Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: What an AJ Styles Win at Money in the Bank Would Mean

1. AJ Styles' Seminal Moment

Should Styles stand over a fallen John Cena at Money in the Bank 2016, the referee raising his arm in victory, it will be a clear indication of The Phenomenal One's place on the WWE hierarchy. Only the rare beast takes down prey of that magnitude.

The result of Cena and Styles' showdown at Sunday's pay-per-view will tell us if WWE truly believes in the former TNA stalwart, if he is destined to be one of the men to lead the company into its much-hyped New Era.

When the two foes barked at each other on Monday's Raw, Cena told Styles, "I sit here and give you respect and you waltz out and whine and complain like every other single indy dude before you." Heading into Money in the Bank, one has to wonder if WWE thinks of Styles as another "indy dude."

Styles built his name in a parallel universe to speak. While Cena became WWE's franchise player, Styles was doing the same for TNA.

Even with as much talent as that rival promotion amassed and showcased since its inception in 2002, it has failed to truly challenge WWE as wrestling's top dog. It has been seen by many as the minor leagues of the mat game. 

So with Styles now on the same stage as Cena, set to lock horns with him in what WWE has hailed as a "dream match," will the company treat him like a minor leaguer who is merely visiting the bigs?

A Styles victory in Las Vegas on Sunday would utter a far different statement. Should The Phenomenal One knock off Cena, it would mark him as special, a Superstar moving toward the top tier.

WWE has been mighty stingy in who it lets best Cena under bright lights. 

Bray Wyatt's surging momentum wasn't enough to net him a win against Cena at WrestleMania XXX or Payback 2014 two months later. A year before that, Ryback dropped bouts to the leader of Cenation at Extreme Rules and Payback. Cena's list of PPV victims includes the likes of Seth Rollins, Alberto Del Rio and The Miz.

Styles would separate himself from those men by outlasting Cena, especially without his goons The Club at his side.

Credit: WWE.com

With as much as WWE has hyped this clash as a meeting of two top stars, giving the win to The Phenomenal One would announce his arrival to the company in a major way. WWE went a similar route with Kevin Owens, having the powerhouse pin Cena in his first matchup on the main roster.

Owens has since been a key figure, a two-time intercontinental champion and, on Sunday, the favorite in many minds to win the Money in the Bank briefcase. He is on the verge of being one of WWE's cornerstones. 

Styles beating Cena would have him join Owens in that spot. It's a result Doug Mortman of Busted Open radio believes WWE should choose:

If WWE is serious about elevating Styles and shifting into its New Era, that's exactly what has to happen.

2. A Revolution Stalled

The women's division isn't anywhere near where it should be. 

After all the talk of a Divas Revolution last year, after bringing in Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch from NXT and rebranding the division with a new title and nixing the "Divas" label, WWE is falling into the same traps it did beforehand. Charlotte and her peers are simply not getting enough time in the ring.

As Kate Foray noted on her Raw BreakDown Project, the women got just 2 percent of the total airtime on Monday's Raw. That follows a recent disappointing pattern.

Date	Match	Match Time
April 4	Sasha Banks vs. Summer Rae	1:40
April 11	Natalya vs. Charlotte	11:05
April 18	Becky Lynch, Natalya, Paige and Sasha Banks vs. Team B.A.D., Charlotte and Summer Rae	10:26
April 25	Natalya vs. Emma	2:12
May 2	Emma vs. Becky Lynch	5:42
May 9	Paige vs. Charlotte	7:42
May 16	Dana Brooke vs. Becky Lynch	3:41
May 23	No match	N/A
May 30	Dana Brooke vs. Natalya	1:20
June 6	No match	N/A
June 13	Paige vs. Charlotte	2:28

Banks, Lynch and Charlotte tore down the house at WrestleMania, but WWE has failed to build on that, the company neglecting the division.

Five times since that PPV, the only women's match on Raw didn't surpass the four-minute mark. There have been just three minutes and 48 seconds worth of women's in-ring action in the past four weeks combined. That's insane.

An impressive collection of talent and a brand-new championship belt don't mean anything if that's not leading to matches that don't last longer than it takes to smoke a cigarette. 

3. Throwback Video of the Week: The Shield 

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns appear poised to collide in a future Triple Threat match. Each wrestler collided in a segment on Monday's Raw that seemed to tease that showdown.

That will be a marquee bout whenever it happens, but won't be the first meeting of that kind. The men who once fought as The Shield already went to battle when they were all with Florida Championship Wrestling when it was WWE's developmental territory:

Reigns, known as Leakee at the time, won that 2012 clash. By the time those three meet once more, it could easily be a showdown between three men who have won the WWE title.

4. NXT's Keepers

The WWE draft is sure to raid the NXT cupboards in July. Both Raw and SmackDown will need added roster depth. That is bound to mean wrestlers like Finn Balor will find new homes away from NXT.

