So AJ Styles is a heel now?

[AegonTargaryen]

I haven't watched Raw yet but read the results.

John Cena returned on Raw last night and was confronted by AJ Styles who basically sucked up to him, only to turn on him moments later, leading into a three-on-one beatdown at the hands of "The Club".

I only read this and yet I was really shocked and amazed when I visualized it. One moment, I felt like "Jesus Christ. Did they sign AJ Styles just so he could be a parrot for Vince McMahon and put Roman Reigns and John Cena over and eulogize them?", I was really disgusted. Another moment, I was shocked and pleased.

Obviously, even though John Cena is the "face" here, and Styles and the Club are heels, they're still liable to be cheered and applauded.

One had expected(at least I had) John Cena to immediately confront Rusev upon his return and reignite their feud(LAME) ultimately resulting in nothing but vanity(as most Cena feuds do, Ask Bray Wyatt), and AJ Styles to be just "meh".

We had all wondered if the WWE creative was really so lousy as to have them separated on Raw, without any coalition, conflict and dissent, ever. But thankfully for us, the Club had been together all along and they're now like a hungry pack of Wolves waiting to tear anybody who gets in their way apart, especially John Cena.

I couldn't have asked for anything better- this will be an exciting story. The Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins thing seems to be utterly boring considering both Rollins and Reigns are booed. Probably, Cena-Styles/Club will be the feud that redeems the months of dreary TV ahead.

Thoughts?

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Vince McMahon has to have one heel vs one face. Rarely he likes heel vs heel or face vs face. So turning Cena heel right now is not an option. Only option left is to make A.J Styles the heel in this feud. I think it's going to be a hell of a match/feud between these two.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It was a sweet little gem of a swerve as nobody really saw it coming. I found myself hoping that Styles would waffle Cena in order to make things interesting, but I didn't really expect it. After all, Styles has been sorta the stand up, stand on my own two feet, nice guy while Pastor Cena was in the middle of the ring bringing the sermon about Memorial Day so I didn't think it'd happen but I was gratified when it did. My only problem was JBL's response afterward in which he chastised Styles for his actions due to him pissing all over Cena's patriotic gesture; if you're gonna be a fucking heel commentator, then be a heel commentator when something that's actually heelish, like this or Charlotte dumping her old man, takes place. Of course, I don't blame JBL as he's only Vince's parrot and I just wish Vince would strop trying to teach little morality lessons and let the heels be heels.

At any rate, now the big problem is simply this: Are they going to sacrifice AJ Styles upon the altar of John Cena? Generally speaking, Cena has only come out on the losing effort for about 2 programs in WWE over the past decade or so: against CM Punk back in 2011 and against Brock Lesnar. As a result, the odds of Styles coming out the "winner" of this program aren't very good at all. Truth be told, the odds of Styles coming out with a clean, decisive win without the help of Gallows & Anderson aren't all that good because of Vince's obsession with protecting John Cena to the detriment of everything else. It's obvious that these two will meet for the first time at Money in the Bank and, if so, I think Styles needs to score the win and score the win on his own. Have him cheat his ass off if they want, but let him score the win without interference from his boys Gallows & Anderson.

 

[AJ1981]

My first thought was why turn one of your hottest (if not the hottest) babyfaces heel. This along with WWE's stubborn decision to keep Seth Rollins heel have left me scratching my head a little bit. I suppose in a way it doesn't really matter when you are facing John Cena as Styles will most likely still receive a face reaction from the crowd.
In another way it does make sense as WWE is seriously thin on top heels and AJ has proved in NJPW and elsewhere that he can fill that spot and as a full turn for Roman Reigns and John Cena isn't on the cards (at least for the moment) Styles is a good option.
Recently I had expected that Cena's return feud would be alongside Styles vs. The Club. I had discounted a Cena vs. Rusev feud as Rusev had not been built up enough to face Cena (and to be honest their last feud did neither man any favours) and doubted John would be included in MITB as given the nature of his recent injury putting him in a high risk match, even with limiting his spots/involvement, wouldn't be the brightest idea.
A tag match alongside Styles seemed a good call and would have been a pretty good all round situation for all. My only worry with a straight Styles/Cena match (probably at MITB) is that Styles has lost 3 PPV matches in a row now and really needs a win and against Cena that isn't likely.

