5 Superstars that should’ve challenged AJ Styles for the WWE Title at the 2018 Royal Rumble
10 seconds may seem like a short insignificant amount of time, but for many wrestling fans, when the Royal Rumble rolls around that countdown has created legends, ground-breaking history and unforgettable moments that have each immortalised themselves in Royal Rumble chronicles, and the 2016 edition of the Royal Rumble produced one such surreal moment. The wrestling world was shocked when they realised the man stepping through that curtain after the 10-second countdown was the “phenomenal one” AJ Styles. Styles jumping ship from NJPW to WWE had stunned many wrestling fans and two years later, fans are still amazed every time he sets foot in the squared circle.
However, no wrestling aficionado could’ve foreseen that AJ Styles and the Royal Rumble would eventually become synonymous with one another. From his explosive debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble match all the way to his classic performance against John Cena at the 2017 edition, Styles has created a Royal Rumble highlight reel for himself in a matter of two years, and this year the “phenomenal one” has a chance to continue his classic string of outstanding performances as he walks into the 2018 Royal Rumble as the WWE Champion for the second time in his storied career. While most would expect WWE to select a high-profile opponent to face a veteran such as Styles in singles action, the WWE creative team has booked a two on one handicap match between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens/ Sami Zayn for the WWE Title.
The Royal Rumble is a prestigious event that kicks off the road to Wrestlemania, and even though the Royal Rumble match is the real draw for the company, a strong undercard is extremely important to the overall success of the entire pay-per-view. Therefore, WWE needed to book strong World Title programmes for the show, but with Raw's Universal Title match being an ageing veteran Kane vs a man that should’ve already been World Champion in Braun Strowman vs a part-time champion in Brock Lesnar, Smackdown Live needed to produce highly anticipated WWE Title programme. However, the creative team created a handicap match that doesn’t benefit any of the competitors going forward.
While AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn is a refreshing idea for a marquee PPV such as the Royal Rumble, WWE has booked themselves into a corner by making this match. As the probable outcome for this match has only two possible results either Styles defies the odds and beats both Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens which in turn will damage the duo’s credibility immensely or the best friends use their numbers game to their advantage and come out with the win. However, it is highly unlikely that WWE will book Zayn and Owens as co-champions up until Wrestlemania which will result in an unfortunate one-month reign for the talented superstars.
However, WWE had a plethora of better options at their disposal, as their very extensive underutilised roster is beaming with future World Title contenders, veterans in their prime and young up and coming superstars that would’ve been the creatively correct decision to step into the ring with the “phenomenal one” for the WWE Championship at the 2018 Royal Rumble. Whether it is igniting a Wrestlemania programme, giving the WWE universe, the dream feud they have been clamouring for or allowing a future World Champion a spot in the main event for one night only, any one of those options could’ve added to the legacy of the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble and ensured a much better overall programme.
Here are 5 opponents that should’ve faced AJ Styles for the WWE Title at the 2018 Royal Rumble