It’s been four years since Edge returned to wrestling after being forced to retire due to an injury. He made his comeback at the WWE Royal Rumble on January 26, 2020, as a surprise entrant in the men’s match. The surprise appearance was a memorable moment that fans and other WWE superstars, including AJ Styles, will remember.

In an interview with Wrestlesphere, ‘The Phenomenal One’ reflects on Edge’s return and what being in the match for his entrance was like. 

Wrestlesphere’s Joe Baiamonte transcribed the following quotes. 

“It was pretty unbelievable to see that reaction,” said Styles. He continued, “It was a special moment. I enjoyed it. I actually sat back in the corner and watched it all. It was really, really cool.”

At the time, it was unclear what WWE’s plans were for Edge, but Styles hoped that he’d be able to have a match with the ‘Rated R Superstar.’ WWE fans may recall they had a staredown and exchanged offense in the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble Match. In the interview, Styles admitted he wanted to use the moment to plant seeds for a potential match with Edge. 

“As soon as he came back, that Royal Rumble, we planted the seed, said Styles. He explains, “Because we knew if there’s an opportunity, we’ve got to plant the seed now. That was the moment we did it at the Royal Rumble.”

Two years later, the two would be in a feud, including a featured match at WWE WrestleMania 38 on April 3, 2022. While Edge has moved on to AEW, Styles will compete in a title match at this year’s event. 

AJ Styles Aims To Get Revenge on Roman Reigns 

Roman Reigns will defend the WWE Championship against Styles, LA Knight, and Randy Orton tonight. ‘The Phenomenal One’ hopes to become a three-time WWE Champion, as he has reentered the title picture. He also wants to get revenge on Reigns, as he, in the storyline, had the Bloodline(Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso) injure him. 

The odds are not in Reign’s favor, but he is expected to retain his championship. It’s unclear if Styles will get another opportunity to lose. However, WWE fans should expect ‘The Phenomenal One’ to give everything he has as he tries to win the WWE Championship for a third time. 

WWE has a history of fantastic stables, and some of them last a long time, forging an undeniable impression with fans. The O.C. has definitely been through a lot in WWE, with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows’ release in between the stable’s runs with the company, but they may be nearing an end.

Possible Issues In The O.C.

The turmoil within The O.C. is still going, and cracks are starting to show. Uncle Allan might be growing impatient with Michin in the process.

A digital exclusive from WWE showed Michin seeking advice from Styles after her loss to Women’s Champion IYO SKY last week. She wanted to ask him if he had any advice for her after seeing the match.

Styles only asked, “Did you win?” and walked away after she shook her head to indicate that she was unable to pull down victory.

The issues within The OC arose when Styles took a two-month hiatus after an attack by Solo Sikoa. He was originally slated to team with John Cena at Fastlane, but then he was replaced by LA Knight.

Start Of Possible Issues For The O.C.

Styles returned on December 15th, and he was placed on top of the card. He first showed up to help Knight and Orton against The Bloodline, but then he made it clear that he’s all about his own success after attacking Knight. 

At SmackDown: New Year’s Revolution, Styles ignored The O.C. when they greeted him, because he was upset about their lack of support when taken out by The Bloodline months earlier. The stable is not fully disbanded, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see a dismantling eventually. 

These developments suggest a potential split within The OC, but WWE has teased similar scenarios in the past, only to provide wrestlers with a fresh start. It remains to be seen if The OC will strengthen or if plans are in motion to dissolve the group. Those words from AJ Styles might also just be tough love from AJ Styles as he motivates Michin to continue her way up the women division’s ranks.

AJ Styles is set to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble in a Fatal 4-Way match. That match will also include Randy Orton and LA Knight. Perhaps this situation with the O.C. will escalate further at Tropicana Field. 

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

Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is far from thrilled after his efforts to prevent a challenger for his title backfired immensely on SmackDown. 

The January 5, edition of the blue brand was the ‘New Year’s Revolution’ episode of SmackDown and concluded WWE’s stacked first week of programming in 2024. In the main event, Randy Orton, AJ Styles, and LA Knight competed with the winner earning an Undisputed WWE Universal Championship opportunity. 

Roman Reigns Reacts

Before the match could reach a decisive finish, Roman Reigns and The Bloodline interfered and attacked all three potential challengers. Unhappy with this, SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis informed Paul Heyman that Reigns would defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at the Royal Rumble in a fatal four-way match. 

Backstage, Heyman was given the daunting task of informing Reigns about the upcoming title match. The Special Counsel was clearly terrified when telling Reigns of what Aldis had told them. Reigns was infuriated but refrained from shouting and simply demanded that Heyman “fix this.”

