AJ Styles Is WWE's Perfect Solution to Fill the Void Left by Injured Superstars

AJ Styles is finally in WWE.  The man known around the world as the Phenomenal One is finally on Vince McMahon's roster, and he's already making serious waves not only at the Royal Rumble but the very next night on Monday Night Raw.

AJ's presence could not have come at a better time.  The fact is that since the company began losing Superstars to injury, the overall vibe of WWE's flagship program has not been the same.  Styles will bring the work rate that is needed on Monday nights.

There are other talented Superstars appearing on Raw, of course.  Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler are just three of the guys stepping up to work the high-profile matches every week.  

But things just haven't been the same for many fans since guys started getting hurt.  This is especially true in the case of former WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins. Seth brought an air of innovation every time he was in the ring; he was always willing to change it up and do new things when he worked.  

His move set was not predictable or formulaic, and that earned him the respect of the same fans who were supposed to hate him.

Superstar	Date Injured
John Cena	Unknown
Seth Rollins	November 4, 2015
Daniel Bryan	April 2015
Cesaro	September 2015
Sting	September 20, 2015
Tyson Kidd	June 1, 2015
Sin Cara	December 28, 2015

Indeed, it was the one quality about Rollins that kept fans cheering for him despite how many times he should have been booed.  Rollins was similar to the heel Shawn Michaels: Fans didn't like him, but his work in the ring kept them on their feet with applause.

No one could deny the impact Rollins made in the ring week after week.  He wore the title with pride, and despite how many fans were upset at his booking; he always brought everything he had to his matches.

That is exactly what fans will get now from AJ Styles.

For any WWE fans not familiar with him, AJ will surely impress.  The 18-year veteran knows what it is to perform on the worldwide stage; he's been doing it for the bulk of his career. From Ring of Honor to TNA to New Japan, Styles has always been a rock-solid performer who can thrill fans with an arsenal of moves that are consistently innovative.

He can fly around the ring; he's fearless off the top rope and gets air like a man half his age.  He can also mat wrestle, matching his opponent move-for-move, and has done so with names like Kurt Angle and Sting.

NXT has often been thought of as the pro wrestling roster, while Raw and SmackDown are the show business rosters with some wrestling thrown in.  However, that was kept in check by not only Rollins but also Cesaro and Daniel Bryan.

Now Styles will bring that same intensity—that same big-match feel that those guys did. He's all business, and pound-for-pound, he could already be considered one of WWE's best even though he just walked in the door.

This is the time for WWE to get serious about its product.  

Triple H's 14th world title is controversial and keeps Roman Reigns from the top spot, as many fans wanted, but it may have been the easy way out. Brock Lesnar is indeed a beast, but he's rarely there and there's no one who poses a threat to him in the first place.  

Talented stars like Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn are still in the aforementioned NXT, while the main roster is full of holes.  The Authority continues to cut one 20-minute promo after another while every Superstar who has ever defied them has fallen.

But AJ Styles brings new life, new energy and new storyline potential to the fold.  He's fresh, fired up and ready to make an impact right now.  WWE needs to get him on track and keep him on track. While that may or may not mean a future world title reign, it must mean true relevancy on a main event scale.

It's a very telling move that he was not automatically sent to NXT, and hopefully it does indeed prove that WWE is serious about him.  He has a lot to offer them, and he can make a difference today.  One man may not be able to fully replace every injured star, but AJ will make fans forget about them every time he steps into the ring.

Tom Clark can regularly be found on Bleacher Report and his podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here