 

[Navi]

At any rate, now the big problem is simply this: Are they going to sacrifice AJ Styles upon the altar of John Cena? Generally speaking, Cena has only come out on the losing effort for about 2 programs in WWE over the past decade or so: against CM Punk back in 2011 and against Brock Lesnar. As a result, the odds of Styles coming out the "winner" of this program aren't very good at all. Truth be told, the odds of Styles coming out with a clean, decisive win without the help of Gallows & Anderson aren't all that good because of Vince's obsession with protecting John Cena to the detriment of everything else. It's obvious that these two will meet for the first time at Money in the Bank and, if so, I think Styles needs to score the win and score the win on his own. Have him cheat his ass off if they want, but let him score the win without interference from his boys Gallows & Anderson.

That's what I'm worried about as well. Styles has way to much going for him to be another notch on Cena's belt. But the silver lining to all this might be that McMahon has seen what happens when the main event goes down, having one star is just not enough.

Also if the reports can be believed, Cena might be taking another break to film a second season of American Grit, if the network picks it up again. So having Cena come back, run through the roster and then leave again, does nobody any favours.

Cena is also at that point in his career where he doesn't need to win every feud anymore, as if he ever did. Last night showed the fans can get into it with the dueling Styles/Cena chants, that was epic, and it not always has to be negative. Finally the fans have someone to cheer for, let them cheer, let Cena lose this feud it's not going to hurt his legacy. Won't even put a dent in his armour.

 

[saint_edward]

Styles as a heel will be just fine, maybe he wins with Gallows/Anderson interference, then Cena takes the 2nd bout then Styles wins the third meeting clean. That would mean we've got to assume creative like the idea but Cena is still the Big Man to Beat.

Styles is savvy, he won't have joined WWE unless it'd benefit his career. He's succeeded in RoH, PWG, TNA and NJPW as well as countless others, hes well known enough to the casual and mark and I *hope* he'll end up going over.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

It really didn't need to be this way. The crowd was stoked by the idea of these two battling without the storyline or heel turn attached to it. Now we are stuck with the stupid 'Just Club'.

AJ turning heel makes little sense. Why all the drama with the chairs and The Club when going for the title but now he can easily take out Cena with no remorse? Why not turn all that attention back on Reigns and get back in the title scene if he is such a loathesome human being? I know Cena is the end all be all of wrestling but it certainly didn't have to go down like this. Both guys could have met as faces and entertained without damaging AJ's character.

And are they really kicking this off at MitB? I would have thought this was important enough to have their initial match at SS. Plus how can Cena lose here in the long run. AJ can't win. He just had a title feud with Reigns. Is he going to win a feud with Cena and then go back to the title scene with Reigns? It is way too soon for that. The only option would be AJ beating Cena and moving on to Lesnar. Then again, I could live with that.

Overall, while I'm happy to get Cena and AJ, I don't think it needs to be like this. Between the heel turn, the reformation of the 'Abridged Club', and the timing this just feels like Cena Feud 1.0 where he is the victim and working against the odds (because there are three of them ) that was only set up because despite the TV show and injury he has already laid waste to everyone else on the roster who isn't completely green.

 

[CowSlayer]

Why all the drama with the chairs and The Club when going for the title but now he can easily take out Cena with no remorse?

No, this actually makes perfect sense. His 'humility' held him back with Reigns. And due to the outcome, he's realized that you've gotta do 'whatever it takes' to succeed. Now he's holding nothing back.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

My only problem was JBL's response afterward in which he chastised Styles for his actions due to him pissing all over Cena's patriotic gesture; if you're gonna be a fucking heel commentator, then be a heel commentator when something that's actually heelish, like this or Charlotte dumping her old man, takes place. Of course, I don't blame JBL as he's only Vince's parrot and I just wish Vince would strop trying to teach little morality lessons and let the heels be heels.

