5 Ways WWE could return AJ Styles to television
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The Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles was, without a doubt, one of the main highlights of last month's WrestleMania 36. Unfortunately for Styles, however, the "Phenomenal One" not only came up short, but we're surprised he came up at all.
The last image we had of the former WWE Champion before Night One of the show going off the air was his gloved hand sticking out from the ground, the rest of him having been buried by the Deadman.
Thankfully, AJ Styles wasn't really buried (I'm... fairly sure I probably didn't need to tell you that) and - as far as we know - is perfectly healthy and more than capable of getting back in the ring.
Of course, with both the way the match ended as well as the current worldwide situation, there's not exactly a rush to bring him back. And, we don't doubt he's also enjoying a little time off to spend with his wife, family, and billions of video games.
Eventually, though, the "Face that Runs the Place" will be back. The question is, how will WWE do it? Now that his cohorts in The OC, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows, have been released, AJ Styles is pretty much on his own.
Fortunately for WWE, Styles is one of the most versatile performers they've ever had, so there's a lot they can do with him to tell a great story.
Since we think we're just so dang clever, here are five ways we think WWE can return him back into the WWE narrative.
#5. As a man who has hit rock bottom
Take a look at the situation the character of AJ Styles is in right now.
He didn't just lose a match at WrestleMania. He didn't just lose a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania (although, let's be honest, the list of people who have done that isn't exactly short). He ended up being buried alive at the end of the match.
Personally, I've never been buried alive myself, but I don't think I'm being presumptuous in assuming that having that happen to you probably really, really sucks.
Adding to that, his two best friends in the company, Gallows, and Anderson, are gone. In this particular hypothetical storyline, WWE can say that the former Tag Team Champions were so disgusted at Styles losing - especially when they worked so hard to help him during the match - that they simply left the company rather than work with him any further.
On top of that, his family has left. Now, hold on a moment. I'm not suggesting that the story involve AJ's wife divorcing him - that's about as believable as me running a marathon and not dying.
However, the story can say that his wife, Wendy, was so distraught over how the match ended and the fact that AJ Styles put himself in that situation in the first place, that she needed to take the kids somewhere and leave him alone until he "figured things out" or "got some help" or whatever.
So, in this scenario, AJ Styles is a man with nothing to lose. The Undertaker isn't around - and probably won't be for a long time - so Styles has something to prove. He's more humble now... but he's also bitter. He's frustrated... and he needs to take that frustration out on something.
How will AJ pull himself back together? How will he be able to convince his family to come home? How will he prove to both himself and the WWE Universe that he's still the "Phenomenal One"?