5 Things AJ Styles Must Accomplish to Ensure Epic 2018 on WWE SmackDown Live
It's hard to argue AJ Styles wasn't WWE's Superstar of the Year for both 2016 and 2017, especially considering many thought he wouldn't attain the amazing amount of success he has upon coming to the company two years ago.
Nevertheless, Styles has exceeded all expectations with his remarkable WWE run, with plenty of achievements added to his lengthy resume. This includes two reigns as WWE champion, two reigns as United States champion and countless Match of the Year candidates with the likes of John Cena, Brock Lesnar and others.
However, there is plenty left for Styles to do in WWE and many fresh feuds awaiting him on SmackDown Live—as well as on Raw. He has only scratched the surface in terms of what he's capable of accomplishing, and 2018 should be the year he ticks off several more items on his WWE bucket list.
Styles is kicking off the new year on a high note, having the WWE title around his waist for the second straight year, but don't think for a second he has peaked. In fact, Styles has proved to be the best performer in the organization through his recent work and can continue to be that by breaking even more boundaries.
In order to ensure 2018 is another epic 12 months for The Phenomenal One, these are the five things he must fulfill at some point over the course of the year.
Successfully Defend the WWE Championship in a Marquee Match at WrestleMania 34
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Similar to 2018, AJ Styles started last year as WWE champion. Unfortunately for The Phenomenal One, it wasn't long before he dropped the strap. He lost to John Cena at the Royal Rumble in January and was unable to regain the gold at Elimination Chamber the following month.
It should be a different story this time around, especially since there is no reason for him to lose the title to either Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn at this year's installment of the Rumble. Hopefully he's on track to defend the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34 and be among the headliners, something he should have been last year instead of opening the event with Shane McMahon.
Not only should he walk into The Showcase of the Immortals as the champion, but he should leave with his title reign intact as well.
Many fans have high hopes for Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at The Show of Shows, and we will soon see whether that is the direction WWE goes with by having the latter win the Rumble match. There is no bigger money match on the blue brand than that, but with that said, it virtually doesn't matter who wins.
Nakamura as WWE champion would be a cool sight to see, but it can be argued he's not ready for that top spot because of his lack of character development lately. Then again, there is plenty of time between now and 'Mania for him to improve that aspect of his persona.
Either way, Styles holding on to the gold on wrestling's grandest stage would further bolster his legacy.
Capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
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In just two years, AJ Styles has already had four different title reigns, two times each with the WWE Championship and the United States Championship. He's obviously right where he belongs in the main event scene, and he did his best to elevate the midcard title, but he has yet to get his feet wet with tag team wrestling in WWE.
Styles briefly flirted with the Raw Tag Team Championships when he aligned with Chris Jericho as Y2AJ and gunned for the gold in early 2016. However, immediately after they fell short of capturing the twin titles, Jericho turned on his teammate, and Y2AJ was no more.
Since then, Styles hasn't trusted anyone with the exception of former stablemates Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. With The Good Brothers over on Raw (more on that momentarily), Styles could find common ground with a fellow former IWGP heavyweight champion in Shinsuke Nakamura.
As previously noted, those two should be on a collision course toward a one-on-one WrestleMania match for the WWE Championship, but there's no reason why they shouldn't pair up in the meantime and chase the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships. The matches they could have with The Usos would be out of his world and would lay the groundwork for a future feud between them heading into, or coming out of, WrestleMania.
If nothing else, clinching the tag titles would get Styles one step closer to becoming a Grand Slam champion in WWE (he would just need an Intercontinental Championship reign to his credit as well).
Reunite or Feud with The Club
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Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows were unquestionably doing their best work in WWE when they were associated with AJ Styles in the summer of 2016. All three have history from their days in Japan as members of The Bullet Club, so it was a fantastic fit, and one could tell they were enjoying their time together.
WWE prematurely broke the trio up that July by shipping AJ Styles off to SmackDown Live and keeping Anderson and Gallows on Raw. Save for an interaction here and there, they haven't crossed paths much since, and we know nothing regarding their status as allies.
It is interesting to see Finn Balor recently reunited with Anderson and Gallows on Raw. He linked up with The Good Brothers long before The Phenomenal One did in Japan, so if anyone deserves to be the leader of a Bullet Club-esque stable in WWE, it's the artist formerly known as Prince Devitt.
The Brand Split may be keeping Styles apart from Balor, Gallows and Anderson, but a post-WrestleMania Superstar Shake-up could change that. It should be the latter trio switching shows and immediately doing something with Styles given the potential it has to be must-see TV.
If Styles, Gallows, Anderson and Balor aren't wreaking havoc on the same side of the squared circle, a rivalry pitting them against each other would be equally entertaining.
Avenge Loss to Randy Orton
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Aside from the obvious suspects such as John Cena, Finn Balor and Seth Rollins, one Superstar fans desperately wanted to see AJ Styles mix it up with upon his arrival in WWE was Randy Orton. They were kept apart during Styles' rookie year in the company before finally facing off on the March 7, 2017, edition of SmackDown Live.
It was a match to determine who would advance to WrestleMania 33 to contend for the WWE Championship, and it was an exceptional showing. The finish was especially fantastic, with Styles offering up an awesome counter to the RKO, only to eat defeat in the end.
The belief was that they would be fighting for the title coming out of WrestleMania, but instead, Styles was slotted into the United States Championship picture and Orton lost the title to Jinder Mahal in May. As a result, a rematch was never meant to be. But it should come to fruition in 2018, preferably sooner rather than later.
As Orton enters the latter stages of his career, there aren't many people he hasn't feuded with, but Styles would bring the best out of The Viper and make him motivated again. More importantly, a Styles vs. Orton rivalry over the title would hopefully put the focus back on the belt and not on SmackDown's authority figures.
Although he owns two victories over Cena, Styles can't be considered an all-time great until he defeats Orton at least once as well.
Remain the Face of SmackDown Live Throughout the Year
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What Edge was to SmackDown during the original Brand Split is what AJ Styles should be to SmackDown Live during this Brand Split. He should stay on SmackDown for as long as possible. That way, once he moves to Raw, it would mean so much more.
The blue brand has basically been the AJ Styles Show since the dawn of the second Brand Split, and rightfully so. There is little debate he is the best all-around performer in the company, so it was smart of WWE to build the brand around him to ensure he is one of the focal points of the program.
Even during his six-month stint in the United States Championship picture in 2017, Styles was still the Superstar most viewers were tuning in to see, not the then-WWE champion Jinder Mahal. That isn't to say he needs to be holding the gold for all of 2018 (though not many fans would complain if he was), but he should constantly be featured toward the top of the card.
PWInsider Elite reported last year that a move to Raw was being considered for Styles because of how valuable he proved to be to SmackDown (h/t Chris Featherstone of Wrestling Inc). Thankfully, he didn't switch shows in the Superstar Shake-up, and that should also be the case this year if WWE plans on doing another draft.
No one knows how Styles would fare on Raw or whether he would be overshadowed by the likes of Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. But for 2018, he would find more success by remaining the face who runs the place on SmackDown Live.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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