AJ Styles: #1 Contender

[Jack-Hammer]

After winning a great fatal fourway bout on Raw, AJ Styles is the new #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. As for right now, it looks like they're foregoing the Triple H/Roman Reigns program or, it's possible that they're already moving Reigns on and are dropping the program altogether. Either way, Styles has his shot at what I'm guessing will be Extreme Rules.

Now while this has the potential to be a helluva match, I think it goes without saying that there is very, very, very little chance that Styles defeats Reigns for the title. As much as many want to see it happen, I highly doubt it'll be anytime soon given all the build up WWE has gone through for Roman Reigns to have his big WrestleMania moment. If Styles doesn't win, then we'd best prepare for a barrage of rants aimed at WWE, some of which will, mistakenly as usual, accuse WWE is "burying" AJ Styles. Some will no doubt hold out hope that Bullet Club members will debut on the main roster and help Styles win, which I suppose is possible if this happens at Extreme Rules, but I don't see it going down that way.

One thing I noticed about Reigns tonight is that he has more of a heelish swagger about him that's more along the lines of what we saw of him back in his time with the Shield. The fact that WWE is going with Styles as Reigns' next opponent may very well be a sign that WWE is giving up on the notion of trying to get Reigns over as some heroic babyface as any of those four men involved in the fourway match tonight would get heavily cheered in a title bout against Reigns. If WWE has given up on trying to make Reigns into the next John Cena, then having him go over Styles may be the next big step towards making him a fully fledged heel.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I think it's entirely possible that they're slow turning Reigns heel. Beating Styles would be a great way to get him more heat while also acting cockier and like an ass. They could go on for months that way, to include other feuds against faces, and eventually have Rollins return as a face(he'll be cheered anyway) to finally get the belt off Reigns.

 

[Fugazi]

feels like a slow burn heel turn honestly. he's going to get more and more cocky until he just straight up lays out some huge babyface.

as for this match, i think jericho is gonna strong arm himself into it somehow, because otherwise he doesn't have anything to do. It being a triple thread will take the tension off of ramen a bit and would help him sit back while the others fight and steal a win which would help build towards a heel turn later.

if they dont put jericho in this then im really not sure what they are thinking, unless they wanna just turn ramen immediately. I don't see AJ turning anytime soon. I mean the guy just had his first mania and now he's getting his first shot at the title. Let him sell some t-shirts before turning him.

almost forgot, ramen retains. wouldn't make sense for him to drop it so early. as much as i dont care for a ramen reign i'd rather him at least hold the title until summerslam.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

This is the reason why I am excited for this Roman Reign's title run - fresh matches. Seriously, I read the other day that Bray Wyatt would be the one to challenge him first and my first thought was: "Yeah, I ain't watching that". Obviously they scraped it off and AJ Styles gets the shot, which is great news for both men - sure, Reigns will get heavily booed, but he has already proven to be a more than capable worker and with a guy like AJ Styles as his opponent, I can easily see them stealing the show every month.

However, I do also think that Chris Jericho will get involved in it somehow. It just seems dumb to not include him, with all this tension going on between him and AJ Styles. By adding Reigns into the mix, they can postpone their final bout from WWE Payback to Extreme Rules, and sell the last mentioned with a reasonable gimmick match like a Steel Cage or something.

If WWE does book this as a singles match between them, then the sky is the limit as far as booking goes. They could debut Karl Anderson and Gallows and restore the Bullet Club, no doubt, altough it's not WWE's way to re-use something that worked in other big company (at least without buying said company). Anyway, it would be awesome to see that going down. Anyway, the most likely thing to happen though is Reigns retaining the championship, but I want WWE to make me believe he could lose it, so I am excited to see this build up.

It's probably just me, but I can't get enough of seeing Roman Reigns spearing people. It just looks fucking cool. Sorry haters.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I like AJ Styles, but the guy is just Corn Flakes on the mic. He's about as Corn Flakes as Roman Reigns, I hope they don't have any cringe worthy mic battles and just stick to the wrestling.

 

[MartialHorror]

This actually kind of annoys me, because one of my problems with the Championships is that "Wrestlemania" degraded most of them. Charlotte's womens title is the exception, but the IC Title was won by Zack Ryder- who was only there because he was NOT a credible opponent- and his subsequent loss proved it was a fluke. Just a week prior, he was squashed by Jericho.

The U.S Championship was defended on the pre-show again, except the kick-off was so long that half of the auditorium was empty and it was awkward. Doesn't make the belt look weak, but irrelevant.

The Tag Team Championship was lost to a bunch of guys who would promptly get their own asses kicked by a bunch of old dudes.