EXCLUSIVE: Following #TheBloodline's beatdown of @RandyOrton, @AJStylesOrg and @RealLAKnight, The Head of the Table is riding high until @HeymanHustle informs him of @RealNickAldis' decision to make a Fatal 4-Way Match for #RoyalRumble.#SmackDown: New Year's Revolution pic.twitter.com/LGUqeCa6vt

— WWE (@WWE) January 6, 2024

This match will be the first time in over two years that Reigns has not defended his title in a singles contest. Reigns’ most recent match which saw multiple challengers was at WrestleMania 37 where the Tribal Chief bested Edge and Daniel Bryan. This will be Reigns’ first time defending his title in a fatal four-way match. 

WWE Royal Rumble 2024

Reigns’ fatal four-way match will be part of a stacked event on January 27. The show will also feature the two titular Rumble matches. So far, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Bobby Lashley have been announced for the Men’s Match. Bayley, Nia Jax, Becky Lynch, and Bianca Belair have been announced for the Women’s Match. U.S. Champion Logan Paul will defend against Kevin Owens at the event. 

What happened after the New Year’s Revolution edition of SmackDown went off the air? Click here to find out. 

AJ Styles made his return to WWE during the December 15th episode of WWE SmackDown. This was a big surprise to close out the show. That being said, we must include a spoiler warning for this article, because it could reveal WWE’s plans for the Phenomenal One. 

Fightful Select reports, based on internal WWE sources to Fightful’s Corey Brennan, that it might not be a full-fledged heel turn for AJ Styles. This seems to stray from the impression he gave after laying out LA Knight on SmackDown last week.

Based on internal WWE sources to Fightful’s Corey Brennan, it might not be a full-fledged heel turn.

It is reported that “the direction is for Styles to be somewhat justified in his attack of LA Knight.” Another source reportedly told Fightful that “it’s a bit of a ‘choose your own adventure situation with Styles.”

It will be interesting to see if plans for AJ Styles changes along the way. AJ Styles is versatile, so he can play babyface and heel characters. It all depends on how they need to utilize the former World Champion.

During the December 22nd episode of WWE SmackDown, which was pre-taped, AJ Styles is scheduled for an in-ring promo and a match against Solo Sikoa.

Welcome to Weekly Primer, our early-in-the-week feature that lays out what’s on tap for the week ahead in the world of professional wrestling. Get caught-up on what’s trending and what to expect from the world’s top wrestling promotions.

Here are some of the top stories in wrestling we’re tracking as we start the week:

WWE/AEW Television Contract Maneuvering 

The biggest story right now in wrestling behind the scenes continues to be the future for WWE Monday Night Raw and AEW’s portfolio of shows. 

Last week, word came out that WWE has reportedly had some talks with Warner Bros. Discovery about moving Raw to TNT or TBS, the current home of AEW. Nobody is to be sure how much interest WBD has in paying out for WWE content, or the kind of ramifications this would have on AEW. From all indications, WBD has been very happy with AEW’s performance on the networks (typically finishing in the top five on cable television). 

Nobody outside of a handful of executives likely knows just how serious the WWE/WBD discussions really are. That being said, the latest episode of Top Rope Nation covered what is known right now, and you can view that show at this link over on the SEScoops YouTube channel. 

AEW Continental Classic Continues To Dominate

AEW’s Continental Classic continues to be the highlight of television for Tony Khan’s promotion. Last week’s Dynamite and Collision episodes were must-see television for anyone who likes good pro wrestling, and that should continue with this week’s shows with another great slate of tournament matches (full list on the weekly schedule below).

We are getting down to the closing rounds of the tournament, with the semi-finals scheduled to take place next week before the finals occur at the Worlds End PPV event on December 30. 

AJ Styles Is Back

AJ Styles made his anticipated return to WWE on last Friday’s edition of SmackDown, and he has Roman Reigns in his sights. Styles saved Randy Orton and LA Knight from The Bloodline, then took out Knight himself and walked off, seemingly turning heel in the process.

This week on SmackDown, Styles will take on Solo Sikoa, but both Orton and Knight seem to be in the mix for a title shot at Reigns. Will we have a multi-man match against Reigns at the Royal Rumble in January, or will one of these match rise above the rest? We should find out soon. 

CM Punk’s First WWE Match Looms

CM Punk will finally step between the ropes in a match for WWE again very soon. Punk has been announced for two matches now, both against Dominik Mysterio. 

Punk will wrestle Mysterio at the WWE live event at Madison Square Garden next week, on December 26. He’ll follow that up with another match against Mysterio on December 30 in Los Angeles at another non-televised live event. 

SEScoops Live Shows This Week

The SEScoops Podcast, hosted by SEScoops Managing Editor Zack Heydorn and Tyler Sage, airs live Tuesday night on YouTube. Join the show live or catch it via your favorite podcasting platform afterward.

