AJ Styles Is Primed for Major WWE Main Event Run After Reported New Contract

AJ Styles is sticking with WWE following a contract extension that will see him paid north of $3 million per year, according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select.

"WWE expected Styles to have plenty of suitors, and we're told that as in the case with some other big names in the company, [the promotion] wanted to get Styles' deal extended before he could even hit free agency to talk to anyone else."

The deal is reportedly multiyear, but the definitive length is unknown.

A contract extension of that size and the urgency with which it was struck suggest just how important the company considers the two-time WWE champion to be. It also sets up The Phenomenal One for a major main event run.

                

WrestleMania on the Edge

There was a moment Monday on Raw in which WWE Hall of Famer Edge sat in the middle of the ring and, while issuing an open challenge to the locker room for a WrestleMania match, uttered the word "phenomenal" before staring into the camera.

It was apparent in the moment that fans were being teased with the idea of two of the greatest wrestlers of their generation clashing on the grandest stage the industry has to offer. While The Rated R Superstar made other teases over the course of his promo, none hit as hard as the Styles tease.

None generated the intense glare or sly smirk from Edge himself either.

When Edge returned at the 2020 Royal Rumble, it was a spear that turned Styles inside out and injured his shoulder that sparked intrigue in a potential match between the two. Since then, however, the two have been mostly kept away from each other.

And the intrigue and excitement for the showdown has only intensified since.

Edge and Styles were both immensely talented young stars whose excellence between the ropes was not always accompanied by support behind the scenes. They were both innovators, putting their bodies on the line to make names for themselves before finally ascending the mountain, Edge in WWE and Styles in Impact Wrestling.

They revolutionized the industry and reaped the rewards as measuring sticks in their respective companies. By the time Styles finally made it to WWE, Edge was retired after being forced to the sidelines because of a neck injury.

In the same place at the same time, with no other obvious storylines to detract them from finally clashing, they would provide the WrestleMania card with a bona fide Match of the Year candidate and a dream match of sorts for an entire generation of fans.

A match of that magnitude would be the perfect jumping-off point for a rejuvenated Styles.

          

Return to the Main Event

Win or lose at The Showcase of the Immortals, Styles would be set to run atop the Raw brand. With Bobby Lashley's status unknown due to a shoulder injury and the teams of RK-Bro and Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens inevitably due to feud against each other, there will be an opportunity for Styles to be the face of the brand.

He is a genuine star and can hang in the main event against any opponent, but most importantly he is accepted by fans in that role. We saw as much in 2017, when he was tapped by management to end the Jinder Mahal experiment in seemingly short notice.

The Phenomenal One is a multifaceted performer who can cut promos, kick ass, generate sympathy through selling and pop crowds with his tremendous feats of athleticism. Booking him against Lashley, Rollins, Orton and Riddle would give him a slew of opponents to work with as he looks to reestablish himself as a singles competitor in the wake of his team with Omos splitting up.

He put in the time to elevate Omos. Now, it is his time to shine, a reward of sorts for selflessness not omnipresent in stars of his magnitude. 

A main event run with eyes on whomever leaves WrestleMania's champion vs. champion clash between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns with the WWE title, would freshen things up for fans of the flagship show who have recognized his absence from the high-profile matches that he is more than worthy of.

The potential opponents and the time passed since his last run atop the company, in addition to a new deal reflective of someone who is expected to carry the product over the next few years, mean now is the time for the future Hall of Famer to go on a run that rivals that 2017-18 stretch as the best of his storied career.