wrestling that he was better suited for an immediate WWE Main Roster run. The problem isn't with his style it's the writers taking their time to put him in a feud. The feud with Jericho in my opinion has been lazy. I don't think Styles was able to truly shine in this feud, but hopefully that changes at Wrestlemania. These two CAN steal the show at Wrestlemania if given the opportunity to do so.

After this, Styles needs to feud for a title or with an upper mid card/lower main event heel. Someone who he can get over and let his stock rise even more. Owens is my first choice, followed by either Sheamus or Alberto Del Rio.

 

[thekooljt]

AJ Styles didn't need NXT. He is a big enough name in wrestling that he was better suited for an immediate WWE Main Roster run. The problem isn't with his style it's the writers taking their time to put him in a feud. The feud with Jericho in my opinion has been lazy. I don't think Styles was able to truly shine in this feud, but hopefully that changes at Wrestlemania. These two CAN steal the show at Wrestlemania if given the opportunity to do so.

After this, Styles needs to feud for a title or with an upper mid card/lower main event heel. Someone who he can get over and let his stock rise even more. Owens is my first choice, followed by either Sheamus or Alberto Del Rio.

I think some of you are underestimating NXT. I feel NXT has become more than just a training ground for up & comers because of the talent thats there (Men and Women) and the way the matches are booked. So let me guess this right if I gave you a choice you're telling me you would rather see AJ Styles Vs Chris Jericho rather than AJ Styles vs Finn Balor? WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dude.

 

[MERPER]

I think some of you are underestimating NXT. I feel NXT has become more than just a training ground for up & comers because of the talent thats there (Men and Women) and the way the matches are booked. So let me guess this right if I gave you a choice you're telling me you would rather see AJ Styles Vs Chris Jericho rather than AJ Styles vs Finn Balor? WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dude.

No, I'd rather see Styles vs Balor on the main roster and at Wrestlemania. But I have no desire in seeing the two of them in NXT.

 

[Fugazi]

Owens retains and then Owens vs Styles for the next few months tbh.

I'd like to see Owens win MITB this year. Styles should hold the IC title for a few months and cement himself as an upper-midcard player, and then give him a push towards the end of the year against the champ in Rollins.

 

[TDFG]

I think Y2J is around for the PPV after WrestleMania so it wouldn't surprise me if they have yet another match, maybe after a dodgy finish at WrestleMania.

 

[Gallops77]

I think some of you are underestimating NXT. I feel NXT has become more than just a training ground for up & comers because of the talent thats there (Men and Women) and the way the matches are booked. So let me guess this right if I gave you a choice you're telling me you would rather see AJ Styles Vs Chris Jericho rather than AJ Styles vs Finn Balor? WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dude.

Completely false. As a match, I'd rather see Styles vs Balor. But we aren't really talking about who we'd rather him see wrestle once off, it's a feud. A feud with Finn Balor in NXT would do nothing for Styles. Bring Balor up to the main roster and do that feud and it would be amazing.

Styles and the WWE were better off with him debuting on the main roster because of his international exposure AND his US exposure from TNA. Let's not forget he spent a great part of his career in TNA and was a mainstay there. His popularity shot up in the past few years, starting with his final run in TNA. WWE knew he would be a sell on the main roster and so far they are right. The feud with Jericho I believe is a stepping stone for Styles and could lead him down a future big push with the company, assuming he doesn't flop in his next feud and keeps the fans interested. Not just the IWC, but the casual fan.