Top Rope Nation, hosted by SEScoops Site Manager Ryan Droste, Justin Joynt, and Jesse Velasquez airs most weeks on Thursday night at 9:30 pm Eastern on YouTube. This week’s show will be a Patreon special bonus show on Tuesday night. 

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google News to stay up to date.

Monday Primer for December 11 – December 16

Monday (December 18)

WWE Raw: WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match: The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) defend against The Creed Brothers. WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Chelsea Green and Piper Niven defend against Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. WWE International Championship Match: Gunther defends against The Miz (if Miz loses, he will not be able to challenge for the title as long as Gunther is champion). Seth Rollins will address Drew McIntyre

Tuesday (December 19)

NXT: Fallon Henley vs. Tiffany Stratton. Men’s Breakout Tournament: Lexis King vs. Dion Lennox. Izzi Dame & Kiana James vs. Jacy Jayne & Thea Hail. NXT North American Championship: Dragon Lee vs. Charlie Dempsey and Joe Coffey. Men’s Breakout Tournament: Tavion Heights vs. Luca Crusifino. Nikkita Lyons vs. Tatum Paxley. Gallus (Wolfgang & Mark Coffey) vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger. Ridge Holland vs. Ilja Dragunov.

The SEScoops Podcast airs live on the SEScoops YouTube channel at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Top Rope Nation airs at a special time this week as it is their monthly Patreon ‘Classics’ bonus show. This month’s, they will review World Class Championship Wrestling Christmas Star Wars 1982 on their Patreon channel. They’ll return to the SEScoops YouTube channel next week. 

Wednesday (December 20)

AEW Dynamite (Holiday Bash): Jon Moxley vs. Jay White (Continental Classic, Gold League). Swerve Strickland vs. Rush (Continental Classic, Gold League). Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe (Continental Classic, Gold League). Roderick Strong vs. Komander. Saraya vs. Riho. Samoa Joe and MJF will speak.

Thursday (December 21)

Impact Wrestling: The Best of Impact Wrestling 2023, Part 1. 

MLW Fusion: Airs on the MLW YouTube Channel.

Friday (December 22)

WWE SmackDown: Santos Escobar vs. Bobby Lashley (US Title Shot Tournament). Dragon Lee vs. Butch. AJ Styles promo. Bianca Belair, Zelina Vegas, Michin vs. Damage CTRL. Kevin Owens vs. Carmelo Hays (US Title Shot Tournament). AJ Styles vs. Solo Sikoa. 

AEW Rampage: Nothing announced as of press time.

Saturday (December 23)

AEW Collision: Andrade El Idolo vs. Eddie Kingston (Continental Classic, Blue League). Brody King vs. Daniel Garcia (Continental Classic, Blue League). Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bryan Danielson (Continental Classic, Blue League). AEW World Trios Championship: The Acclaimed defend against Top Flight and Action Andretti. Julia Hart and Skye Blue vs. Abadon and Thunder Rosa. 

AJ Styles has returned to WWE SmackDown but has embraced his darker side. 

‘The Phenomenal One’ has been sidelined since the September 22, 2023, episode of SmackDown. During that show it was announced that Styles would be John Cena’s tag-team partner for the Fastlane tag-team match against Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa. However, later on that night, Styles was brutally attacked by Uso and Sikoa. It was LA Knight who went on to replace the former WWE Champion and teamed up with Cena to defeat The Bloodline at Fastlane.  

Reports recently suggested that Styles was supposed to return a few weeks ago but that didn’t happen. It was on last night’s edition of SmackDown that ‘The Phenomenal One’ returned.

On Friday, the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns made his first WWE appearance since Crown Jewel on SmackDown. He said that it’s ‘promotion season’ and announced that Solo Sikoa is the deserving heir to his title of Tribal Chief of The Bloodline. 

Randy Orton then interrupted him and challenged Reigns to a title match at next month’s Royal Rumble. However, ‘The Tribal Chief’ refused to accept the challenge. It was then announced that ‘The Viper’ will battle Jimmy Uso in the main event of SmackDown.  

Orton defeated Uso with the help of LA Knight, who evened the odds when Solo Sikoa came down to the ring. Reigns ultimately took a cheap shot at LA Knight from behind and The Bloodline continued the attack on them.

AJ Styles returns

‘The Phenomenal One’ made a huge comeback and he was already in the ring waiting to hit Reigns with a Phenomenal Forearm. He executed it and took down ‘The Head of The Table.’ However, the returning superstar shocked the fans with his actions when he assaulted LA Knight from behind. He had a staredown with Orton before leaving the ring. 

As it seems, LA Knight and AJ Styles are likely to have a feud soon.

