WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways: AJ Styles’ Odds Improve Even In Defeat

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1. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn Get The Upper Hand Against AJ Styles Heading Into The Royal Rumble

The WWE Championship will be at stake in a rare form at the Royal Rumble on Sunday.  AJ Styles will defend his title against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match, but last night saw the champ get a taste of both challengers.

The show began with Owens and Zayn cutting a promo before Styles came out on top of the ramp and called them out.  Words were exchanged before Owens and Zayn played a clip from a recent episode of SmackDown in which Styles said he would face both of them on the same night.  And as it turns out, that’s exactly what took place.

GM Daniel Bryan came out to address the situation, but The Phenomenal One decided to take this situation head-on and would face both KO and Zayn later in the night.  The first match with Owens was short and Owens quickly tapped out to Styles to preserve his health heading into the Royal Rumble.

Zayn’s match with Styles went much differently and the WWE Champion got worn down early in the match.  He would recover, but in the end, the numbers game took over and Zayn picked up the win over Styles.  The heelish duo has the momentum heading into Sunday, but that likely means Styles will retain his title, which is expected by most.

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Even in defeat, The Phenomenal One likely improved his odds heading into the Royal Rumble handicap match for the WWE Championship.