AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose: Winner, Reaction from Title Match at WWE SmackDown

Dean Ambrose received his one-on-one rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on Tuesday's edition of SmackDown, but AJ Styles defeated the Lunatic Fringe and successfully retained his title with a roll-up pin.  

John Cena was on commentary during the match, and he would eventually interfere and distract the ref, costing Ambrose a win. After the match, Cena proceeded to attack Styles and Ambrose, and would eventually stand tall to close the show, as WWE shared: 

WrestlingINC.com and Bleacher Report's Kevin Berge provided their thoughts on the match: 

The Phenomenal One became a WWE world champion for the first time at Backlash, as he beat Ambrose thanks to a well-timed low blow while the referee was incapacitated. While Styles managed to escape with the belt, Ambrose was entitled to a return match.

It initially seemed as though Ambrose would be forced to wait for a one-on-one rematch, as SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon announced that the WWE World Heavyweight Championship would be on the line at No Mercy in a Triple Threat match between Styles, Ambrose and Cena.

McMahon made it clear that Ambrose would get a singles match against Styles eventually, but it wasn't until the following week that it was revealed when that bout would happen.

After Ambrose upset Cena in a singles match, SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan said the unstable Superstar would get his match against Styles on SmackDown just a couple of weeks prior to No Mercy.

Bryan explained his reasoning behind the decision on an episode of Talking Smack, courtesy of the WWE Network:

Ambrose also commented on the match and didn't hide the fact that his rivalry with Styles had become personal after what happened at Backlash, per WWE's official Twitter account:

While both Styles and Ambrose were set to be in the title match at No Mercy regardless of what happened in their clash Tuesday, it was significant in terms of building momentum and determining who the titleholder would be entering the pay-per-view.

Due to the rarity of world championship matches on free TV, the battle between Styles and Ambrose was also important since it made SmackDown a much-watch show and arguably generated even more intrigue than Raw this week.

Styles versus Ambrose is a pay-per-view quality match, and both Superstars emptied the tank Tuesday in a tilt that easily could have main-evented No Mercy in its own right.

Despite Ambrose coming close on multiple occasions, Styles managed to keep the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in his possession, which means he will come through the curtain with the title on his shoulder at No Mercy.

Since there is no champion's advantage in a Triple Threat, however, Styles' win may have simply delayed the inevitable, as both Ambrose and Cena will enter No Mercy hungry and motivated to become the face of the blue brand.

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