WWE is set for SmackDown in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and that episode could include a big return. This is your official spoiler warning, because this article is full of them.

Spoiler for 12/15 WWE SmackDown

PW Insider reports that, “AJ Styles is expected to return tonight at Friday Night Smackdown,” This return has been a long time coming.

AJ Styles has been out of action as he sold a beatdown from Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso. At the time, Styles was set to be John Cena’s tag team partner at Fastlane against the Bloodline, but then LA Knight took Styles’ spot.

It was further noted that, “AJ Styles had initially been planned for a return several weeks back, but WWE decided to hold off on the return.” It is reported that this week is more of a sure thing, as Styles will return to the road for WWE.

Status Of The OC In WWE

AJ Styles’ OC stablemates, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, returned to the ring several weeks ago, but they have only worked live events. Their television hiatus may end with Styles’ return

Fans can probably expect AJ Styles’ return to WWE SmackDown during the December 15th episode. With the Royal Rumble coming up on January 27th, that event will mark 8 years since he shocked the word by finally landing in WWE after a career outside the company.

Exclusive Insight into AJ Styles’ WWE Return

I was told on several occasions over the past 30 days that AJ Styles is set to return “imminently.” This is something that they have held back on for some reason, but it appears the Phenomenal One will be joining the company to close out 2023.

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will also be a double taping. So, AJ Styles can get two weeks’ worth of tapings out of the way on one night to really jumpstart his comeback.

New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom event was almost ‘Phenomenal’ this year as AJ Styles nearly made it onto the show.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 took place on January 4, and saw talent from New Japan, STARDOM, All Elite Wrestling, and WWE compete at the event.

Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Yokohama Arena took place yesterday and featured a tribute to the late Jay Briscoe.

AJ Styles

WWE’s Karl Anderson competed at Wrestle Kingdom on January 4, but the Machine Gun nearly had some back-up at the event.

Fightful Select reports that there was a time in 2022 that New Japan was planning on Styles appearing on-screen at the event.

Rocky Romero told Fightful’s Wrestling Perspective Podcast that the WWE Superstar himself thought it would be a “cool idea.”

Romero added that he believes if it was up to Styles, he likely would have been in the Tokyo Dome.

It was also clarified that there were never any official plans for Styles to appear at Wrestle Kingdom.

Any hopes for the Phenomenal One to appear at the Tokyo Dome ended when Styles broke his ankle the week before the show.

Fightful adds that Doc Gallows also did not make the trip to Japan, which is said to have been a New Japan call.

AJ Styles at Wrestle Kingdom

As part of a crossover between NJPW and TNA Wrestling in 2008, Styles represented the latter at Wrestle Kingdom 2, teaming with Christian Cage and Petey Williams to defeat RISE (Milano Collection AT, Minoru, and Prince Devitt.)

At Wrestle Kingdom 9, Styles would defeat Tetsuya Naito and would unsuccessfully challenge IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 2016.

Hours after that match, news broke that Styles had given his notice to NJPW, and he debuted for WWE at the 2016 Royal Rumble later that month.

AJ Styles will be on the shelf for several months due to an injury he sustained at Thursday night’s Holiday Tour live event from Hershey, PA.

The Phenomenal One teamed with Karl Anderson and Mia Yim against Finn Balor, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley of Judgment Day. The OC picked up the win, but the big story coming out of the match was Styles’ injury. As seen below, the incident occurred during an ugly-looking over-the-top-rope spot. Styles can be seen being attended to by staff and was helped to the back by the referee and Anderson.

Broken Ankle

On Saturday, Styles confirmed he’s dealing with a broken ankle.

In a brief statement on Twitter, he assured fans he will not require surgery. The downside is that he’ll miss significant ring time.

“Just want to you guys to know that I’m ok. Broken ankle is what I’m dealing with. No surgery, this just takes some time to recover. This will be the longest I’ve ever been out of the ring. Thanks for the prayers and get well wishes.”

– AJ Styles

There’s no good time to get hurt, but right before the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season has to be the worst time of the year for something like this to happen.

Styles’ Future

AJ Styles shocked the world by signing with WWE and debuting at the 2016 Royal Rumble event, entering the Rumble match at #3.

Earlier this year, Styles spoke about his future, and said that he doesn’t have plans to wrestle anywhere other than WWE at this point in his career.

Styles has also expressed interest in working behind the scenes in WWE once his time in the ring is over but has said he is unsure if that is going to happen.

The Phenomenal One later specified that a role as a talent scout would be ideal for him.

We here at SEScoops are wishing the two-time former WWE Champion a speedy recovery.

• AJ Styles Clarifies Reports About His WWE Contract

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle may be retired, but the Olympian is ready to make a return to the ring with the right opponent.

