As we’ve previously noted, former WWE Champion AJ Styles was recently a guest on Rock 100.5’s Bailey And Southside during SmackDown Live’s recent trip to his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. You can check out some more highlights from Styles’ appearance here below:

Initially wanting to be a luchador by the name of “Velocity”:

“I wanted to wear a mask! I loved those [luchadors]. I’m so glad that didn’t happen.” Styles continued, “I wanted to wear a mask and call myself ‘Velocity’. What a terrible name.”

Getting the ‘Styles’ name given to him by a random promoter and it stuck – but he wasn’t a fan of it:

“I didn’t have a name. Everybody always called me ‘AJ’ anyway, so I stuck with AJ. And then, [the promoter] is like, ‘yeah, you’re tagging with Damien Still. We need a last name. Styles! Go!’ That’s it. That’s how the name [came] about. AJ Styles. I hated it. I hated Styles for a really long time.”

Being willing to change his ring name once he arrived at WWE:

“[WWE] didn’t say anything about changing it. I just assumed it would probably happen, but a year prior, maybe a couple of months prior, Samoa Joe had went to NXT and they didn’t change his name, so I thought, ‘well, maybe there’s a chance’. But, at the same time, I was like, ‘ah, I don’t care what they call me, Velocity, if you want to call me that, whatever.’ But I’m glad they stuck with AJ Styles and it actually worked out for everybody.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

WWE Superstar and former WWE Champion AJ Styles recently joined Bailey and Southside on Rock 100.5 in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Styles talked about making the decision to sign with WWE last year and how he has been treated backstage since joining the roster. Check out the highlights:

WWE being the best place he has ever worked:

“You can’t compare the WWE to anything else. It’s amazing. It literally is the best place I’ve ever worked and that’s saying a lot because I’ve worked at a lot of great places, but there’s just something special about the WWE.” Styles said, “here’s the way I usually explain it: so I played in the minor leagues. And then, I went to Japan and I also played there. And then, I came to the MLB. That’s basically how it happened. You’ve got to show them what you can do. You’ve got to prove yourself wherever you go and work your way to the top.”

It being a different time in the WWE as all the guys are big men who can move:

“Things have changed. Not everybody is 6’8″ and 400 lbs. That’s not the way we went. We actually went the different direction where normal looking guys like myself are getting in the ring and performing at a huge level. We’re giving the fans what they want to see.”

How he has been treated backstage since arriving at WWE:

“When you go from one locker room to another, everything changes because you’re the new guy. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the ring or this whole [pro] wrestling thing. You’re the new guy and I expected that when I came to the WWE, like, ‘okay, I need to kind of keep to myself.’ But what I didn’t understand is a lot of guys were watching me when they were in their teens and they respected what I had done and treated me with respect right from the get-go, so I was a little surprised by that, but, at the same time, I’m happy that we have that kind of locker room.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions 

– SmackDown Live star AJ Styles is celebrating his 40th birthday today. He was born June 2nd, 1977. Happy Birthday to the Phenomenal one!

– Former WWE Superstar Cameron recently spoke to Extra about her new photo shoot in Icon Magazine. When asked about a possible return to WWE, Cameron said they left on good terms and has no ill will towards anybody there. She’s grateful for her time in WWE and appreciates “all the love and hate” she received over the years from the WWE Universe.

“I would definitely love to come back in the future to show the WWE Universe my full potential,” she said. “I like to say this isn’t goodbye but more like see you later. There will forever be a chip on my shoulder. Maybe one day I will be able to prove myself to the WWE Universe.”

– As seen below, Curt Hawkins recently issued a Twitter poll asking fans if Zack Ryder should team with him or Mojo Rawley when he returns from the knee injury this summer. 60% of fans voted for Hawkins as of this writing. Also below is a reply from Mojo, who says his former “Hype Bros.” partner should team with James Ellsworth instead.

. @ZackRyder is coming back soon… should he be my partner or @MojoRawleyWWE ?

