Road Dogg says top star was pushed in 2017 to lose to Brock Lesnar (Exclusive)
Brock Lesnar had an incredible year in WWE in 2017. Amid his Universal Championship run that lasted for over 500 days, Road Dogg revealed why AJ Styles was brought up to lose to The Beast at Survivor Series.
Around late 2017, a little buzz began about a potential Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal (then-WWE Champion) match. However, that didn't happen as the match never took place.
Instead, AJ Styles, who debuted in 2016, defeated the latter for the WWE Title ahead of Survivor Series and faced The Beast in a Champion vs. Champion match instead.
Road Dogg admitted on The Wrestling Outlaws that the decision to have AJ Styles win the WWE Championship was for "a cool moment," as well as making him a credible opponent for Lesnar to beat:
"I think from a buzz standpoint, it was a cool moment to have. AJ [Styles] had just gotten there not too long ago. And I think it was a cool moment for 'okay like Brock [Lesnar] can beat this guy." (3:14-3:25)
You can watch the full video below:
Brock Lesnar was in the midst of his longest world title reign at Survivor Series 2017
He came, he saw, he CONQUERED!
An UNBELIEVABLE match sees @BrockLesnar hit @AJStylesOrg with the #F5 for the victory at #SurvivorSeries! https://t.co/wDOmbNoGLQ
It was indeed a cool moment as AJ Styles would become the first WWE superstar to win a World Title outside of North America. The magical night in Manchester would set up a dream Survivor Series clash, where Lesnar would arguably have one of the best matches of his WWE career in the last decade.
To date, the Lesnar vs. Styles match is fondly remembered amid the former's record 500+ day reign as Universal Champion - a record that wouldn't be surpassed until Roman Reigns crossed 700 days recently.
Did you like the AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar match? What are your thoughts on Lesnar's 500+ day reign as Universal Champion?
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