Angle returned to WWE in 2017 after a near-eleven-year absence and competed in a handful of matches in that time.

The Olympic Gold Medalist last competed at WrestleMania 35 in a loss to Baron Corbin.

One More Match

Despite it being years since Angle’s most recent match, the former WWE World Champion has never been shy about teasing a return.

Speaking on the most recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle said he would have to work with a younger talent to ‘carry’ him through a match at WrestleMania.

“I’m not that stupid. So I’m going to make sure it’s a young guy because I’m a little bit older. I lost a little bit of a step. I would have to say someone like AJ Styles or Ricochet, I really liked that kid. I think I would have an incredible match with him.”

Kurt Angle.

While Angle and Styles faced off several times in TNA/Impact Wrestling, the Olympian has yet to face off with the One and Only.

Braun Strowman

It wasn’t just Ricochet and Styles that Angle had praise for, as he also highlighted the career of Braun Strowman.

The Olympian also named the Monster Among Men as someone he’d love to wrestle again if he returned to the ring.

“He is so athletic for his size. He reminds me a lot of Brock Lesnar with his athleticism. He’s not as athletic as Brock, he’s pretty close.”

Kurt Angle.

Strowman was released from WWE in June of last year and returned to WWE TV this past September.

h/t – eWrestlingNews

Kurt Angle was one of the top stars of TNA. He got to wrestle with some of the best in-ring talent there. This list includes none other than AJ Styles, who Angle credits for making him a better wrestler.

The Olympic Gold Medallist talked about his time in TNA on the latest episode of his podcast. He specifically discussed the Aces & Eights storyline and the problems with it.

Angle was involved in a story with AJ Styles at the time where the two formed a team. Commenting on his experience of sharing the ring with AJ, Kurt said that everyone who gets in the ring with him becomes better:

“Whether I was alongside him as a tag team or working with him, he made me better. Every time I wrestled with him or against him, he made me better.

That’s the kind of guy AJ is, that’s the kind of athlete he is. Everybody he gets in the ring with, he makes the match better and the other person better.”

-Kurt Angle

The former world champion was involved in a storyline with AJ Styles in mid-2012. They faced each other on a couple of occasions before forming a tag team.

The team of Angle and Styles even held the TNA World Tag Team Championship for a brief period. The two stars then went their separate ways after being unsuccessful in recapturing the titles.

You can check out the full episode of The Kurt Angle Show below:

More Originals From SEScoops:

• Dolph Ziggler Discusses Future Of His Stand-Up Comedy Career
• Jake Roberts Reflects On AEW Debut “I Felt Like I Was At Home Again”
• Matt Cardona’s Advice For Young Talent: “Slow The F*ck Down”
• Drew McIntyre On Vince McMahon’s Original Plans For 3MB
• Shawn Michaels On What Makes Logan Paul A Great Performer

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart may be known as the best there is, was, and ever will be, but does he hold a candle to AJ Styles?

Hart is a two-time WWE Hall of Famer, having been inducted in 2006 and inducted as part of the Hart Foundation in 2019.

Styles, a two-time WWE Champion, debuted for the promotion at the 2016 Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View, and is also a Grand Slam champion.

Styles Vs. Hart

Both Styles and Hart are considered two of the best wrestlers of their respective eras, but which is better?

During the latest episode of his ‘Oh You Didn’t Know’ podcast, WWE’s Senior VP of Live Events ‘Road Dogg’ Jesse James gave his pick.

“He [Styles] is a better wrestler. He has been working very hard ever since he showed up at the [Royal] Rumble. He’s older now and he’s slower now and he wants to work smarter now, but when he first got here and I think he was very much in his prime, the road puts it on you and that life.”

‘Road Dogg’ Jesse James.

In recent months, Styles has been feuding with the Judgment Day, and has reunited with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.

Road Dogg also named AEW’s Kenny Omega as one of the greats, saying he is currently below the Phenomenal One.

Road Dogg and Bret Hart

This week is hardly the first time that ‘Road Dogg’ has spoken about Bret Hart, and while others have respect for the Hitman, James isn’t among them.

In November, James told listeners of his podcast that he “never saw what the big deal was” in regards to Bret as a performer.

“I don’t think Bret was a great wrestler. He was a wrestler. I think I was a better sports entertainer than Bret was and I think that’s where the money is.”

h/t – WrestlingInc

AJ Styles is set to battle Finn Balor tonight at WWE Survivor Series WarGames.

• WWE Survivor Series 2022 Preview

Finn Balor tried for weeks to recruit the Phenomenal One to Judgment Day but Styles declined. Balor and the Judgment Day then beat AJ down but Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson made the save. The Good Brothers returned to WWE to reform The O.C. and battle against Judgment Day.

