Booking the WWE Championship through the remainder of 2018 and Royal Rumble 2019
With 2018 drawing to a close and AJ Styles closing in on a year as WWE Champion, I thought it would be fun to book Styles' championship reign through the rest of 2018 and heading into 2019 and the Royal Rumble. So, here is how I see the WWE Championship being booked through that time period.
Let's start with tomorrow night and Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. Styles was originally scheduled to face Daniel Bryan at the event, but with current events going on Bryan has decided to not attend the show, so instead Styles is facing Samoa Joe once again.
This feud is heading towards Styles-Shinsuke Nakamura territory from earlier this year where it was great and interesting at first, but they overdid it and fans got bored of the feud by the end.
I didn't see Styles losing to Bryan in the first place, so I highly doubt he will lose to a last-minute opponent. Therefore, I see Styles retaining here and securing his one-year reign as WWE Champion.
Next on the WWE schedule is Survivor Series, which has been Smackdown v. RAW since the brand split in 2016. If that trend keeps up and we get champion v. champion again, that means Styles will face either Brock Lesnar or Braun Strowman.
Regardless of who Styles faces here, I do not see him winning, as WWE will want to build up the Universal Champion to be strong and show that RAW is still the A show. If my predictions for Crown Jewel are correct, then Styles will face Strowman here. None the less whoever Styles face, it will be an excellent match as we saw last year with Styles v. Lesnar.
As we head into December and the Tables, Ladders and Chairs event, Styles will begin a new feud and that feud will be with The Miz. A few weeks ago, Miz said he would be next in line for a title shot and this is the perfect time for that shot.
A way Miz could be built up to this match could start with him winning the World Cup Tournament and bragging that he is the "Best in the World", which some could argue that Styles is.
The match could be about a who is the best and the face of Smackdown. Since it is TLC, a stipulation could be added to the match and if I had to pick one it would be a table match since a heel can win the match in a fluky fashion. The tough decision here is if Miz wins the title here or not since at the Royal Rumble I would have a rematch between the two regardless of the result at TLC.
As we head into the new year and the 2019 Royal Rumble, the feud between Miz and Styles will continue regardless of who wins at TLC. As I mentioned before, a tables match can end in fluky fashion, which would give a good reason for this feud to continue.
Regardless of whether or not he is champion at the time or still the challenger, The Miz will win at the Royal Rumble and either end AJ Styles' historic reign or continue his reign. Also, during the Royal Rumble, Daniel Bryan will win the Royal Rumble match and will set up the final encounter between him and The Miz at WrestleMania come April.