Best Booking Options for AJ Styles, Sami Zayn After WWE Royal Rumble Appearances

In what was a pretty successful night for WWE at its Royal Rumble 2016 pay-per-view, the company stuck to tradition and unleashed a couple of surprises in the marquee bout of the night.

Sami Zayn's return to the main roster was a great moment, even if there was a lack of direction for him in the match.

But perhaps the biggest moment of all was the debut of AJ Styles in WWE, after weeks of speculation concerning his future.

With both men seemingly set for a big few months, how can the company book them appropriately to ensure they're in some high-level feuds?

Sami Zayn

As suggested at the head of the article, it was a somewhat disappointing performance in the Rumble for the Canadian.

It was great that WWE gave him his moment of retribution on Kevin Owens after KO had put him out of action for several months, but aside from that, Zayn didn't have any clear direction heading out of Sunday night.

He has business in NXT to take care of before a potential move to the main roster on a permanent basis, though. He's booked for a Triple Threat match against both Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin to see who fights Finn Balor for the NXT Championship.

It would be hard to imagine Zayn winning that and facing a fellow babyface like Balor, so will WWE pull the trigger and push him up to the main roster?

When you have to scout around for potential opponents, you start to struggle. Sure, it could start up his rivalry with Owens again, but he is set for something much bigger, unfortunately.

When you sit down and work out a path for booking Zayn toward WrestleMania, maybe his immediate future still lies in NXT. There needs to be an opening for Zayn to make an immediate impact on the main roster, like Owens did when he dropped John Cena in the middle of the ring on Raw.

So for now, WWE should book Zayn to stay in NXT and keep the brand strong throughout the early part of the year.

AJ Styles

What a moment WWE provided for its fans on Sunday when it unleashed Styles in the Royal Rumble match.

Not only did Styles go for almost a half-hour in the match, but WWE booked things perfectly so that his first feud was absolutely explosive. 

He made a real impact throughout with some exciting moves, but the culmination of Styles' time in the Rumble offered a big hint as to how WWE will move forward with him.

"Welcome to WWE," Owens said as he dumped Styles over the top rope and out of the match.

Scott Fishman of the Sun Sentinel noted his satisfaction with the clashing of Owens and Styles:

There is only one option for Styles at WrestleMania 32, and that's going one-on-one with Owens in a bitter grudge match between two fan favorites. 

Owens is back on a roll after a phenomenal bout with Dean Ambrose earlier in the night, but that rivalry should see its end in order to let two of the most gifted wrestlers on the roster do their thing.

It could be the standout feud of the next few months if booked properly.