5 potential opponents for AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble

Could Balor and Styles have a classic yet again, next year? — Could Balor and Styles have a classic again, next year?

We already know that Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is all set to take on Braun Strowman and Kane at the Royal Rumble event. This begs the question, what are the plans for the WWE Champion for the second biggest pay-per-view of the year?

We've kept Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura away from this list as they're slated to be part of the Royal Rumble match, on the big stage. We've narrowed it down to some potential candidates, who can have a compelling contest with Styles.

These are not matches we necessarily want to see, but those we believe may happen. Let us know whom you believe Styles may be facing at the event, in the comments below.

Here are the five most likely contenders, in our opinion.

#5 Finn Balor

Could Balor and Styles recreate their classic from 2017?

Their match was booked at the very last minute and there was absolutely no build for it, at all. However, nobody was disappointed with the TLC clash between Finn Balor and AJ Styles. The two best workers in the company took each other to the limit. They put on a classic.

WWE knows that they have a chance to recreate the magic from their previous clash, while the feud is still fresh in peoples' minds. They have an opportunity to do so at the Royal Rumble. Balor could be drafted to SmackDown Live, right before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

It's not like he's in a program of any real importance on RAW either. He's been wrestling The Miztourage and Curtis Axel, in recent weeks, on the red brand.

A move to SmackDown Live, to face AJ Styles, may greatly benefit Balor.