John Cena vs. AJ Styles: WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Match Preview, Prediction

Erik BeastonJan 28, 2017

The two marquee names on the SmackDown Live roster will square off Sunday night for the right to be called "champion," as John Cena challenges WWE world champion AJ Styles in the brand's sole contribution to the Royal Rumble undercard.

The match, a followup to the Superstars' classic at SummerSlam last August, does not carry the same meaning it should thanks to the booking of the namesake match of February's Elimination Chamber show.

Dissimilar Backgrounds

For Cena, his shot at stardom ran through WWE developmental, where he was groomed to be one of the top stars of the future from the moment he signed on the dotted line in 2001. He was given an opportunity because of his look, then won over his bosses and fans with his sense of humor, captivating crowds as The Doctor of Thuganomics.

He seized opportunities, outworked everyone else and became the biggest star in the sport, thanks in some part to the massive marketing machine that is WWE.

Cena became a household name, a franchise player and a mainstream media star.

Styles did not benefit from said machine or mainstream recognition.

He worked high school gyms far away from the bright lights and big stages of WWE. He had brief experience in WCW during that promotion's dying days but found tremendous success in TNA, earning the attention of wrestling fans from around the country, thanks to his extraordinary performances for the Jeff Jarrett-owned company.

The Phenomenal One worked for Ring of Honor and developed into arguably the best wrestler on the planet during his time in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

His journey to WWE was a long, winding one. Cena was bred for stardom under the WWE umbrella, never having to compete in VFW's or for $20 and a pat on the back. Regardless of which path they took to the top of the injury, both roads led to WWE and one of its marquee events Sunday night.

Preview

The January 24 episode of SmackDown Live saw the rivalry between John Cena and AJ Styles intensify. The heart of their argument: their starts in the industry, where they came from and how they got to where they are today.

Cena, breaking the goody two-shoes superhero character that has defined him, condescendingly spoke down to Styles and his history in the Indies. "I was built for WWE," he exclaimed, as if that somehow made him superior to the WWE world champion.

He had every right to be confident, though. After all, he had rolled right back into WWE and was handed a championship opportunity, despite failing to beat Styles in any singles match they had competed in. A quality win over the red-hot Baron Corbin only helped him build momentum.

Styles continues to tout his SummerSlam win over Cena. Rightfully so. Few Superstars can claim to have beaten Cena in the center of the ring, with zero controversy. The current champion of the world is one of them.

His win that Sunday in August catapulted him to the top of SmackDown Live and earned him a championship opportunity against Dean Ambrose that he won. Since then, he has been "the champ that runs the camp," with little resistance from anyone.

That changes at Royal Rumble, when he runs into the greatest threat to his reign of dominance, with their rivalry rekindled and expectations for another incredible Match of the Year candidate.

Prediction

In a perfect world, Styles would retain his title and head into only his second WrestleMania as champion.

This is not, though, a perfect world.

With the biggest show of the year coming up, and talk of Cena tying Ric Flair's championship record with world title No. 16, it appears as though Vince McMahon wants his franchise star to be at the center of the build to The Showcase of the Immortals.

In what will surely be another spectacular contest, expect Cena to put an end to Styles' months-long reign, courtesy of an Attitude Adjustment.

Even if the alternative is the much better, more preferred way to go.