Rhea Ripley has been the x-factor in the rivalry so far but The O.C. recently added Mia Yim to the group to even the odds. Mia Yim and Rhea Ripley will both be competing in the Women’s WarGames match tonight at WWE Survivor Series.

AJ Styles on His Match Against Finn Balor Tonight & The Good Brothers Returning to WWE

AJ Styles was a guest on WWE’s The Bump show earlier today ahead of the premium live event tonight in Boston. Styles said that he’s pissed off and is going to take it out on Finn Balor tonight at Survivor Series.

The Phenomenal One was also asked about Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson returning to the company during the interview. AJ couldn’t decide which Good Brothers moment was the best and said they were ready to take care of business in WWE.

Styles was asked why he has such a tight bond with the Good Brothers and he referenced their time together in Japan.

Finn Balor spent weeks trying to recruit AJ Styles to the Judgment Day but the Phenomenal One declined.

Balor decided to attack AJ Styles and the Good Brothers (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) returned to the company to make the save. Mia Yim has since returned to the company and joined The OC in their battle against Judgment Day.

On last week’s edition of RAW, Finn Balor attempted to accept Seth Rollins’ Open Challenge but The OC interrupted.

On this week’s episode of RAW, Finn faced Seth Rollins in the main event. The match was originally supposed to be a non-title bout but Byron Saxton announced it was for the United States Championship a couple of hours before the red brand went on the air.

The Judgment Day was ringside for the match and once again The OC got involved. The two factions brawled through the crowd as Rollins and Balor trade strikes in the ring. In the end, Seth hit the Stomp for the pinfall victory. Austin Theory attacked Seth after the bell and beat him down to close the show.

AJ cut a backstage promo earlier on RAW and challenged Balor to the match. The Phenomenal One added that their rivalry will come to an end at the PLE. WWE made the match official during the main event on social media.

Announced Card for WWE Survivor Series WarGames so far:

• Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles
• Women’s WarGames Match: Damage CTRL, Nikki Cross, Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Mia Yim, and an unknown superstar
• SmackDown Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Shotzi

AJ Styles is currently involved in a bitter rivalry with the Judgment Day. Finn Balor spent a few weeks trying to recruit Styles to Judgment Day but the Phenomenal One declinded.

The Judgment Day then attacked Styles and it led to Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson returning to the company to reform The OC. The group didn’t have an answer for Rhea Ripley and Judgment Day defeated The OC at Crown Jewel in a 6-man tag.

Seth Rollins issued an Open Challenge this past Monday on RAW and Finn Balor was about to accept it. The OC interrupted and Mia Yim made her return to the company. Mia attacked Rhea outside the ring and aligned with The OC in their battle against Judgment Day.

Kevin Nash on AJ Styles Telling Him to F*** Off

WWE legend Kevin Nash spoke about the Phenomenal One on a recent edition of the Kliq This podcast. The Hall of Famer revealed the advice he gave AJ ahead of his WrestleMania 32 match against Chris Jericho in 2016.

“I remember AJ’s first WrestleMania. He was just like ‘F*** man, I just want to get through this,’ because they ran him ragged. I said no, I said that’s what they do, they rob you of these moments. I said cherish this because one day you’re going to be my age knowing that you’re never going to get out there again, and you’ll wish to God that you savored this moment that you have right now.”

AJ Styles responded by telling Nash to f*** off.

H/T: Ewrestlingnews

John Cena has often been labeled as Mr. Five Moves of Doom, but that couldn’t be further from the truth according to AJ Styles.

Styles debuted for WWE at the 2016 Royal Rumble as the #3 entrant after a lengthy career in TNA/Impact Wrestling.

The Phenomenal One has since gone on to become a two-time WWE Champion and captured WWE’s Grand Slam in 2021.

Surprised

After Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns, Styles’ third major feud in WWE came at the expense of John Cena.

After defeating Cena at Money in the Bank (thanks to interference by the O.C.) Styles would get a rare clean win over the Hollywood star at that year’s Summerslam.

Speaking on The Halftime Show, Styles reflected on his experience working with Cena and how the 16-time WWE World Champion surprised him.

“A guy that surprised me with how good he was in the ring would be John Cena. John is not known for being a technical mastermind in the ring, but he’s pretty good. I had some of my better matches against this guy.

“His mind for how everything needs to work and transition-wise. He’s just good. He knows what he’s doing. It’s one of those things were you thought, ‘I’m the superior wrestler in the ring,’ but once you get in there with John Cena, you realize, ‘Well, okay, I didn’t know that. Let’s keep going.’”

Styles would capture his first WWE Championship after the Cena feud, which he’d lose to Big Match John at the 2017 Royal Rumble.

Cena: Will he Wrestle Again?

Once considered the face of WWE, Cena’s appearances for the company have grown rarer as his career in films and on TV continues to grow.

