AJ Styles vs. John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose: WWE No Mercy 2016 Winner and Reaction

After winning the WWE World Championship at Backlash, AJ Styles was successful in his title defense Sunday night at No Mercy, as he defeated Dean Ambrose and John Cena in a Triple Threat match.

The referee called for the bell after Styles tapped out. However, both Cena and Ambrose had submissions locked in at the time, so neither wrestler could claim victory. As a result, the referee restarted the match.

WWE shared a replay of the simultaneous submission holds by Cena and Ambrose:

Shortly after the restart, Cena delivered an Attitude Adjustment to Ambrose off the middle rope. Before he could get the pinfall, Styles hit Cena with a steel chair to pick up the victory.

WrestlingInc.com wasn't a fan of the false finish:

"

It was fantastic until they decided to muddy it up. Then confusion ensued. Right call to have AJ retain IMO. #WWENoMercy

— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) October 10, 2016"

Former WWE announcer Jim Ross and WrestleZone both praised Styles' work in the ring:

After the match, Styles would tweet his thoughts on the win:

Styles had established himself as the No. 1 contender for the strap by beating Cena cleanly at SummerSlam. That led to a one-on-one feud with Ambrose that culminated at Backlash with The Phenomenal One winning in controversial fashion.

With the referee temporarily out of commission, Styles hit The Lunatic Fringe with a low blow before connecting with the Styles Clash to pick up the victory and his first world title in WWE.

While SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon was congratulatory, he made it clear he didn't approve of the manner in which Styles won the championship, according to WWE Universe on Twitter:

Both Cena and Ambrose stepped up to challenge Styles, and in an effort to see if AJ's title win was for real, Shane-O-Mac forced him into a Triple Threat at No Mercy.

Although both Cena and Ambrose had issues with Styles, they quickly developed a dislike for each other due to the fact that they had their eyes on the same prize.

Cena hit below the belt on the mic by bringing up "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's criticism of Ambrose and his development into a top guy in WWE:

Ambrose is never one to sit idly by, so he shot back and referred to Cena as a "lazy part-timer" because of his outside commitments, which laid the groundwork for a potential singles feud between them down the line.

While Ambrose entered No Mercy trying to take back the title he felt he was screwed out of, Cena looked to make history by tying Ric Flair's record as a 16-time world champion:

Every competitor in the match had plenty of incentive to come out on top, and all of them had personal issues with one another, which built up the anticipation for their encounter in a big way.

SmackDown might be somewhat lacking in terms of roster depth, but there was no shortage of star power in the No Mercy main event. It made what could have been an otherwise nondescript pay-per-view a must-see show.

Styles, Ambrose and Cena laid everything on the line in what was an entertaining affair, and while any of the three would have been worthy victors, it was Styles who extended his title reign.

One of the best things about Triple Threats is that they often lend themselves to singles feuds, and since Cena took the fall, it seems likely that Styles and Cena could reignite their heated feud at the top of the card for the blue brand.

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