AJ Styles to move from Raw to SmackDown at 2020 Superstar Shakeup?
AJ Styles has taken a backseat on Monday nights recently, and the leader of the O.C. could be positioned for a move from Raw to SmackDown later in 2020.
The vibe around Monday Night Raw has been much different with Paul Heyman in charge, and several superstars have benefited from the new direction of the show. Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black, and Buddy Murphy are among the wrestlers getting pushed harder on Monday nights under Heyman’s leadership, but not everyone has been booked as prominently.
Two-time WWE Champion AJ Styles has taken a more reserved role on the show in recent weeks, and Sportskeeda’s Tom Colohue reports that he is one of the people absent from the list of superstars Heyman wants to push on Monday nights.
Per Colohue, he is “suggested” as someone who could move to SmackDown, because it seems like Heyman doesn’t have much planned for The Phenomenal One.
Colohue notes that Styles was more “comfortable” on the Blue brand, where he was twice a world champion, including a memorable run of form in late 2016 and 2017.
Friday Night SmackDown could benefit from Styles making a move to the show during the next Superstar Shakeup, which will presumably take place after WrestleMania 36. It could be quiet WrestleMania season for Styles if Heyman doesn’t have much planned for him, but perhaps he is keeping something big close to the vest for The O.C.
If not, then Styles can have some breakout performances on SmackDown if he does make the brand switch after ‘Mania. Styles does seem like a more natural fit for the show, given he used to boast about SmackDown being “The House That AJ Styles Built”.
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Styles, as Colohue states later in the video, recently signed a contract for less dates as he transitions into the final years of his career. He’s currently in a program with Randy Orton that is somewhat similar to their feud last year, except Styles is the heel. It’s unclear if Orton vs. Styles will happen again at WrestleMania 36, as it was not a well-received match last year.