Exactly what I thought earlier. But again, I realized that most of the times it's Vince Mcmahon's thoughts that are embodied in the voice of JBL, who quite frankly is the most uncompromisingly atrocious and unendurable color commentator in pro wrestling today.

I wish they understood the concept of a heel commentator whose job is to most of the times support heels over faces, and in JBL's case, oppose Michael Cole and Byron Saxton in their disapproval of Charlotte, and not chastise her.

At any rate, now the big problem is simply this: Are they going to sacrifice AJ Styles upon the altar of John Cena? Generally speaking, Cena has only come out on the losing effort for about 2 programs in WWE over the past decade or so: against CM Punk back in 2011 and against Brock Lesnar. As a result, the odds of Styles coming out the "winner" of this program aren't very good at all. Truth be told, the odds of Styles coming out with a clean, decisive win without the help of Gallows & Anderson aren't all that good because of Vince's obsession with protecting John Cena to the detriment of everything else. It's obvious that these two will meet for the first time at Money in the Bank and, if so, I think Styles needs to score the win and score the win on his own. Have him cheat his ass off if they want, but let him score the win without interference from his boys Gallows & Anderson.

It's set in stone. It's going to be the same old John Cena we have been watching for years. It's the very typical and basic John Cena feud where he will basically proclaim the same things he did with Rusev, The Shield, Bray Wyatt, and others. "You are talented but you have become morally corrupt. You can't beat me one on one. You need backup. I will never give up. I live for honour, virtue, respect, blah blah blah". The End.

I'm actually not that excited about this feud anymore. How can one be, when John Cena is destined to look like a hero, win the feud, and basically repeat what he has been saying for years?

 

[Kyphael]

I'm psyched for this program but I can see how it'll be booked from a mile away, too.

Their first match will likely be at Money in the Bank, I don't see how else they can stretch it to the following PPV, A.J and Cena have no alternative options.

Styles will win the first match (like Owens won the first of three in his program with Cena which also began at Money in the Bank if I'm not mistaken.) Leading to Money in the Bank, A.J will be the defined heel but still use the Club for beat downs on Cena and the promos will likely revolve around A.J not coming into WWE sooner due to Cena hogging the spotlight or something. Essentially, A.J will say he was the man somewhere else (of course he won't mention TNA) while Cena was the man over here.

After Money in the Bank, what's the next PPV? They'll have a rematch, and Cena will win that one, for sure. Cena will lose the first because A) despite what people say, he's a class act and is happy to put over guys he likes/sees potential in (Bryan, Owens, etc.) B) Cena JUST came back from injury, the man is pushing 40 if not that already and knows his time is nearing, he knows and Vince knows he doesn't need to win. C) A.J is 1/5 on PPV. He lost at the Rumble, he won at Fast Lane, then went on to lose at Wrestlemania, Payback, and Extreme Rules in succession, so he needs a win.

The rematch, Cena will win for sure. After that, it depends if WWE wants to make their feud a series of 3 like Owens or longer if the program catches fire, or it might even just stay at 2 for now to keep both men equal, I don't know, but I do see it culminating in a third match at Summerlam. You can be sure Cena would win the final match though, barring some insane twist/debut/interference.

 

[The Yes Guy]

Guessing by Cena's promo today, I've got this huge feeling that this is the beginning of a Cena heel turn.

I mean, it was all about "new guys need to go thro me to prove yourself" and all..

And then the same new guys attack Cena.

Then at Money in the bank, they destroy Cena.. Cena's had enough.. He snaps.

This would be more or less alike Jericho.

 

[Prince Vee]

I really have no complaints regarding AJ Styles turning heel. I don't see him getting buried by John Cena and anyone who says that is imminent is just talking nonsense. We got the unexpected on RAW. Just when Rusev won the championship everyone started to wonder, he won it just started to drop it to Cena. But it wasn't what happened. We need to enjoy this feud. Not to worry, this feud will not be the end of AJ as the brand split is around the corner. Even if AJ ends up on the losing end, he will shine in whatever the brand he is in.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

