WWE Keeps Botching AJ Styles, LA Knight Needs World Title Payoff, More Raw Fallout

Just before traveling to Australia for Crown Jewel, the Raw roster took over the American Airlines Center in Dallas for the October 6 show.

LA Knight, CM Punk, Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso exchanged words that turned to action in the main event where The Megastar stole a pin on Jey from Punk to stand tall.

Paul Heyman set up Bronson Reed to face Roman Reigns in an Australian Street Fight while also warning Seth Rollins that he must defeat Cody Rhodes to prove himself.

Kairi Sane faced Iyo Sky at the behest of Asuka, winning thanks to interference from The Empress of Tomorrow while Rhea Ripley was away already in promoting in Australia.

AJ Styles won alongside Dragon Lee and Penta against The Judgment Day, building momentum for The Phenomenal One's match with John Cena while earning Cero Miedo an Intercontinental Championship opportunity/

LA Knight Must Win a World Championship before WrestleMania

The time is ticking for WWE to commit to LA Knight. At 42 years old, he is not nearly as young as his booking would suggest.

He is still massively over with the crowd and ready for the chance to break out, but that may not last much longer.

The narrative for The Megastar has shifted to him never winning the world title, which should mean he is on track to end that drought.

It could be handled similar to Sami Zayn though, who is on year three of his journey to the world title, starting in earnest when he challenged Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber 2023.

The Ultimate Underdog is 41 and has accomplished more in his career, but he is also running out of time to pay off his potential.

It would be best for Knight to be the one who dethrones Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 42 or before then.

No one else, whether it be CM Punk, Jey Uso or another star on Raw, fits that role better and could pay off the fans' investment in his journey.

Unlike The Best in the World and Main Event, he has not held the World Heavyweight Championship before, but he has talent to match them on the mic and in the ring to make the most of a title run.

The alternative option would be for him to turn heel due to the repeat interference of Punk and Jey in his journey then go after Cody Rhodes in 2026.

This is an interesting idea only if Knight can do what Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens and more have failed to do and beat The American Nightmare.

Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed II Needs a Shocking Upset

What is the point of a rematch between Roman Reigns and Bronson Reed?

The OTC already soundly defeated The Tribal Thief at Clash in Paris, and it was Bron Breakker who made Reigns pay for it afterward.

WWE is clearly delaying Reigns vs. Breakker for the right moment, much like Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, but this is a PLE match for The OTC. There is no reason to waste the spot on a predictable contest that helps no one.

Instead, this should be where Reed defeats Reigns. In an Australian Street Fight, many stars can interfere to protect The OTC.

What matters is Reed can stand tall with a victory over Reigns in his home country, allowing him to keep building some needed momentum.

If The OTC is just going to win again, this match has little point and would have been better as a tag team bout involving LA Knight, The Usos, CM Punk, etc. who have done more with the angle while Reigns was out.

Kairi Sane is Peaking

Kairi Sane started training in professional wrestling in 2011, debuting in World Wonder Ring Stardom in 2012.

The Pirate Princess officially signed with WWE in 2017 and won the NXT Women's Championship the following year.

This was arguably her previous wrestling peak, establishing herself as one of WWE's best rising stars but never quite translating to the main roster.

She chose to leave the company in 2020 to return to Japan. Following the changing of the guard in WWE's booking, The Pirate Princess chose to return to 2023.

However, the 37-year-old has never quite looked like the same wrestler she was in NXT until now. Perhaps due to overcoming lingering injuries, she is only now working at top speed in the ring again.

More importantly, for the first time, she has a strong established character that goes beyond a simple pirate gimmick.

With help from her best supporter over the years, Asuka, Sane has established herself as a conflicted heel.

She will do anything The Empress of Tomorrow demands of her, but she would prefer to play nice particularly with her now-former friends.

Before her great sprint with Sky on Raw, she delivered her best character to date backstage as Asuka berated her into fighting her second-closest friend.

If this story keeps its momentum, Sane will come out of this either as a well-established heel or a more lovable babyface.

Either way, it coincides with her returning to an in-ring high, allowing her to become one of WWE's best for the next few years at least.

WWE Hype Machine For Rhodes vs. Rollins is in Overdrive

While Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins lacks tangible stakes based on the past usage of the men's Crown Jewel Championship, WWE has hyped this as one of the defining matches of 2025.

Paul Heyman is teasing that he could walk out on Rollins if he fails. WWE is airing hype packages to celebrate this as one of the all-time great modern rivalries.

The hype is growing to unreal levels, setting the expectations that Rhodes and Rollins will deliver the match of the year in order to win on Saturday.

These two have already delivered multiple career highlights together, particularly the unforgettable Hell in a Cell match where The American Nightmare fought despite having a torn pectoral muscle in 2022.

Can these two deliver a better match in 2025? It's possible, but this feud felt far more personal three years ago.

The hype may be setting an unreal standard for Rhodes vs. Rollins that these two cannot meet and could allow a match like John Cena vs. AJ Styles to steal the show instead.

If that happens, it could hurt the mystique of both world champions, who are supposed to be the best in the world right now based on this hype machine.

AJ Styles Again Booked Poorly

As we pass three years of Triple H at the helm of WWE booking, common patterns have emerged that leave unfortunate lingering questions.

Who does this booking team, particularly The Game himself, favor? Who is not valued as much as their talent deserves?

John Cena's retirement tour has struggled to live up the legacy of The GOAT. Is that because of bad creative or an active sabotage?

AJ Styles has floundered throughout this whole time, making it feel all the more likely the creative team does not value The Phenomenal One as a former world champion in WWE and outside the company.

As Cena and Styles prepare for the final chapter of their rivalry, The Phenomenal One has been given the short end of the stick again, telling his story with Cena entirely solo.

It looks like a match WWE threw together at the last minute due to fan demand to see The GOAT face one of his best rivals one last time.

There is no reason Cena and Styles needed to stay apart this entire year until October. There is no reason a babyface Cena could not have at least sent in a video to talk about his rivalry with The Phenomenal One.

As Styles likely winds down toward his own retirement, WWE must stop devaluing a man who can still compete at a high level and create strong stories with anyone.