— Brian Myers (@Myers_Wrestling) June 1, 2017

Former WWE Champion AJ Styles is currently on a mission to once again be “The Champ That Runs The Camp”, as he is set to be a part of the WWE’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match later this month at the MITB pay-per-view (PPV) from St. Louis, Missouri. Recently, “The Phenomenal One” joined Rock 100.5’s Bailey And Southside in Atlanta, Georgia to talk about his WWE career, and you can check out some of the highlights below:

Who he’s looking forward to facing the most in WWE:

“Well, I can tell you there [are] a lot of people that want to see Nakamura, Shinsuke Nakamura, and myself in the ring. We’ve done it before for a different company, but never in the WWE.” Styles added, “I think something like that is going to happen. It has to.”

Shinsuke Nakamura’s awkward style:

“He’s a different cat. There’s no doubt about it. He’s a big Michael Jackson fan and you can see that. His performance, everything he does, he’s Michael Jackson, but he’s a heck of an athlete. He’s an MMA guy, he knows his stuff and he will kick your head off. That’s legit. He fought in mixed martial arts, so the guy knows what he’s doing, so he’s kind of a bad dude despite the fact that his stuff is Michael Jackson and that doesn’t come off as very intimidating, but it isn’t a laughing matter when he puts that boot up against your face.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

New Japan Pro Wrestling has released the classic bout between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura from 2016’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 show for free on YouTube/NJPW World.

This was the first ever singles encounter between AJ and Shinsuke, and it would end up being their only match together for New Japan. Both men reportedly handed in their notice to New Japan prior to this event, AJ appeared for WWE at the Royal Rumble later that month and Shinsuke debuted in NXT against Sami Zayn over Wrestlemania weekend. Their recent tag team match on Smackdown is the first time that both men have been seen together on a broadcast since January 4th 2016.

The IWGP Intercontinental Championship was on the line in this match and it was generally regarded as the best match on the card. Many heralded this contest as the Match of the Year in 2016 so if you have not yet had the chance to view it or you have never seen Shinsuke Nakamura outside of his WWE run then now is your chance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGc84UXduqE

Former WWE talent Simon Dean was recently a guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show to talk about a variety of pro wrestling topics. During the interview, Dean revealed why AJ Styles declined to sign with WWE in favor of TNA years ago. You can check out what he had to say here:

“I was right there for it,” Dean said. “It was me and AJ. We were in Australia doing a tour for World Wrestling All-Stars. I told him I had been signed by WWE. They had a tryout in Cincinnati and he had went to that. I thought I was going to have to go to that, and I didn’t, I went right through it. In Cincinnati, he’d told me basically, after the tour in Australia we’d come back, and they had a [show] in Vegas.

“Bob Ryder and Jeff Jarrett had come up to me, and they told me that they were launching this new company called TNA. I told them that I had just signed with WWE, and I want to give it a shot. They wanted me to come to TNA, and they wanted to build the company around AJ. So, it’s not that AJ never wanted to go to the WWE, it was just that the offer was never right for AJ to come to WWE.”

You can listen to the interview by clicking here.

H/T to Daily DDT for the transcribed quotes

AJ Styles challenges Kevin Owens for the US title this Sunday at Backlash. As both have over a decade of experience, and competed all over the world, I thought it might be interesting to review their history against one another.

Kevin Steen vs. AJ Styles Outside WWE

Kevin Owens (then Kevin Steen) and AJ Styles competed against each other on the independent scene in 2005-06. Their main battles were in PWG, but they also met for a local Quebec City promotion, Elite Wrestling Revolution.