I am pretty pumped for this Feud and thought the Heel turn by AJ was very well executed. However I can't say im surprised people are already losing their minds if John Cena wins one of their Matches because Wrestling Fans today. I can see their 1st Match at MITB with AJ going over,then maybe a 6-man at Battleground with New Day & Gallows/Anderson involved,and finally paring off again at Summerslam. Some of it depends on the Brand Split in July coming up.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

I think this will be a very good feud. Cena say what u will the man can cut a promo and sold the hell out of that beating. I didn't see the AJ heel turn coming at all. I think WWE jumped the shark here though. They could have set up Styles/Cena vs. The Club for MITB. Have Cena blind tag AJ and get the win over G&A. Then, could have set up a fake beatdown of G&A on Styles. Cena's looking for a partner, but can't find anyone, a "beatup" Styles surprises and shows up to help Cena only for the turn to take place. The Club stands victorious. Next night on Raw Cena calls out Styles and your match for SummerSlam is made.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

Seriously, does AJ need to win the feud to be a "winner"? I agree with JR and many other legends that even a main event rub off of Cena and putting on a hell of a match can keep AJ in the limelight. Given the magnitude of fan favorite AJ against Big Game John this is a win win for both. Kinda like ala hbk/flair with the respect at the end. (I mean the end of the feud)

 

[vampirek]

Yes and no, we now have a situation where the likes of Reigns and Cena are faces in the corporate eyes yet heels by an increasing base. Then you have Rollins and Styles, the indy stars who normally would be the heels but are faces in a large section of the crowd. If anything they are playing to both crowds by not having a clear face or heel anymore but keeping the commercial values or Reigns and Cena.

We could be seeing a lot more of this in the future considering the amount of talent signed outside the company's development. Heels by WWE standards but faces in others. Its an interesting situation and plays on the careers of Punk and Bryan, the underdog anti-normal standard WWE stars going up against the marketing ones. Keeps both set of fans interested in the feuds. However I dont both AJ and Rollins will lose their feuds meaning either a new champion or having Cena putting AJ over which a couple years ago was unthinkable.

 

[Wald]

Man they really missed the perfect chance to turn Cena (I know I know) heel and strap a rocket to Styles in the process. Imagine John Cena coming down for his big return on Raw on Memorial Day, cutting his usual USA schtick and talking about how just like America he always fights with respect and then attacking Styles alongside Gallows and Anderson. The Club is formed but it is built around Cena instead of Styles with Gallow and Anderson acting as the hencemen.

That puts Styles, Reigns and every other baby in jeopardy plus you could have them threaten the likes of Rollins and the McMahons too. As big as the nWo? Probably not, but it would be as close as we'd get. How good would Styles look as a babyface who won't back down to Cena and his henchmen too?

 

[boozinjedi]

After the Reigns/Rollins thing runs its course....
Will the Styles turn eventually set up a Club vs. Shield feud??
Because eventually those three will drift back together at some point in time

 

[Messiah]

It's one story i won't be following in WWE.. Never really cared about John Cena, and i care even less about AJ Styles.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Here I was worried WWE had already lost interest in The (Bullet) Club. I figured Styles and some throwaway partner would face Gallows and Anderson in some blowoff tag match at MITB. This is infinitely better.

What it shows is that they believe in AJ enough to place him against Cena this early into his run. Everyone that says AJ is being buried really doesn't get the wrestling business and should stop pretending as if they're the Jim Ross of wrestling forums.

Buried would mean off TV, being place in a big feud going into MITB. Win or lose this is a big rub and means a continuing bright future. He should win a match in this feud, even if he is going full heel and it's due to outside interference. Styles is buried if he's squashed by Cena in a five minute match. If that happens, then that's what that is.

They're making Styles into a cool heel, basically going full into his (Bullet) Club character. I doubt he starts running down the crowd or running scared from a fight. He won't be a traditional heel in that sense.

My favourite thing about this is that Styles is leading The Club is that I never have to read posts by people who seriously think WWE was ever going to put a faction called Balor Club on TV.

I'm still flabbergasted that anyone thought this was a good, let alone acceptable name for a faction. For Gallows and Anderson, adult men, to come to ring going "we're in the Balor Club, hehe!" is absolutely preposterous. They're ass kickers, not fan boys.

