From The WWE Rumor Mill: Initial plans for AJ Styles when he first signed for the WWE
What’s the story?
During the latest instalment of The Wrestling Observer Radio, veteran Pro Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer shed some info regarding the initial plans for current WWE Champion AJ Styles, when he made his debut for the company in the first place back at the Royal Rumble PPV.
In case you didn’t know…
AJ Styles made his WWE debut almost two and a half years ago at the 2016 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, as part of the namesake match when he entered the Rumble match as a surprise entrant at the #3 spot.
Following his big debut for the WWE, Styles legitimately shocked the entire Pro Wrestling Universe and within the first year of his WWE career, ‘The Phenomenal One’ successfully won the WWE Championship as well.
AJ Styles is also a former two-time WWE United States Champion, having first won the championship at the historic Madison Square Garden arena in New York.
The heart of the matter
On the recent edition of The Observer, respected journalist Dave Meltzer was seemingly discussing a possible future for AJ Styles’ former NJPW colleague and Bullet Club stablemate, Kenny Omega, who has been linked to a potential move to the WWE on previous occasions and could very well make the jump to WWE once his NJPW contract eventually expires.
However, as per Dave Meltzer’s opinion, WWE Champion AJ Styles apparently got a big push only due to the astonishing crowd reaction he had initially received from the WWE Universe and ‘The Phenomenal One’ was seemingly not geared towards doing anything big on the main event scene. (H/T: Ringside News)
“The only reason AJ Styles got the push that he did was because the crowd reacted to him. He was not geared towards doing anything this big. That was never the plan when they got him. It wasn’t like to bury him but the idea of him being a world champion that was certainly not in the plans. But the crowd went for him really big.”
What’s next?
Following the culmination of the Backlash PPV, AJ Styles is currently expected to continue his long-term feud against Shinsuke Nakamura.
Whereas, on the other hand, Bullet Club’s Kenny Omega will be challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight Title next against Kazuchika Okada at Dominion 6.9 later next month.
Author’s Take
There is certainly no doubt in the fact that WWE Champion AJ Styles is a main event calibre talent and to see him get such a solid push with the company is definitely amazing to witness.