AJ Styles is a great performer, but look at his story with Jericho. He was constantly being outsmarted and made to look like a fool and Jericho ultimately won anyway. Without cheating- if memory serves. And now he's the #1 contender. So now I feel like the WWE Championship is losing points as well. I feel like WWE has booked itself into a corner. Everyone seems to lose so often that there are currently no reliable #1 contenders, except Brock Lesnar or Undertaker, who are part timers who just put in work. There's no long term planning. It always feels like they're writing on the seat of their pants.

Actually, it's possible that AJ Styles is only getting a shot in order to put Jericho into the title scene. I was under the impression that the only reason he won was because WWE has some plan for Jericho.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

Ridiculous. I am big AJ fan, but this is not how to build a credible star. This is exactly how not to in fact. I can already predict what will happen. Some of the WWE universe will like this AJ push because they know he is phenomenal. They will also like it because they dislike Roman Reigns.

However, when they crush AJ, and job him to Reigns in his heel turn, then that will be that for AJ - and all his momentum would have gone.

I mean just look how ridiculous this is- I don't think AJ Styles made his WWE debut not even 15 weeks ago?? I am all for making Aj Styles champ, but to job him to Jericho in the run to and at WM32 then make him the next number 1 contender to the world title? Insane.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Like I said in the early post, I think the plan will be more to feed JERICHO to Roman rather than AJ... even if Chris had challenged tonight, I'd have expected AJ to shoehorn his way in somehow...

A triple threat makes a lot of sense and jobbing him at Mania makes a LOT of sense.

a) Jericho is a legend... no disgrace in losing to him at Mania.
b) They needed to see AJ would "play ball", if he'd have had issue or balked, no way he's #1 contender...
c) It gives Jericho a reason to be aggrieved now - he would under the Authority, be #1 contender now.... so he might go outside to get help, like the Bullet/Balor Club...

Most likely outcome is Reigns DOES drop it... To Jericho in some way in the Triple Threat scenario... setting up a Rollins return... or Ambrose to finally win it from him.

Let's face it 33's main event is going to be Rollins v Ambrose v Reigns...

 

[kadroan]

I don't think he's turning heel. I think he's just going to be a tweener and what we seen tonight was character development which was great.

I'm curious to see when AJ will get the title shot, next week on RAW, at Payback? I know HHH got his rematch clause.

 

[MartialHorror]

To be fair, Owens has a IC Title rematch which might not happen, unless they plan on a 'Owens Vs Miz' program.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

Reigns attempt to be face was over month ago, this will only cement that turn for good.

Theres no scenario in this match where Roman can get the crowd on his side. They are putting the most rejected guy in a long time against one of the most over guys in the company right now.

Im neutral regarding Reigns, i dont think he deserves to be the champ, but i dont think he is anywhere near as bad as a lot of people says he is. Im sure Jericho will cost AJ the title in some way.

I dont usually agree with the "he needs to turn heel" with every single wrestler (which has become a trend lately). But in Roman's case i think its the only card left to play and see if he can be saved. It worked for his cousin..

 

[Blade]

This is interesting for me. They're easing off on Reigns being a clear-cut babyface, and it shows. Not only are they putting him against someone who they know will have the crowd behind him in AJ Styles, but Roman's general attitude on Raw was almost that of a tweener. I mean, he basically dismissed AJ and Sami when they came out. In a really dickish way, too. I mean, he literally waved them off like they were zero threat. I liked that.

Here are three things I know: This will be a great match. AJ Styles will not win. The Reigns character might be about to get a lot more interesting.

 

[Dragonslayer]

I agree that this could be the start for a Reigns heel turn. AJ got over really well with his Rumble debut and in the feud against Jericho (even though he lost the match at Mania), and he is still quite over with the audience.

I find it interesting that WWE decided to push him to the main event right away, but I suppose they realize that his time in WWE might be limited due to his age and high-impact wrestling style, so they gotta make the most of it.

I don't think AJ stands a chance of winning here, not after all WWE went through to finally get the belt back on Reigns... I could imagine him going on to a short IC reign sometime in the summer until Survior Series or so, and then be a possible candidate to winning the Rumble next year to have a realistic shot at the WWE title, if WWE even wants to go there (since AJ is not one of "their" breed, not the youngest anymore and also doesn't fit the posterboy image that Vince is usually looking for).

But he will be a great opponent for Reigns since he will make him look like a beast, and could help kick of Reigns' heelturn.

 

[MERPER]

I'm not against Styles by any means it just shows how awful WWE booking/writing is.

24 hours earlier he loses at Wrestlemania to a washed up Jericho in a match that was pretty lethargic and boring (probably the worst or 2nd worst of their 4) and now he's suddenly good enough to be No. 1 contender?

Wouldn't it have made more sense to put him over at Wrestlemania and then make him no. 1 contender?