• AJ Styles & Kevin Steen defeated Christopher Daniels & Excess – January 8th 2005, Quebec City, Quebec – EWR
• Kevin Steen defeated AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels & El Generico – March 12th 205- PWG
• AJ Styles defeated Kevin Steen – 2-of-3 falls, May 8th 2005, EWR
• Kevin Steen defeated AJ Styles – Steen wins PWG title from AJ- August 5th 2005- PWG
• AJ Styles defeated Kevin Steen – 2nd round BOLA 2005 – September 4th 2005
• Kevin Steen defends PWG title successfully against AJ Styles, and Chris Bosh (not the basketball player) – PWG – October 14th 2005
• Joey Ryan defeated Kevin Steen, AJ Styles, and Chris Bosh- PWG – February 4th 2006

The two would meet twice in 2014 as well, for 2CW and Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore:

• AJ Styles defeated Kevin Steen – March 14th 2014- 2CW
• AJ Styles defeating Kevin Steen – June 7th 2014- House of Hardcore V

Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles in WWE

Kevin Owens and AJ Styles got reacquainted with each other on AJ Styles’ first night in WWE. Owens was responsible for eliminating AJ from the 2016 Royal Rumble, the night AJ debuted in WWE.

WWE match history (house shows not included):

• Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles – Smackdown March 14th 2016
• Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles – Raw March 21st 2016
• AJ Styles defeated Cesaro, Jericho, and Owens – Fatal 4-way – Raw April 4th 2016
• AJ Styles & Cesaro defeated Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens – Raw May 23rd 2016
• Kevin Owens defeated AJ Styles – MITB Qualifier – Raw November 20th 2016
• Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal, & Corbin defeated Styles, Orton & Zayn – Smackdown May 9th 2017

Tonight’s episode of Smackdown Live take place from Manchester, NH and is the ‘go-home’ show ahead of WWE Backlash this Sunday. WWE is advertising two matches for the show:

• AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal

This match pits the two male singles title challengers at Backlash against one another. Jinder takes on Randy Orton for the WWE championship on Sunday, while AJ Styles challenges Kevin Owens for the US title.

• Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin

As of this writing, Baron Corbin is not booked for a match at Backlash.

Updated Backlash Card

Ahead of tonight’s SmackDown, WWE has confirmed five matches for Sunday’s Backlash PPV:

• WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal
• SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos vs. Breezango
• US Champion Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles
• Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Carmella, Natalya and Tamina Snuka
• Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Former WWE Champion AJ Styles was interviewed by Inside the Ropes last week when WWE was in Glasgow, Scotland. Last week we covered Styles comments about The Undertaker’s “heartbreaking” retirement at WrestleMania 33, which you can read about here.

The Phenomenal One also spoke about NXT and why he feels it’s essential for new talent signed to WWE to spend time in the company’s developmental promotion. Styles skipped NXT and went straight to the main roster as a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble. However, Styles admits he’s actually jealous of the NXT talent and anybody who gets that experience .

“Well I gotta tell you, I’m very jealous of the performers who’ve come up through NXT,” Styles admitted. “They are like family. They know each other by their given names, their birth names. And so when they talk about each other I’m like ‘Who is that? Who are you talking to?’ So I’m like ‘Don’t call them by their birth name, call them by their WWE name.’ So I’m jealous of that, they have that family atmosphere, that’s the great thing about NXT”

He continued, “And I’ve said this also, back in – you know, way back then, years and years ago, there were people getting stabbed in the back so others can climb to the top. That’s not the way it’s done in NXT because you can actually care about the guy across from you. You know them, you know what they went through, you see them train, you’ve seen how hard they work. So you have a passion for each other and love man, so you want to see them do well. They love each other, and I think that’s the most important thing in the WWE right now.”

“I’ve seen guys work so hard together because they love each other like family. They see how hard each other has worked through NXT and made their way finally to the main roster. I think that’s really important. For WWE alone. When you got some of the guys I care about most in this business, my best friends, are the guys I have the best matches with. That hopefully never changes in the WWE, because of NXT.”

SmackDown Live star AJ Styles was recently interviewed by Inside The Ropes and spoke about his relationship with WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.

