5 Possible reasons why AJ Styles was traded to SmackDown
It was a slightly shocking AJ Styles was included in the bracket for the Intercontinental Championship Tournament last week. Shinsuke Nakamura was also listed as a part of the tourney but his partner in crime, Cesaro, was not. After finding out that the Swiss Superman was currently at home in Switzerland on WWE Backstage, it made a little bit of sense as to why The Phenomenal One had a spot.
As his first-round match with The Artist was about to begin, the announcers revealed that AJ Styles had been traded to SmackDown for future considerations. Another layer was added to the tournament as the Blue brand pulled off a huge coup. Styles was one of the biggest stars on SmackDown during his previous stint with the Ble brand and had a mixed run after being drafted to RAW.
Now that he's a solo act once more, maybe it was time to bring The Phenomenal One back to the brand where he had his greatest victories. The global COVID-19 pandemic has forced WWE and others to change their usual game plans and operating manuals.
In a two-month period we have seen Becky Lynch relinquish her title and the need for a new Intercontinental Champion. A major star switching brands seems strange but here are five possible reasons as to why Styles was traded to SmackDown.
#5 To win the IC title at some point
Since he's involved in the running to potentially become the next IC Champion, it stands to reason that he was traded to win the belt. His name alone means that he'd at least advance to the semis, and he did so after defeating his old foe Shinsuke Nakamura on the latest episode of SmackDown. Next in line for The Phenomenal One is Elias. Will WWE finally pull the trigger on a title run for Elias or is he merely a stepping stone for AJ Styles?
When the brackets were revealed, the two biggest and most likely names to win it all were Styles and Daniel Bryan. Bryan has also advanced and the two men could produce another great feud if that's the chosen direction.
And while Styles may not win the tournament per se, he could feasibly challenge for the title in the coming months. He always puts up great matches and his name alone adds excitement to the SmackDown mid-card. Styles may not hold the title at the end of the tourney but he could very well be hunting for it during the rest of 2020.