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AJ Styles’ Main Event Resume Will Carry Feud With Roman Reigns

By Tim Sherry

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How will AJ Styles handle the big stage?

AJ Styles long awaited WWE debut finally happened at the 2016 Royal Rumble.  Lasting close to 30 minutes, Styles showed the WWE universe a little bit of the hype surrounding him.  After the Rumble he went on to feud with Chris Jericho, churning out solid match after solid match culminating in a loss to Y2J at Wrestlemania 32.  Many people thought that Styles would be relegated to the mid-card, the normal treatment of a new superstar.  However, he is no ordinary superstar, and just a little over two months into his WWE tenure, he finds himself in the main event picture against the newly crowned champ, Roman Reigns.

Slightly surprising would be a good way to describe Styles quick ascent to the top of the card.  Most new faces on the roster take a while to move up so fast, usually grabbing a secondary title or two along the way.  One might guess that the reason he propelled so quickly is because of the sizeable contract WWE gave him, which is about $500,000 per year (h/t 411 Mania).  Another reason could be his merchandise sale as his first WWE t-shirt sold out within a week after the Royal Rumble and most recently his gloves also sold out (h/t Wrestling Inc).

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However, the biggest plus side to having Styles step into the main event picture could just possibly be his resume.  Between his time in TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Styles has been in the main event of 28 pay per views.  His success has varied in these matches compiling a 14-13-1 record, but the majority of these bouts have been widely hailed by critics.

Styles’ first pay-per-view main event was at TNA Lockdown 2005 against Abyss.  This wild, Six Sides of Steel match, not only garnered Styles a title shot but was by far the match of the night on a very solid card.

Five months later at Unbreakable 2005, Styles, in his fourth PPV main event, along with Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels put on one of the greatest matches in Pro Wrestling history.  This 23 minute, Triple Threat match for the X-Division title is widely regarded as one of the best matches in TNA History.

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Between 2006 and 2007, Styles would participate in seven more PPV main events.  His second in 2009 earned him his first TNA World Championship (granted he had 3 NWA championships under the TNA banner).  Styles would then main event the next four PPV’s.

First, he successfully defended the belt against Sting at Bound For Glory in what would be awarded TNA’s 2009 match of the year.  Then in a rematch, he kept the belt by defeating Samoa Joe and Daniels in another incredible triple threat bout at Turning Point.  After outstanding title defenses against Daniels and Kurt Angle, turning heel in the process against the latter, he dropped the belt to Rob Van Dam.  To close out his tenure in TNA, Styles would be in the main event four more PPV main events, including one against Bully Ray when he captured his second TNA World Heavy Championship.

To close out his tenure in TNA, Styles would be in the main event four more PPV main events, including one against Bully Ray when he captured his second TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

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After leaving the company, the then-37-year-old Styles ventured to Japan.  Even at his age, he still proved that he could turn out classics.  For the twelve pay per views that NJPW would hold with Styles on the roster, he headlined five of them.  His first, in an IWGP title-winning performance at Wrestling Dontaku 2014, he put on a barn burner with the company’s biggest star, Kazuchika Okada.  The next four would be a title defense against Michael Elgin and Okada, another classic in a losing effort this time against Okada, a title loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi, and a ten man tag match loss along with his fellow Bullet Club members.  Each of these matches were, like usual, highly praised.

Styles will bring not only experience and guile to the main event, but also the proven ability to perform in the final match of the night.  He’s exhibited his ring generalship in almost every type of match available in the industry and it never seems to slow him down.   His overall performance ability can only help elevate Reigns, and potentially firmly plant Roman as the heel everyone thinks he should be.

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Just about 2 months away from turning 39, Styles seems to be having a wrestling rebirth at the exact right time.  And whether he leaves this feud with the belt or not, it seems clear that Styles is destined to be the eventual champion.

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