WWE News: Seth Rollins discusses his Money in the Bank match with AJ Styles
What's the story?
A dream match that fans have always hoped for was Seth Rollins vs AJ Styles. Once the latter joined the WWE in 2016, it was no longer a dream. However it didn't happen because the pair were on separate shows.
Once Styles moved to Raw during this year's Superstar Shake Up, that dream match was made a reality. Rollins talked with the National about his match with Styles at MITB, while 411Mania.com carried transcripts of Rollins interview.
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Styles had been a staple of TNA/Impact until he declined another contract extension with them. He took a year and change off to up his profile with both New Japan and Ring of Honor.
Signing with the WWE in 2016, he debuted at that year's Royal Rumble. Despite crossing paths with Seth in multi-person matches before, they never had a singles' match in WWE.
The heart of the matter
While Styles/Rollins was always a match fans dreamed about seeing, it did happen over a decade ago while both men were making their names on the independent scene. Once both became members of the WWE, it was only a matter of time before two of the most talented Superstars faced off. It didn't happen until this year however, as Styles joined Rollins on Raw.
Rollins' Universal Championship win over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35 meant the new champion needed a suitable challenger at MITB. After a few matches, Styles prevailed and the dream match was finally on. "The Beastslayer" recently discussed his match with "The Phenomenal One" at Money in the Bank with the National.
"It was one of those that was a double-edged sword in a sense - there is so much talent in the ring and expectations are so high the bar is set so high. You put extra pressure on yourself to deliver and you wonder if you're able to exceed or meet those expectations."
The pressure was certainly high for both given their nightly performances on Raw and SmackDown respectively. Even though it had been many years since they first faced one another, the second time was just as special.
"The fact AJ Styles and I had not had a singles match in 13 years, to go out there and be able to have a match like that with one of the best in the entire world is really special. It was a great way to kick off my Universal Championship reign, which I hope will be filled with many successful title defences.
AJ is a person I have looked up to for a long, long time so to be able to go out there, beat him and get a handshake afterwards was a really special thing."
What's next?
Styles might be briefly away from the WWE due to an injury, but that won't be the only encounter between the talented pair. Fans will want more and if the company are smart, they will deliver the dream match again down the road.