Styles had a long career before he arrived in WWE as a surprised entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble. Since his debut, Styles has gone on to have stellar matches John Cena, had a lengthy run with the WWE Championship and is arguably one of the top performers in the company. His WWE Championship run and his prominent placement at the top of the card do not come without the blessing of Vince McMahon.

During his talk with Inside the Ropes, AJ Styles shed some light on how he won Vince McMahon over. Nobody questions Styles’ in-ring abilities and he can more than hold his own on the microphone. What he believes really won Vince over was the fact that he’s a team player and gives his all for the sake of the company – not just his own personal advancement.

“I think that once you proven yourself to Vince McMahon that you’re not some guy that only cares about himself and only wants to get himself over at the expense of stabbing someone in the back….This isn’t about me, this is about us. Let’s find a way to make WWE bigger, better and more popular and more exciting”

Styles believes Vince McMahon appreciates his contributions this far, which is probably one of the reasons he got the opportunity to wrestle Vince’s son Shane at WrestleMania 33 in one of the featured matches on the card.

“When he sees that in someone, when he sees that passion in someone, everyday you get a little bit more trust with Vince McMahon and I want that,” he said. “He’s my boss and I can go in there anytime and talk to him if I need be. There is a relationship there that I enjoy and I want to get stronger. Day in and day out, I want to prove to him that I care about us, rather than me. And I think he appreciates that.”

• Related: AJ Styles Wants to Make the US Title as Important as the WWE Championship

You can check out AJ Styles’ comments about Vince McMahon below:

SmackDown Live star AJ Styles was interviewed by Sky Sports to promote WWE’s ongoing European tour. During the conversation, Styles explains why he loves wrestling in the UK and his big plans for the United States Championship, currently held by Kevin Owens.

“I love the UK,” he said. “I’ve been wrestling for 18 years and it’s always been one of my favourite countries to visit because they have some of the craziest fans. They love what we do, especially the WWE.”

Styles continued, “You’d better watch out because, as we’ve seen, we get a lot of UK fans that come out for Wrestlemania and the Monday and Tuesday after on live TV they’ll take over the show if you don’t watch it.”

AJ Styles has already reached the top of the mountain in WWE, having had a lengthy run with the WWE Championship last year. You can bet that he’ll be back in the WWE Championship mix at some point, but for now he’s got his hands full with United States Champion Kevin Owens. The two will do battle at WWE Backlash on Sunday, May 21st and Styles says he’s taking the championship opportunity seriously.

“I think the United States Championship is as big of a deal to me as the WWE Championship, I’m just not in line for that right now and that’s okay,” Styles said. “I set goals and being U.S. Champion is one of those and I want to make that Unites States Championship as important as the WWE Championship.”

He said he’s excited to feud withKevin Owens and revealed he’s actually considered moving to the UK. It’s a pretty good interview and you can check it out at SkySports.com.

SmackDown Live Superstar AJ Styles was recently interviewed by Record Sport Online and spoke about The Undertaker, who seemingly retired at WrestleMania 33. The Dead Man never formally announced that he will never wrestle again, but his send-off at WrestleMania and WWE’s handling of the situation indicate we have seen the last of him inside the ring.

Styles revealed that he and The Undertaker have a strong friendship that developed because they have a mutual (unnamed) close friend. Styles called Undertaker’s apparent retirement heartbreaking and gave him credit for shaping WWE into what it is today.

“I could tell you, I was emotional because he’s my friend,” Styles said. “He and I have got a relationship..both of us have the same friend who we’re very close to, so then he and I developed this relationship without even knowing each other that well. But, it was heartbreaking, because this is the guy that’s been here for so long, and has shaped the WWE into what it is now.”

Styles acknowledged that The Undertaker’s future is not certain, but Taker’s legacy has been cemented and his contributions to WWE are undeniable.  “Is he gone? I don’t know, but you would assume,” he continued. “I think there were some tears from fans that they may have seen the last of The Undertaker, and at the end of the day, if he’s done, I respect the heck out of him for doing it his way and doing what he wanted to do in his last match.”

