What Does AJ Styles Mean To WWE in 2016?

I’ve been a fan of AJ Styles since I saw him on the first ever TNA weekly PPV. I tried to watch as many of his ROH and PWG matches as possible. I extensively followed his early TNA days. From his early title wins, to the peak of the X-Division with Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels, to his tag run with Daniels. Even as he took a backseat to former WWE/WCW stars, I’d still check out his matches in hopes that the booking wouldn’t ruin a great performance. When he left TNA and went to NJPW, I sought out his matches despite knowing very little about the NJPW product and was never disappointed.

 

Styles has been my favorite non-WWE wrestler for 10+ years now. I’ve been wanting to see him on WWE television for years, not because I thought they’d book him like a big star, but because it would be easy access to see him.

Now, in 2016, “AJ to WWE” appears to be closer than ever. But what exactly does it mean?

 

AJ Styles is currently 38-years-old and has been wrestling for almost 20 years now. He’s certainly not a guy that WWE is going to build their future around. However, he is a guy that they can build their present around. In past years, AJ would’ve been lost in the WWE shuffle. Dolph Ziggler status may’ve been his ceiling. That’s not the case anymore thanks to a myriad of injuries that have almost crippled WWE heading into the most important stretch of the year.

 

AJ can come in and be one of “the guy’s” for the company and that can happen due to the fact that the audience hasn’t been pre-conditioned to not care about him. AJ hasn’t spent years toiling in the WWE midcard, trading wins and losses with other guys who have no hope of “breaking the glass ceiling.” He is the biggest star TNA ever produced and he’s spent the past few years building up his name even more in Japan. With Triple H’s love of independent wrestling and the WWE’s potentially desperate need for any boost they can get, AJ Styles has his best chance ever at succeeding on the biggest stage.

 

So how does it happen?

 

Unless you trip over yourself, debuts aren’t difficult. If you want someone to be a star, you introduce him with stars. That’s the easy part. The hard part is following up. AJ could win the Royal Rumble, and the WWE World Heavyweight title in the process, but if he loses the belt on the next night and ends up being some random guy that Kane tosses in The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal then he’s just another midcard geek.

 

Unfortunately, WWE doesn’t have a whole lot of stars that they can immediately attach Styles to. There are The Authority, there’s Roman Reigns, and that’s about it. The Royal Rumble would be a strong introduction, but if he’s just tossed aside like nothing, the impact of the debut is immediately lost. The best course of action for AJ might be going after a part-time player like Brock Lesnar or The Undertaker. Would WWE actually pair up one of the biggest stars with a newcomer with limited shelf life? It’s doubtful, but these are desperate times of the company and that might call for desperate measures.

The best theory being tossed around is one that involves Styles leading Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and possibly Nakamura or a NXT call-up into the WWE and causing chaos as the Bullet Club until NXT Champion Finn Balor emerges, trying to recruit his former friends to join him as part of the Balor Club.

 

Whether he’s going toe-to-toe with Lesnar or jobbing to Dolph Ziggler, I’m just excited to see AJ on the big stage. I lied. If he’s jobbing to Ziggler, I’d rather him stay in NJPW.