Just stilly, poorly thought out crap that WWE feeds us like we're a bunch of idiots.

 

[OYDK]

Not sure how this ends up playing out but I'm leaning towards a triple threat match at the next PPV. This program will desperately need somebody to carry the promo work... Lord knows that AJ and Roman aren't exactly going to be out there spitting out 10 minute gems, and for a World title feud, promos are a necessity when it comes to the build. Who better to carry the mic work than Jericho? Everyone knows of Jericho's proficiency on the mic, he can handle the weekly 10 minute segments with ease and AJ and Roman would simply have to play off of whatever he says.

Also, I don't know if WWE really wants all of the hate directed straight towards Reigns just yet. Eventually they will, but for now he's still technically a "face champion" and Jericho would act as a nice buffer for the inevitable backlash that Reigns is likely to get for going against AJ. This all depends on which direction WWE decides to go with Reigns really. If they want to give his turn a slow-burn, than a triple threat would be the way to go, and it would make sense considering Jericho beat AJ 24 hours earlier. If they want to quicky turn him and start building Reigns as a heel champion, a program with AJ would be a nice start.

I'm going with the triple threat, that's what all signs seem to point to.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I don't mind Styles being a sacrificial lamb to Reigns to further him as a headliner because he's already been on for Jericho's Mania ego boost.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I'm struggling to believe AJ is going to get this main event spot. The PPV is called Payback. It is supposed to be a series of revenge stories. AJ pursuing Roman has none of that. Throwing in Jericho makes sense from an entertainment stand point but even that doesn't make full sense.

I have this sneaky feeling that The Authority/WWE will undo what has been done since:

a) it happened on Shane's temporary watch
b) Styles lost at Mania
c) HHH will want his rematch
d) it gets The Authority heat
e) it gives AJ crazy "I'm being held back" heat
f) AJ and Ramen on the mic is a nightmare of dullness waiting to happen
g) I'm not sure Ramen can handle AJ's offense

Sorry, I hope I'm wrong. It could be a terrific match.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

I loved the douchebag-ish "I don't really care about being a good guy(or bad guy)" Reigns tonight. He still seemed clumsy as fuck in the ring at Wrestlemania, and even got his tongue out (in the initial moments of the combat) and what not.

May be he can at least be somewhat entertaining as a full-fledged "Fuck you all" heel who doesn't make awkward gestures/expressions and doesn't smile or talk much.. It's not rocket science really..but whatever version of Roman Reigns they have been trying to sell for the last 2 yrs or so was just awkward and nearly repulsive..(someone ought to make a 2-min video of ROMANS AWKWARD EXPRESSIONS..since the footage is really abundant).

I'm still pessimistic about his wrestling style because he just seems to move really clumsily. Like there's no flow or fluidity to his movements, whether in walking or wrestling. It's like he's a robot..he has to decide "okay now I'm gonna do the superman punch"..and only then does he exhibit any real sense of flow, speed, and agility.

As for the Styles win, I'm cool with it. I doubt it will be a 5-star match and I sense that they chose styles over jericho because the latter is a heel and Reigns is nearly a heel now, so they're just feeding Styles for Reigns' first title defense and victory.

 

[Olan]

I was surprised that they gave AJ the win. I thought for sure it would be Jericho.

I too saw Reigns body language as heelish. Don't know if he will turn heel but putting him up against a fan fave like AJ is not a way to get fans not to boo him

 

[Navi]

Yea Styles won't win, but it elevates him up to main event status, not that he wasn't already, plus he has the experience to carry the match. I too am questioning if Reigns can handle the offence that Styles can bring to the ring, because he has it in spades.

Mic wise it will be a snorefest, they should really get Enzo to do all the mic work for everyone. I could listen to him trash talk all night. Guy is hilarious.

 

[Azane]

Turn Reigns full heel, and I can accept AJ losing to him.

Keep him doing his "HEY GUYS IM NOT A BAD GUY , IM NOT A GOOD GUY " gimmick, and reciting looney tunes while facing one of the most over wrestlers in the world, and #CancelWWENetwork will trend again.


I had this awful shower thought about how Vince comes out next Monday and says nothing that happened on This weeks Raw Matters, and announces that he's hand picked his #1 contender, and it's someone like Kane or Big Show. The fact we never had another word from Vince, Steph or HHH after the handoff, makes me think Vince really does want to just piss off Smarks, AJ Being one of the best guys to use to that effect.

 

[Navi]

Turn Reigns full heel, and I can accept AJ losing to him.

Keep him doing his "HEY GUYS IM NOT A BAD GUY , IM NOT A GOOD GUY " gimmick, and reciting looney tunes while facing one of the most over wrestlers in the world, and #CancelWWENetwork will trend again.