Cena’s most recent match came at the Summerslam 2021 event in a losing effort to Roman Reigns, and some have questioned if he is done in the ring.

Earlier this year, a feud with Austin Theory was teased, but this did not lead to a match.

Despite this, Cena has remained adamant that his in-ring career isn’t over yet, and Theory has teased facing the former WWE World Champion at WrestleMania 39.

h/t – Fightful

The Judgment Day kicked off this week’s episode of WWE RAW and cut a promo on The OC ahead of their match at Crown Jewel next month.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson recently returned to the company after two years away. Finn Balor had been trying to recruit AJ Styles to The Judgment Day but The Phenomenal One declined.

The Judgment Day attacked Styles but Gallows and Anderson made the save. WWE has announced that The OC will battle The Judgment Day in a 6-man tag team match at WWE Crown Jewel.

James Ellsworth Reacts to AJ Styles Referencing Him on WWE RAW

During The Judgment Day’s promo, Dominik Mysterio claimed that he was this generation’s Eddie Guerrero. Dominik picked up a victory over AJ Styles last week after Rhea Ripley interfered.

After the comment by Dominik, The OC interrupted and made their way to the entrance ramp. AJ Styles joked that Dominik is more like this generation’s James Ellsworth. Styles and Ellsworth had a humorous rivalry along with Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) several years ago.

James Ellsworth took to Twitter to upload a video of him spitting out a beer after AJ referenced him on RAW. Ellsworth defeated AJ Styles multiple times on SmackDown in 2016 thanks to interference by Dean Ambrose. He was released from WWE in November 2017.

Karl Anderson went on to battle Finn Balor in a singles match to begin RAW. Balor picked up the victory after Rhea interfered in the match again. Rhea also hit Luke Gallows with a Body Slam during the match in an awesome moment.

It looks like a heel turn is coming for a top WWE star, and that’s AJ Styles, following this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. 

Styles and Rey Mysterio lost a tag team match to Damian Priest and Finn Balor on the show. The finish happened when Mysterio was preoccupied with Dominik at ringside, and this distraction allowed Rhea Ripley to take out Rey at ringside Styles fought the final moments of the match by himself.

The Angle

Post-match, Styles was upset with Mysterio and shoved him. Styles was then attacked by The Judgment Day. Balor could be heard yelling at Styles to listen to him and join his group, which is similar to what he did during the weeks before Dominik joined them.

This would imply that the company is hinting that Styles will eventually turn on Mysterio and join The Judgment Day in the near future.

As previously reported, WWE is planning to give Balor a big push shortly, which makes his I Quit match more interesting against Edge at this Saturday’s Extreme Rules event in Philadelphia, PA. 

The dream team of AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio will join forces during tomorrow’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw to battle the Judgment Day.

WWE confirmed the match on their website.

The group, consisting of Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, and Dominik Mysterio has been at odds with Mysterio since July.

During Summerslam, Rey and Dominik defeated Balor and Priest in a no-disqualifications tag team match, thanks to the returning Edge.

At Clash at the Castle, Dominik turned on his father and the WWE Hall Famer after the team got the win over Balor and Priest.

As for Styles, he has been feuding with the Judgment Day off and on for even longer, and the group has made efforts to recruit the two-time former WWE World Champion.

Monday Night Raw

AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio teaming up to face the Judgment Day will be just part of tomorrow’s go-home Monday Night Raw before Extreme Rules 2022.

The show will also see Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair and Bayley have a contract signing, making their Ladder match for the title at Extreme Rules official.

The match will be the first singles women’s ladder match in WWE history on the main roster.

Braun Strowman will have his second match since returning to WWE, when he takes on the Alpha Academy’s Chad Gable.

The Academy’s other member Otis will also be in action, as he takes on Johnny Gargano, while Candice LeRae will face WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Dakota Kai.

WWE Clash at the Castle airs this Saturday from the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It is the company’s first stadium show in the United Kingdom in over thirty years.

Roman Reigns will defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre at the premium live event. The SmackDown Women’s Championship and Intercontinental Championship will also be defended at the event.

RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair will team with Alexa Bliss and Asuka to battle Bayley, Iyo Sky, and Dakota Kai this Saturday at Clash at the Castle. Seth Rollins and Riddle will also meet in the ring after their rivalry has become incredibly personal as of late.

AJ Styles Comments on Missing Clash at the Castle

AJ Styles noted in a recent interview that he was going to miss the premium live event and commented some more on it today. The Phenomenal One joined WWE’s The Bump today and Kayla Braxton wondered if the UK crowd will be one of the best in history this Saturday.