Styles added that The Undertaker “is and was” everything to WWE and he’s thankful he got a chance to talk to him. He called The Undertaker a great guy who will be missed, if he is in fact done.

After SmackDown went off the air, AJ Styles, Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Dolph Ziggler, Jinder Mahal & Erick Rowan. Below are some photos and videos of what went down after SmackDown:

https://twitter.com/TsarinaVonBlack/status/859619178394902528

@RSWLive Here are your winners! #SmackdownLive dark match. pic.twitter.com/Qe01EVtSIZ

— Tim Butler (@armyxrays) May 3, 2017

@ShinsukeN @AJStylesOrg @RandyOrton vs @HEELZiggler Eric Rowan and @JinderMahal was the main event and it was awesome pic.twitter.com/piOkEaOacu

— Clayton (@Claytototo) May 3, 2017

https://twitter.com/TheNextBlGThing/status/859613805935960064

Kevin Owens defeated Chris Jericho in the main event on SmackDown to recapture the United States Championship. After the match, Kevin Owens brutally attacked Jericho and placed his head between a chair. Owens then slammed the chair into the ring post. WWE has uploaded a new video of Kevin Owens ripping Jericho’s name plate of the United States Championship.

– WWE.com noted that Charlotte Flair made history on Tuesday’s SmackDown Live in her match with Naomi. Charlotte is the first female Superstar in history to battle one-on-one in Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view main events.

– The following video of Aliyah taking a ‘phantom’ bump at an NXT live event has been going around social media.

Everything about Aliyah doesnt make sense pic.twitter.com/HGnrIShjM4

— TheFutureIsEmber? (@EzrasMoon) April 27, 2017

– Shinsuke Nakamura posted this photo on Instagram with the caption, “See you later buddy.” Yes, that’s AJ Styles in the background. Now that Nakamura is a member of the SmackDown roster, an eventual ‘dream match’ with the Phenomenal One is a very real possibility.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTYGGFogLoD/

Immediately following tonight’s WWE RAW, a new episode of Table For 3 premieres on the WWE Network. The featured diners on this installment will be Shawn Michaels, AJ Styles and Kevin Nash.

In this teaser video posted on WWE’s Youtube channel, Styles, Michaels and Nash discuss how speculation of The Phenomenal One and HBK’s dream match began.

WrestlingDVDNetwork.com is reporting that the WWE project Sean Mooney was filming with Charly Caruso is a DVD titled “WWE Unreleased & Unseen: 1986-1995.” The project synopsis reads:

“WWE unlocks the vault and brings you never-before-seen matches from 1986-1995. Check out these unreleased hidden gems featuring some of the greatest Superstars in WWE history.”

WWE Unreleased & Unseen is scheduled to be released in August in the United States and in September in the UK.

WWE has announced the matches for three of the dates on their upcoming European tour that kicks off on May 3rd in Italy. As reported previously the Hardy Boys will be part of the tour as the ban on Jeff Hardy entering the United Kingdom has now been lifted. Other notable inclusions to the tour include Shinsuke Nakamura and newly signed NXT star Aleister Black.

The currently scheduled matches are as follows:

May 3rd in Rome at Palalottomatica

• Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
• Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
• Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
• The Miz vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose
• Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Hardys
• Alexa Bliss vs. Emma vs. Mickie James vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax vs. RAW Women’s Champion Bayley
• Appearances by Austin Aries, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville, Goldust, R-Truth and more

May 6th at Plaza Toros Valencia in Valencia:

• AJ Styles vs. WWE Champion Randy Orton
• Sami Zayn vs. WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens
• American Alpha vs. The Shining Stars vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
• Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi
• Appearances by Shinsuke Nakamura, Luke Harper, Dolph Ziggler, Tyler Breeze, Fandango and more

May 13th at Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands:

• Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
• Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
• Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe
• The Miz vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose
• Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Hardys
• Alexa Bliss vs. Emma vs. Mickie James vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax vs. RAW Women’s Champion Bayley
• Aleister Black vs. Austin Aries vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville
• Appearances by Goldust, R-Truth and more

WWE Possibly Reuniting The Club, Changing the Women’s Division

WWE will be having a Superstar Shake-Up next week. PWInsider.com is reporting that WWE is currently considering the idea of moving AJ Styles to Raw so that he could reunite with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. It has also been suggested that Gallows and Anderson move over to Smackdown and having The Club reunite on the Blue Brand.

