SmackDown star reveals long-term plan as he competes in first non-WWE match in 3081 days
A top SmackDown Superstar is set to compete in his first non-WWE match in 3,081 days. If you are wondering, that is eight years, five months, and eight days. WWE's long-term plan was revealed ahead of the big crossover bout.
The star in question is none other than former WWE Champion AJ Styles. Styles, who won five world titles in TNA Wrestling and two in New Japan Pro-Wrestling went on to have a career-defining eight-year stint in WWE, a run that has seen him emerge as one of SmackDown and the company's key stars. His two world championships in WWE make him an overall nine-time World Champion.
AJ Styles is set to face Japanese wrestling legend Naomichi Marufuji, while IYO SKY will wrestle in the recently-formed Dream Star Fighting Marigold promotion against Utami Hayashishita. As of July 12, Styles last wrestled outside of WWE 3,081 days ago on February 5, 2016. It was actually for a small local promotion named Georgia Premiere Wrestling. IYO SKY, on the other hand, has not wrestled in Japan for six years.
Ahead of his match against Naomichi Marufuji, AJ Styles said that WWE's long-term plan is to make professional wrestling as an industry bigger.
There seems to be a mentality that WWE has now in realizing the value of other promotions, something they neglected for decades. Perhaps the mentality is that the entire industry being much bigger will serve the Stamford-based promotion well in the long run.
Maintaining good relationships with other promotions could also be a way of funneling top talent into the biggest stage.
Another SmackDown star credited Triple H for the WWE-Pro Wrestling NOAH crossover
One of AJ Styles' biggest allies, Luke Gallows, was also asked about his thoughts on the WWE-Pro Wrestling NOAH crossover. Like Styles, Gallows is also performing on SmackDown.
While speaking to Pro Wrestling NOAH, Luke Gallows, who spent several years wrestling in Japan, credited Triple H's vision as the reason why the WWE-NOAH crossover has happened:
"I think that we kind of have to tip our hat to the new WWE, to the vision of Triple H. Just a couple of short years ago, this match would never happen. There would be no chance, for Pro Wrestling NOAH and WWE to come together, put two iconic superstars in a Pro Wrestling NOAH ring in Japan."
This, along with the relationship with TNA Wrestling, seems to be a way for WWE to strategically introduce these crossovers as a more frequent happening. For now, the crossovers into WWE have been limited to Royal Rumble appearances and more notably, an NXT Women's Championship match, whereas the outward flow of talent has been into TNA and NOAH.
As of now, a full-fledged crossover into RAW and SmackDown has not taken place.