AJ Styles was one of the biggest signings WWE has made in recent memory. Many thought they would never see him join WWE, as he was the face of Impact Wrestling. When Impact gave him an awful contract offer, he left to join NJPW where he became IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his debut match. His time there and the hype he generated finally made WWE interested, and in the 2016 Royal Rumble we saw a phenomenal debut.
AJ Styles Debut Was For The WWE Championship
Entering at number 3 in the Royal Rumble, he made an immediate impact in WWE. Fans and wrestlers alike were excited to have seen AJ Styles make it to WWE and be presented as a star. This Royal Rumble was special, in that Roman Reigns was defending his WWE Championship against the 29 other participants. This means that AJ Styles first WWE match was for the biggest prize in the company. He was unsuccessful, only lasted about half the match before being eliminated by Kevin Owens.
John Cena Ties Ric Flair
The next year, AJ Styles entered as WWE Champion, and he would try to defend against John Cena in what would close out their trilogy of amazing matches. Cena would get the win on that night, and become a 16 time world champion. He would lose the title a month later to Bray Wyatt at Elimination Chamber. Despite this, the moment and match where he won it were phenomenal thanks to AJ Styles.
Handicaps Don’t Affect The Phenomenal One
In 2018, we once again saw AJ Styles enter the Royal Rumble event as WWE Champion, and this time he would be facing off against the duo of Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in a handicap match. Despite the odds being stacked against him, he would notch his first (and currently only) victory at a Royal Rumble event. The match itself was fairly forgettable and probably the worst of Styles at the event.
Revenge On Daniel Bryan
Last year, we saw Daniel Bryan enter the Royal Rumble as WWE Champion after a roller coaster of a year. He would return from retirement in 2018, yet end up the heel by the time the year came to a close. This heel turn came at the expense of AJ Styles, who Daniel defeated for the WWE Championship just before Survivor Series following a swift kick to the nuts and a running knee strike. The match was incredible, as expected with two of the best of a generation facing off. Daniel would retain, and carry on till Wrestlemania where he would lose to Kofi Kingston.
Styles Rumble Plans For 2020
This will be the first year he is not involved in a WWE Championship match at the event, instead he will enter the Royal Rumble match once again. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is also entering the match, but is not putting the title on the line. This ends the streak of AJ Styles and the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble, but he could very well walk away with a Rumble win to further boost his accolades within WWE.
Do you wish we could see Brock Lesnar & AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble this year? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below, and stay tuned for more WWE news & analysis right here on The Overtimer.