On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer speculated that Alexa Bliss and Charlotte may switch brands during next week’s Superstar Shake-Up. PWInsider is reporting that was an actual pitch made last week. Sasha Banks has also been rumored to switch from Raw to Smackdown.

Corey Graves Did Not Know The Hardys Were Returning To WWE

WWE tried their best to keep the Hardys return a secret at Wrestlemania 33. Corey Graves was asked by a fan on Twitter to describe his reaction when he found out the Hardys were coming back to WWE. Graves responded with the following:

You heard it live. I found out when all of you did. https://t.co/FfPaq1aelh

— Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) April 6, 2017

• The Hardys Return To WWE, Win RAW Tag Team Titles

WWE To Release Kurt Angle DVD Set This Year

WWE Hall of Famer and Raw General Manager Kurt Angle will be getting his own DVD set later this year. Wrestling DVD Network is reporting that a three disc DVD set entitled “Kurt Angle: The Essential Collection” will be released on August 1st, 2017.

Below is the official synopsis for the release:

“It’s true! It’s true! Kurt Angle has had some of the most epic matchups in WWE history. Now for the first time ever, you can watch them all with Kurt Angle: The Essential Collection.

Relive all of his rivalries with Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Edge, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and more in this complete collection.”

WWE Superstars React To Superstar Shake-Up 

WWE has uploaded a new video highlighting a few reactions to the Superstar Shake-Up that will be happening next week on Raw and Smackdown. Sasha Banks sent out a tweet asking to be sent to Smackdown after Shinsuke Nakamura made his debut on Tuesday night. AJ Styles stated that the Superstar Shake-Up sounds like a “phenomenal” opportunity and used #Raw in his tweet.

• Several Trades Rumored For Next Week’s Superstar Shake-Up

WWE Superstar Shake-Up

Vince McMahon made a surprise appearance on Monday’s post-WrestleMania RAW and dropped the bombshell that we’ll see a Superstar Shake-Up next week.

The RAW and SmackDown rosters will look very different come next Tuesday, with RAW General Manager Kurt Angle and SmackDown General Manager vying to beef up their respective rosters.

On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed several names that are expected to be switching brands. It should be noted that Meltzer’s info is believed to be based on backstage sources speaking on condition of anonymity. He said,

“When I first heard about the plan, the key moves were to be Roman Reigns and AJ Styles, but I’ve been told that Roman Reigns isn’t moving but AJ Styles is moving.”

AJ moving to Raw would unite him with fellow Club members Gallows, Anderson and Finn Balor.

More Names Moving?

Meltzer continued that Raw would probably have to give up a big name to Smackdown to make up for losing AJ. He also speculated that Alexa Bliss and Charlotte will switch places, though he has not heard that is the plan.

“I’ve heard the New Day moving, which makes sense” – Dave Meltzer

Smackdown’s tag division could use a boost, considering the SD tag titles were the only main roster belts not defended at WrestleMania. Meltzer noted that that Andrade “Cien” Almas and Elias Samson are both expected to be called up to the main roster.

It should be noted that this Superstar Shake-Up is not being promoted as the official ‘2017 WWE Draft.’ AJ Styles and Roman Reigns would certainly create a number of fresh match-ups (and alliances), but we might have to wait until this summer to see a more dramatic reshuffling.

Discussion: Which WWE Superstars do you want to see switch brands next week during the Superstar Shake-Up?

