WWE WrestleMania 36: AJ Styles must prove why he’s still phenomenal
His WWE WrestleMania 36 match with The Undertaker should be what motivates AJ Styles to escape this funk he’s found himself in for some time.
AJ Styles has had a solid string of matches at WrestleMania since signing with WWE at the onset of 2016, having won his last three at the illustrious event.
This weekend, he’ll face his toughest WrestleMania challenge to date when he does battle with The Undertaker in a Boneyard match. What that will entail exactly is anyone’s guess, but if nothing else, it promises to be incredibly interesting.
To their credit, Styles and Undertaker have done a commendable job of getting fans excited for their encounter in such a short span of time, even with no crowds to cut promos in front of at the Performance Center.
However, this ‘Mania match is less about The Phenom and more about The Phenomenal One and whether he can still live up to that lofty nickname as he enters the twilight of his career.
Truth be told, AJ Styles hasn’t had a stellar past year in WWE, at least from an in-ring standpoint.
Aside from a fun four-month reign as United States champion in the latter half of 2019, he hasn’t accomplished a whole lot lately. His heel run and reunion with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson as The O.C. has been enjoyable, but his matches have felt slightly off.
His rivalry with Ricochet wasn’t what fans had hoped for from them, his match against Randy Orton in the main event of Raw late last year was fairly mediocre, and his recent No Disqualification bout with Aleister Black at Elimination Chamber was also underwhelming.
Oddly enough, his mic work has shined where his wrestling has lacked. He’s been cutting some of the strongest promos of his WWE career on the road to WrestleMania 36, but it’s time for him to bring his best on the night it matters most.
Before coming to WWE in WWE, Styles was widely regarded by fans to among the greatest wrestlers in the world, and rightfully so.
He turned everything he touched in TNA into gold (including that infamous “Claire Lynch” angle) before making waves over in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. There, he captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship twice and ripped it up against the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and most notably Shinsuke Nakamura.
His IWGP Intercontinental Championship clash with Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 10 was the perfect note for him to end his NJPW stint on. It offered a small taste of what he was capable of and what the WWE Universe was about to experience, just on a grander stage.
Sure enough, he wasted no time in delivering instant classics straight from the get-go with Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns and John Cena. The efforts of the former face of TNA earned him main event status and led to him being recognized as WWE’s MVP for 2016.
Styles was always the type of Superstar that could be counted on for an amazing match and never disappoint. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had anything above an average match in many months and has seemingly coasted off his past accomplishments.
That isn’t the same Styles who stole the show with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33 or walked into WrestleMania the following year as WrestleMania 34. At those points in time, it was tough to argue that anyone in WWE was better than him.
With Daniel Bryan coming out of retirement, Seth Rollins returning to form and several others coming through the NXT ranks, it isn’t as clear-cut anymore who WWE’s most complete performer is.
In order for him to reclaim that undisputed spot, it’s imperative he rises to the occasion at the upcoming installment of the Show of Shows and reminds the world what brought him to the dance in the first place.
Of course, having an opponent as old as Undertaker will be no easy task, especially considering The Deadman hasn’t had anything remotely close to a quality contest at WrestleMania in years.
Thankfully, they should benefit from it being a Boneyard match, which sounds an awful like a Buried Alive match with a different name. It’s bound to be more of a pre-taped spectacle than an actual wrestling matchup, forcing the two to get creative and come up with something that will be both entertaining and effective.
Next. WWE should pay wrestlers extra for working WrestleMania 36. dark
Win, lose or draw, Styles needs this outing with Undertaker to prove why he belongs at that elite level. With a lot left to offer even at 42, now is the time for him to fire up and get back to being the outstanding athlete everyone already knows him as.