I had this awful shower thought about how Vince comes out next Monday and says nothing that happened on This weeks Raw Matters, and announces that he's hand picked his #1 contender, and it's someone like Kane or Big Show. The fact we never had another word from Vince, Steph or HHH after the handoff, makes me think Vince really does want to just piss off Smarks, AJ Being one of the best guys to use to that effect.

To be fair he hasn't had one of those Loony Tunes promo's in quite some time, and I like his cocky brash attitude. He had it in NXT and it works for him. I remember him going at it with Saxton I believe and him telling Saxton that he was jealous of him, he wanted to look like him, be like him. It worked the crowd hated it. If he keeps it up, short and sweet he should be okay. AJ will do okay on his own, he'll have most of the crowd on his side so he doesn't have to say much.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm not against Styles by any means it just shows how awful WWE booking/writing is.

24 hours earlier he loses at Wrestlemania to a washed up Jericho in a match that was pretty lethargic and boring (probably the worst or 2nd worst of their 4) and now he's suddenly good enough to be No. 1 contender?

Wouldn't it have made more sense to put him over at Wrestlemania and then make him no. 1 contender?

Just stilly, poorly thought out crap that WWE feeds us like we're a bunch of idiots.

Jericho is hardly washed up as they arguably had the best match of the night. Jericho can still deliver top quality matches, meaning it's hard to view him as washed up.

Also, so Styles lost at WrestleMania. So what? WrestleMania is a huge event, nobody questions that, but it's not the end all, be all of a wrestler's career. Styles also, sort of, pulled ahead in his program with Jericho as Jericho was the guy he pinned on Raw to win the #1 contendership.

The Raw after WrestleMania is traditionally viewed as a night of fresh beginnings. A lot of people aren't too keen on the notion of another Triple H and Roman Reigns match so soon and, if not Triple H, then who is there at this point that will really give Reigns a fresh feel. Sami Zayn has only just arrived on the main roster, Cesaro has literally only just returned, there'd be no doubt that Chris Jericho would be fed to Reigns in a match that probably wouldn't generate a whole ton of buzz, Kevin Owens probably shouldn't go from dropping the IC title and being defeated for the WWE Championship all within the span of less than a month, John Cena has been out for months and probably still isn't 100% ready to go, Randy Orton isn't expected back for another month, Neville will probably be out for another month, Baron Corbin just arrived on the main roster last night, Dean Ambrose certainly doesn't need to be used to give his buddy yet another title win over him as his time is better spent rebuilding after his loss to Lesnar, Taker is pretty much disappearing from WWE television until WrestleMania season next year, Lesnar probably won't be back until around SummerSlam, Bray Wyatt has ZERO momentum right now and Vince just keeps having him take one step forward before taking two steps back.

If this match with Styles does go down and some sort of Authority related shenanigans don't go down, the draw for this match will ultimately be to see how well Styles does in a main event setting with the WWE Champion. If Styles does quite well and gives Reigns all he can handle, most fans will be satisfied and hope that it leads to a main event stint a little later on. The only way I see this match ending with Styles getting a victory would be if his buddies from the Bullet Club, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows, provide some interference for him, but that's not likely to happen. I just don't see WWE going to all this trouble for Roman Reigns during WrestleMania season just for him to have another hot potato title reign.

 

[Starkist]

I myself am a huge Aj Styles fan so I was shocked when I heard this. I doubt he will win but I would like to see him hold the title. The man is truly Phenomenal in the ring. He deserves to shine for what he can do in the squared circle. If he losses I won't say he got buried because I do not care about that stuff. I am just glad he is truly getting a chance to shine in a company he had real no interest in going to. So thank you TNA for letting Aj Styles go free so he can accomplish even more achievements in the wrestling business.

 

[brochester8]

I like where there going with Reigns now that Mania's over. He shows up in the ring and basically brushed off all 4 guys as to say none of ya'll have a chance against me. He was real cocky which I like. I think this is a great way to turn him heel and Vince has finally realized after the terrible reaction he got at Mania that he's NOT the next John Cena at this point. I loved the idea of the Fatal 4 Way and think they picked the perfect top contender. AJ Styles is loved by the fans and is sure to have a great title match. I think Reigns is going to snap here soon and go off on the fans saying "I've done everything for ya'll and all you do is Boo me, fine I don't care anymore and he should literally go heel mode and beat the crap out of Styles". Maybe even have him lose the title to make him destroy Styles after the match wouldn't be a bad idea but I don't think they'll give the belt to Styles this quick.

To me a Heel Reigns is the best bet. I can see him saying something like this "I spent months trying to destroy the Authority and when I finally did, I realize they were right the whole time"!

Needless to say I am excited to see where the storylines are going after Mania!! very excited to see AJ Styles as #1 Contender.