AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon Would Be WWE WrestleMania 33 Disaster

AJ Styles is one of the top guys in WWE.

He's a world-traveled star and a 19-year veteran of the business, and he's considered by many to be the best pro wrestler on the planet. He makes his opponents look good, he always gives everything he has in the ring and he's firmly established himself in Vince McMahon's company.

Shane McMahon is the commissioner of SmackDown Live. 

In terms of his contributions on the air, McMahon is a personality and nothing more. He's entertaining, and he's over with the fans, but he's never been a full-time worker in the ring. Yet many are debating whether he should face Styles at WrestleMania 33. 

To do so would be disastrous.

It's not as though McMahon can't handle himself. He has a career's worth of taking bumps and big risks behind him. He's fearless in the ring, and he's earned respect from the fans and the guys in the locker room.

But Styles deserves better at WrestleMania.

The same routine tends to happen toward the end of every year. Guys start to get hot and peak in various different feuds as matches begin to take shape for WrestleMania. One by one, Superstars get paired up in marquee matches until everyone has an opponent for the biggest night of the year.

The pieces come together like a puzzle, and it's the same story every year leading to WrestleMania.

However, this year, the WrestleMania picture is coming together around Styles, and he's yet to be included. Working John Cena at Royal Rumble was an early Match of the Year candidate for Styles, and it's hard to believe that he would be left in the lurch after that performance.

Any scenario involving WrestleMania should include Cena and the WWE Championship.

Many fans may not be thrilled with the prospect of a Fatal 4-Way match at WrestleMania, but it would be ideal for Styles. The Phenomenal One could be booked against Cena, Randy Orton and the new WWE champion, Bray Wyatt. Orton had the main event match cinched up, thanks to his Royal Rumble win, but claimed he didn't want to face his leader for the title.

That may or may not be true, but it does open the door for something else to happen in regard to the championship.

Styles could possibly even face Cena again at WrestleMania. The belt may not be in the mix, but the two have turned in five-star matches every time they've touched. Cena vs. Styles is a guaranteed hit, and the same would be true on April 2.

Maybe Styles' WrestleMania opponent has yet to debut on WWE's main roster.

Shinsuke Nakamura is still in NXT, but it's only a matter of time until he comes to one of the two brands. If he does so before WrestleMania, then he and Styles could be booked for a showdown at The Show of Shows.

The two men have a history together in New Japan Pro Wrestling, where they proved they can tear the house down.

It would be the ultimate match for both of them and the best way for WWE to showcase them on the worldwide stage. Nakamura would establish himself on the main roster, and Styles could continue his streak of great matches. 

Who wins or loses would be irrelevant; the focus would be more on the match itself.

But if Styles faces McMahon, then the only focus would be on the ending bell. Again, McMahon can believably handle himself in the ring. But when he worked The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32, many fans were likely taken aback by the amount that The Deadman actually sold for his opponent. 

Every time McMahon landed a punch or hit a move and Undertaker sold it, the business was exposed. Fans may get lost in the entertainment factor of WWE at times, but it should never happen at the sake of common sense.

McMahon is not a trained, full-time wrestler. His matches were likely never meant to be anything more than additions to the card. For anyone to believe that an athlete the caliber of Styles would potentially be in trouble against a talent in a corporate role who's not named Triple H is suspect at best.

Styles had an amazing 2016. In one year, he debuted in the industry's biggest company, beat its top star and won the top championship. He had the kind of "rookie" year that rivaled that of anyone who came before him. If anyone deserves a high-profile match at WrestleMania, it's Styles.

But facing McMahon is just not the right fit. Many fans were fearful for Styles when he came to WWE in terms of the company forgetting him when it mattered the most. Despite the great year he had in 2016, that seems to be exactly what's happening to Styles now.

The good news for fans is that there's still time.

WrestleMania is just under two months away, so if something big is going to happen for Styles, it needs to start as soon as possible. The Phenomenal One needs a phenomenal stage to ply his craft, and he needs a match worthy of his efforts.

Anything less is a waste of his talent and the fans' time.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.