AJ Styles attacked Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon last night on Smackdown and slammed his head through a car window. Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan then “fired” AJ Styles shortly after that. Smackdown went off the air with Shane McMahon stating that Styles now has an opponent for Wrestlemania 33. Today, the WWE has removed Styles from their active roster on their website and placed him in the Alumni roster. Styles clearly isn’t actually fired but it appears that Smackdown will be continuing with the storyline that Styles is off the Smackdown roster, even after Shane McMahon challenged him to a match last night.

AJ Styles is on the WWE Alumni page?? pic.twitter.com/rXLwX2SgPQ

— HEELReport (@HEELReport) March 15, 2017

Carmella and Mickie James were on Talking Smack last night and were interrupted by Natalya and Becky Lynch. Natalya declared herself the leader of the Women’s division on Smackdown and nobody bought it. Alexa Bliss then showed up and blamed Daniel Bryan for causing all of this chaos. Daniel Bryan announced last week that Alexa Bliss will be defending her Smackdown Women’s Championship against “every available woman on the Smackdown roster” at Wrestlemania 33.

AJ Styles interrupted Smackdown GM Shane McMahon today at a WWE live event in Madison Square Garden. Styles once again said that he should be in the main event of Wrestlemania 33. Shane McMahon and AJ Styles are rumored to face each other at Wrestlemania this year. Styles also wrestled Randy Orton at the event today and lost via an RKO.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRjRSSAgBDA/

This RKO to AJ Styles at MSG ? #WWEMSG (via @HR8886) pic.twitter.com/fLyy1pYl6E

— Randy Cruz (@randyjcruz) March 12, 2017

A video has surfaced of Goldberg shouting at some angry fans at WWE Fastlane. The fans apparently used foul language and Goldberg wasn’t pleased with that because there were children in the audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qM4F0Jx214&feature=youtu.be

• Jim Ross Predicts Winner Of Brock Lesnar Versus Goldberg, Expects Kenny Omega To Join The WWE

AJ Styles lost his chance to face Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship last night on Smackdown. Styles had already defeated Luke Harper last week to ensure his spot in the main event at Wrestlemania. However, Randy Orton announced that he does want to fight Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania. This all lead to a match last night on Smackdown between Orton and Styles. Orton wound up winning the match and Styles wound up losing his mind. Styles went after Shane McMahon backstage and the two had to be separated. There have been rumors for weeks that Styles will be facing Shane McMahon at Wrestlemania.

BREAKING: After his loss on #SDLive, a frustrated @AJStylesOrg confronted Commissioner @ShaneMcMahon. #TalkingSmack @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/6eGY4ABHT1

— WWE (@WWE) March 8, 2017

Last night on Talking Smack, The Miz went on another rant about John Cena. The Miz stated John Cena stole his personality from every white kid with an identity crisis in the 1990s. The Miz also accused Cena of stealing the Attitude Adjustment from Tommy Dreamer. The Miz then said that Cena even stole his girlfriend from Dolph Ziggler. The Miz went on to claim that Cena is jealous of the talent that The Miz possesses. You can check out a clip of the promo in the video below.

SmackDown Live star AJ Styles recently participated in a media conference call. Here are some highlights, courtesy of Sportskeeda.com:

The Internet’s effect on wrestling & the need for more surprises:

“WWE right now is like, there are so many things on the internet that shouldn’t be. That really bothers me. That hurts surprises, that hurts a lot of things. Hopefully, that will be taken care of so that we can give you the surprises that everybody wants. We got to tell a story out here, and you know that the best movies are the ones you didn’t see coming. We’re doing that same thing, and when things are leaked it bothers me. But we definitely try to give you guys surprises, but sometimes it’s hard.”

Kurt Angle wanting to wrestle him again:

“I would love to get in the ring with Kurt Angle again. Whether or not that will ever happen, who knows. I’m very excited that he’s in the WWE Hall of Fame. I know how much this means to him, and it’s a big deal. Even when we were with a different company, he still talked about WWE so I know this is a big deal to Kurt Angle, and I’m very happy for him. And as far as other performers, I would love to have gotten into the ring with a bunch of them. But you know, that’s not gonna happen. I would certainly have been able to learn from some of them. And there are tonnes of them; too many to name. For me it’s not just the fact of getting in the ring with them, it’s about learning from them.”

