Examining AJ Styles' Place in the Current WWE Universe After WrestleMania 32
There was plenty of reason to be upset, angry even, over AJ Styles' loss to Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 32. His match with Jericho on that evening was The Phenomenal One's first opportunity to leave a lasting impression on wrestling's grandest stage, but instead, he dropped the match to a guy no better or worse off than he was entering the show.
Luckily, Styles recovered nicely one night later, defeating Jericho, Kevin Owens and Cesaro in a Fatal 4-Way match to become the No. 1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, he's presumably headed Payback to face Roman Reigns.
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Is this impending main event a match that will propel Styles to the top of the card permanently, or is it one that will act as more of a tease for hardcore wrestling fans eagerly anticipating the internationally recognized star one day capturing the top prize in the industry?
What is the Gainesville, Georgia, native's place in the WWE Universe in the wake of The Showcase of the Immortals?
Star Power
In a day and age where star power is at a premium, Styles is one of the few Superstars on the roster with name value. His extraordinary work across different continents and championship victories in numerous promotions in North America have earned him a legion of fans from New York to Nashville, Mexico to Japan.
Any doubt critics may have had that he could roll into WWE and be received as a legitimate star in Vince McMahon's company were extinguished as he was greeted with a thunderous ovation at the Royal Rumble and receives some of the biggest pops on any given night on whichever show he appears on.
With John Cena, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins still sidelined by injury, and Reigns and Dean Ambrose carrying the workload as the top two babyfaces in their absence, Styles has been relied upon to carry house show lineups as one of the marquee stars.
Even when Cena and Orton do return, there is so much good will built up between Styles and fans for his many international exploits that it will be hard for McMahon to justify pushing him down the card when he is as well-known, respected, popular and talented as he is.
Unless he wants a repeat of the Daniel Bryan backlash that forced him to change his undeniable stubbornness.
In-Ring Ability
Styles has the skills to take over where the aforementioned Bryan left off. A well-traveled veteran of the mat game, he has developed and evolved his abilities throughout his career, working the Japanese Strong Style striking into his arsenal during his time in the Orient and blending it with the high-flying, dynamic offense that he first displayed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
He is as well-rounded a professional wrestler as there is in WWE and, arguably, the best in the entire business.
His skills alone will mask any perceived weaknesses, including his promo abilities, similar to Chris Benoit and Daniel Bryan when they achieved main event status.
At the very least, that guarantees him a spot on the card similar to that of Kevin Owens.
The former NXT champion has never been a consistent main event star, but he has regularly mixed it up with top stars such as Cena, Orton, Reigns and Ambrose. He has also provided consistency in the midcard. Above all, he has proved to be such a credible worker among fans that he can easily be thrown into a marquee match at a WWE live event and still be credible in that role.
Styles can be that guy for WWE, regardless of whether his main event with Reigns is the start of something special or a one-off bout to please an audience unsatisfied with this year's WrestleMania.
Promo Skills
As alluded to earlier, if there is one thing potentially holding Styles back from a real run at the top of the post-WrestleMania WWE, it is his ability to connect with the audience on the microphone.
He has a very pronounced southern accent, which may not endear him to audiences in Los Angeles or New York and most certainly will hamper him in the eyes of Vince McMahon. Add to that the fact that he has never been the smoothest, nor the most comfortable on the mic, and you have a recipe for potential disappointment.
Again, though, Styles' abilities between the ropes are good enough to camouflage his most apparent weakness.
Lost in the Shuffle or Rising to the Top?
The biggest question at this point is whether Styles can overcome the logjam of talent struggling to break through the glass ceiling. With Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Ambrose, The Wyatt Family, Kane, Big Show and a wealth of NXT talent just recently called up to the main roster, it will not be easy for Styles to leapfrog all of them to maintain a quality main event run.
Factor in the eventual returns of Cena, Orton and Rollins, and you have a scenario where Styles may be the puzzle piece that simply does not fit. He will be an integral part of the roster based strictly on his skills alone, but his chances of maintaining a push with so many industry icons ahead of him are slim, to the point where it may take another rash of injuries for him to get back to the position he finds himself in at this moment.
A classic with Reigns, or the debut of former New Japan Pro Wrestling associates Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, could change all of that.
Thus, it is far too early to project what Styles' role in WWE will be far beyond Payback.
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