Officials can't deplete the development brand too much though. NXT still travels around the world and needs names to sell tickets, as well as veterans to aid prospects' learning process.

With that in mind, NXT must keep Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode and The Revival around, even though they could all make an impact on the main roster.

Joe is a great fit as a monstrous opponent for emerging stars and the face of NXT. Aries and Roode are experienced veterans that the brand needs to help younger guys along. The Revival has thrived as the centerpiece of the tag team division, and will continue to do so even as duos like American Alpha move to WWE proper.

It's quite the difficult balancing act WWE has in front of it, one sure to leave some fans disappointed no matter what. Not everyone talented enough to work Raw and SmackDown will be doing so.  

5. Learning from Batista 

You can't take the wrestling out of the wrestler it seems. Batista, a former WWE champ, shared some of his squared knowledge with actors Chris Pratt and Anna Faris, teaching them how to do a powerbomb:

Pratt co-starred with Batista in Guardians of the Galaxy. That's the movie that has launched Batista's acting career. After the success of that film and with all the roles that have been thrown his way since, he has less incentive to step into the ring again.

Wrestling clearly remains on his mind.

6. Fate Favors the Heel

History says place your best on Kevin Owens to win the Money in the Bank ladder match. Since the PPV built around the match first started airing in 2010, WWE's heels have come away with the briefcase more often than not.

Year	Winner	Alignment
2010	Kane	Heel
2010	The Miz	Heel
2011	Daniel Bryan	Babyface
2011	Alberto Del Rio	Heel
2012	Dolph Ziggler	Heel
2012	John Cena	Babyface
2013	Damien Sandow	Heel
2013	Randy Orton	Babyface
2014	Seth Rollins	Heel
2015	Sheamus	Heel

That makes seven out of 10 heel victors and WWE's bad guys winning the past two years in a row.

The Money in the Bank concept is a better fit for a heel character. It requires one to take advantage of a vulnerable opponent. It's sneaky and a bit cowardly. That's surely part of the reason WWE has chosen to have its villains wield that golden briefcase.

That's excellent news for Owens fans, unless that pattern leads to fellow heel Chris Jericho finally wining the match that he invented.

7. Matt Hardy's Brokenness on Display

Hardy's unhinged, haughty "Broken" character remains the talk of TNA.

After his loss to Jeff Hardy at Slammiversary, Matt posted a bizarre video on Facebook. It's a wordless promo that is both unsettling and confusing. Love or hate Hardy's recent work, you have to admire him for being able to spark conversation like he has.

He's approaching the art of wrestling in unique fashion. While everyone else is painting landscapes, he's doing drip painting with a Krazy Straw.

8. Getting to Know Kota Ibushi 

The Cruiserweight Classic tournament this summer promises to be an exhibition of athleticism like we have never seen before. WWE has put together an impressive field of wrestlers for the event.

Ibushi is among the most intriguing of that group. 

The dynamo, most famous for wrestling a blow-up doll, is a tremendous performer. For those unfamiliar with his work at New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor and elsewhere, be sure to check out these clips and highlights from some of his most memorable action:

• Kota Ibushi vs. El Generico: ROH Return Engagement 
• Kota Ibushi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi: NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XVIII
• Kota Ibushi vs. Prince Devitt vs. Low Ki: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 7
• Kota Ibushi vs. Ricochet: NJPW Dominion 
• Kota Ibushi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9

Expect at least one more standout match to go on his resume as the Cruiserweight Classic progresses. With critically acclaimed foes like Zack Sabre Jr. opposite him, excellence is guaranteed.

9. What's the End Game for Darren Young?

Bob Backlund coaching Young has created an intriguing dynamic but little else. The Hall of Famer playing the crotchety, out-of-touch old man is humorous. There is some decent chemistry between the two.

It's just hard to vision where WWE is taking this.

How does one translate this story of Backlund advising Young to walk everywhere or telling him not to curse into something that unfolds in a ring? Are we supposed to be rooting for Young or treat him like a heel? None of that is clear to this point.

And worse yet, these clips haven't created anticipation for Young competing again. As Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net wrote, "None of the vignettes have left me even remotely interested in watching The Shining Stars or Young actually wrestle."

The promos hyping Nathan Jones made fans hungry to see what kind of havoc he would cause. The Ted DiBiase vignettes made one hunger to see him get his comeuppance. Young's videos have yet to make one feel much of anything.

10. Owens on Orlando

On a somber note, several Superstars, from Alberto Del Rio to Triple H, addressed the mass shooting in Orlando last week that shook the nation. Kevin Owens shared a simple, resonating message:

"

My thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy in Orlando last night…We have to stop doing this to each other.

— Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) June 12, 2016"

He's absolutely right.