I would be genuinely suprised if Finn never joins The Club. Odds are he gets drafted and joins up, but he'll fill the up and coming spot in The Club. Eventually going after IC or US titles until he usurps the leadership of The Club. Think Rocky Maivia in the Nation of Domination, except Styles doesn't fade away in to obscurity.

This is a great move on paper and so far in practise. They have to make Styles and The Club a threat. If the three men can't handle Cena, then we can talk about that B word that rhymes with married.

 

[OYDK]

Tiny little part of me was hoping Cena was going to take out AJ and reveal himself as the group's (still can't call it The Club) leader, but I knew a Cena heel turn was never going to happen that quickly. If it ever does happen, they'll build it up a hell of a lot better for a hell of a lot longer. Still though, I wasn't expecting Styles to turn on Cena and I was genuinely shocked and happy to see it. Styles might lose this feud, but his heel turn should finally give him a legitimate persona. Somebody on this thread said the turn harmed Styles' character, but I'd say you actually need a character first in order for it to be harmed.

Since he's come in, Styles really hasn't defined himself in his promos or through his actions... now he finally has. AJ Styles made his name known around the world as the leader of The Bullet Club, a heel faction. His best work usually came as a heel. In my opinion, the crowd reactions were not as strong as the WWE expected them to be for Styles and if I'm being honest, they're not really as strong as I expected them to be either. The WWE is low on top heels and this will give AJ a strong chance of becoming a solidifed top level guy.

All things considered, this seems like a very smart move by WWE. I can't see this feud happening without Styles at least taking a match. The only crappy thing is, this will probably be the third feud in a row in which Styles comes up on the short end, and as a heel, he'll need to start winning to keep his momentum up. Should be a very interesting feud, one people have been clamoring for for years. I for one, am excited.

 

[WorstWrestlingExcrement]

Vince McMahon has to have one heel vs one face. Rarely he likes heel vs heel or face vs face. So turning Cena heel right now is not an option. Only option left is to make A.J Styles the heel in this feud. I think it's going to be a hell of a match/feud between these two.

A hell of a match you say? lol they will feed him to cena and he will be known as A Jobber Style continously! He's gone from the title pic and then after he loses to cena he will fall down the ladder even more Styles should have stayed in TNA now he is a jobber like STING was

 

[BuriedByCena]

Welp. There goes AJ Styles run in WWE. Everyone who has ever lost to Cena goes straight to midcard hell never to return. Roman already did enough damage. Cena will end the career of AJ Styles.

I don't think Cena has ever lost clean or if he did, he always had an excuse. "Look at my elbow, size of a baseball, i wasn't 100%, sorry D-Bryan".

The protection of Cena is too much. AJ Styles NEEDS this win.

But then again, it will probably be like Kevin Owens all over again where Cena beat him 2 more times to end his career.

 

[Navi]

Welp. There goes AJ Styles run in WWE. Everyone who has ever lost to Cena goes straight to midcard hell never to return. Roman already did enough damage. Cena will end the career of AJ Styles.

I don't think Cena has ever lost clean or if he did, he always had an excuse. "Look at my elbow, size of a baseball, i wasn't 100%, sorry D-Bryan".

The protection of Cena is too much. AJ Styles NEEDS this win.

But then again, it will probably be like Kevin Owens all over again where Cena beat him 2 more times to end his career.

Kevin Owens career isn't over, where is this coming from? Right now he's the favourite to win the MITB and he's only one of the best heels the roster has. I think you are overreacting just a little here.

Styles will be fine. As it's been pointed out, he's done his best work as a heel, so why not turn him and let him loose. With the Bullet Club now back together, they can do what the Shield did a couple of years ago. Quite honestly while I cringe when I hear of a Bullet Club/Shield match, cause I know the outcome already, it would be one hell of a PPV main event.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

The feud between Styles and Cena is going to be great. Styles will probably get a clean win or even win the feud.

They aren't burying Styles. Feuds with Reigns, Cena, and Jericho in less than six months is a great start to his career.

Reigns is slowly getting over while Rollins is slowly becoming hated again. Let it progress. It's still a great story regardless.