Seth Rollins Beats AJ Styles, Retains Universal Title at WWE Money in the Bank

In his first title defense since WrestleMania 35, Seth Rollins defeated AJ Styles at WWE Money in the Bank in a strong match-of-the-night candidate on Sunday to retain the Universal Championship.

Rollins beat Brock Lesnar to win the title at The Showcase of the Immortals after hitting him with three Curb Stomps, but he didn't have long to celebrate his victory, as a new No. 1 contender was decided a couple of weeks later.

Styles, who went from SmackDown Live to Raw as part of the Superstar Shake-up, won a Triple Threat bout against Rey Mysterio and Samoa Joe, while Baron Corbin won another Triple Threat over Drew McIntyre and The Miz.

The Phenomenal One and The Lone Wolf then battled it out in a singles match later in the night on an episode of Raw for the No. 1 contendership, and Styles prevailed. 

With that win, the stage was set for two of WWE's most popular Superstars to meet with the universal title on the line.

Money in the Bank marked the first time Rollins and Styles had faced each other in a singles match in WWE, and the first time they met in a bout of any kind since a five-on-five elimination match at Survivor Series in 2016.

While Rollins was establishing himself as a top star on the red brand in recent years, the former WWE champion became the face of SmackDown and even dubbed it "The House That AJ Styles Built." That came into play when the two men signed the contract for their Money in the Bank encounter.

The Architect suggested his opponent's accomplishments on the blue brand wouldn't necessarily translate to Raw, which resulted in Styles striking first by punching Rollins. The Superstars then exchanged blows until the contender put the universal champion through a table with the Phenomenal Forearm.

When Styles was moved from SmackDown to Raw, it was quickly apparent that the main match fans wanted to see was him against Rollins for the universal title.

Due to the fact it is such a marquee match, there was some thought that WWE would hold off on it until at least SummerSlam. Instead, it booked the bout immediately amid slumping ratings on both Raw and SmackDown.

The company was not let down, as the two men engaged in a stunning display of athleticism throughout the contest, which eventually ended with Rollins and Styles engaging in a handshake of true respect for each other's efforts.

Rollins managed to retain Sunday, but given how entertaining the match was, there is every reason to believe there could be more to come in this rivalry, and perhaps several more classic pay-per-view matches between them.

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