His thoughts on John Cena after working with him several times:

“Regardless of what anyone else thinks about John Cena, I respect him. They can boo him or say he sucks; the guy is one of the hardest workers in the WWE. He’s been here on top for a long time, and there’s no way he can do that without being one of the toughest, one of the best, and one of the most experienced guys in the business. John Cena has earned my respect, and that’s why we’ve had incredible matches.”

The Wrestling Observer has announced its 2016 Award Winners. The awards are voted on by select members of the pro wrestling industry and longtime readers of the Observer. Dave Meltzer is the leading authority in wrestling news and we strongly suggest you consider subscribing at f4wonline.com.

Here are some of the key wrestling based awards given out this year:

2016 Award Winners

Wrestler of the Year (Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award): AJ Styles

Styles was 1 of only 3 WWE wrestlers to crack the top 10 in this category (Kevin Owens and Nakamura were ranked 9 and 10 respectively).  Technically both Styles and Nakamura were in NJPW to start the year as well.

The Observer awards have been very high on NJPW in recent years, and the majority of the top wrestlers in this category were from there.

Kazuchika Okada received the second most amount of votes, followed by Tetsuya Naito and Kenny Omega.

Most Outstanding Wrestler: AJ Styles
This award, which is more based on pure wrestling ability, again went to AJ Styles this year. Kenny Omega came in at #2 with Okada at #3.

Feud of the Year: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz

Hard to deny the most profitable rivalry in MMA the top spot in this category. #2 in the voting was John Cena vs. AJ Styles. #3 was Los Ingobernables vs CHAOS, and #4 was Charlotte vs Sasha Banks.

Tag Team of the Year: the Young Bucks

The Bucks seem to be chasing this award all year long, so they should be happy. The Revival and DIY occupied the #2 and #3 spots in the voting.

Most Improved: Matt Riddle

The MMA fighter turned pro-wrestler Matt Riddle has a lot of buzz around him at the moment. It might not be long until we see him perform on a larger stage. The Miz, Juice Robinson and Alexa Bliss were the top vote-getters behind Riddle.

Bryan Danielson Award for Best Technical Wrestler: Zack Sabre Jr.

This is the first year the award has been named after Bryan, and it goes to Zack Sabre Jr. He performed in the cruiserweight classic, debuted in NJPW, and has been part of a growing European scene. He’ll take on Shibata on Monday for the British Heavyweight Championship on New Japan World.

Best Flying Wrestler: Will Ospreay

British wrestlers take the best technical and best high flying awards this year. That is a testament to how many wrestlers the area has been delivering as of late.

A few other awards worth mentioning:

• Most overrated: Roman Reigns
• Most underrated: Cesaro
• Promotion of the year: New Japan Pro Wrestling
• Match of the Year: Tanahashi vs. Okada from WrestleKingdom 10- January 4th 2016
• Best Non-Wrestler: Dario Cueto

And last but certainly not least the award for “Best Gimmick” this year went to “Broken” Matt Hardy.

AJ Styles defeated Luke Harper to become the new #1 contender on tonight’s SmackDown. Styles is set to face Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33 but that match has not been confirmed by WWE yet.

It appears we may get a Triple Threat with Royal Rumble winner Randy Orton being the third particiapnt. Orton turned on Wyatt and set fire to the Wyatt Family compound during the closing segment this week. Orton issued a warning to Wyatt and said he was coming for the WWE Championship and Wyatt at WrestleMania.

We will keep you updated on any official announcements regarding Wyatt’s WrestleMania match.

I'm coming for you @WWEBrayWyatt and I'm taking the title at #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/UCIzKmPWC0

— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) March 1, 2017