“It hurts my heart not being a part of something like that. We know how the UK is and we know how they erupt over there. They make everything seem so special and to be around that many people at one time, wow it is going to be explosive. I think everyone is going to have an amazing time, wish I was there. Maybe we’ll get to see a new champion.”

AJ Styles on missing Clash at the Castle (24:20-24:48)

The two-time WWE Champion then gave an official prediction for the title match between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre.

“Drew is something special man. It’s his time. I really believe that. In the pandemic, he was champ but this is in front of people. Is it his hometown? Not exactly but I’m sure they’ll be there. I think he’s got momentum on his side, I really do.” (25:16-25:34)

Please credit WWE The Bump and give an H/T to SEScoops if you use quotes from this article.

In 2019, Chris Jericho joined AEW at the promotion’s launch event and has consistently been one of the company’s top stars.

Later that year, Jericho would become the first AEW World Champion, and his work as part of the Inner Circle and later the Jericho Appreciation Society has kept him a fixture on TV.

Returning to WWE

Jericho has been a fixture of AEW for over three years now, but there are still some fans who hope to see him in WWE again.

It was in WWE that Jericho became a nine-time Intercontinental Champion (a record that stands to this day) and the first-ever WWE Undisputed Champion.

On Twitter, a fan suggested to Jericho that a return to WWE would be good for him, and that matches pitting Jericho against AJ Styles or Kevin Owens would be ‘fire.’

In response, Jericho pointed out that these matches have happened, multiple times.

Jericho was the first major feud for Styles after the former TNA Wrestling star joined WWE in 2016.

Jericho Vs. Owens

Fans won’t be seeing Chris Jericho face Kevin Owens in WWE, but this is a match fans have seen before.

In 2017, the former friends feuded after Jericho cost Owens the Universal Championship, payback for Owens attacking Y2J during the Festival of Friendship.

In an interview with TalkSport last year, Jericho said that there had been plans for him Vs. Owens for the Universal Championship as the main event of WrestleMania 33.

After realizing WWE did not care about the feud, which saw Owens beat Jericho for the U.S. Title at WrestleMania, the AEW star said he knew it was time to finish with WWE.

A mystery man tried attacking AJ Styles on Monday’s edition of WWE Raw, but it wasn’t Dexter Lumis who was responsible.

For the last several weeks, WWE has run an angle where Lumis has made numerous attempts to ‘invade’ Raw. He made his main roster return on the Aug. 8 episode of Raw after Styles defeated The Miz. Lumis almost hopped over the ringside barricade until their security guards stop him.

On the Aug. 22 episode of Raw, WWE had the same angle with a slight twist. When Styles was outside the ring for his match, an attacker tried to hop over the barricade. However, the attacker wasn’t Lumis, and WWE security escorted the person away.

To be clear, the company planned this to happen, and it was to set up a surprise for when Lumis did appear. However, people were curious about the identity of the mysterious kayfabe attacker.

Who Attacked AJ Styles on Raw?

The Local Competitor’s social media account helped identify the attacker as local talent Rajan Hustler. He trains at Battle Arts Academy and wrestles in Canada, where Raw was taking place.

On the new @WWE RAW episode: Who was taken away by riot police during The Miz & Ciampa vs. AJ Styles & Bobby Lashley match? Rajan Husher was the man who attacked AJ.

Rajan trained at the Battle Arts Academy @BattleArts_PRO, where he also competes.#WWE #RAW #WWERaw https://t.co/vhbwLxvlAH pic.twitter.com/EV5zwITuds

— The Local Competitor (@LocalCompWWE) August 23, 2022

It seemed like WWE was teasing that Lumis wanted to go after Styles, but it’s unclear after the recent episode of Raw. Instead of going after “The Phenomenal One,” Lumis turned his attention to Miz and kidnapped him.

Lumis has tried to invade in matches with Styles, but it also included Miz’s involvement. The company may be trying to surprise fans with Lumis feuding with Miz, not Styles.

It’s unclear where Lumis took Miz or if that is the feud the company has planned. While the company hasn’t addressed where the Miz is, they may address the situation on the next episode of Raw. It’s unlikely that the “A-List Superstar” would take his kidnapping lightly.

Who do you think Lumis’s first main roster feud will be against?

AJ Styles has revealed exactly how close he was to becoming a member of the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) roster.

Styles was set to be a free agent this summer before signing a new multi-year extension with WWE. Now, Styles is enjoying a deal that is seeing him make well over a reported $3 million a year.

The former WWE Champion was asked about his contractual situation earlier this year with WWE in a recent interview with Inside The Ropes. Styles was specifically asked about how close he came to becoming a member of the AEW roster, where he has several friends.

Styles admits he doesn’t think it was close for him, but he does ultimately want AEW to succeed, as it benefits everyone in the long run.

“I didn’t really sign a new [WWE] deal. Basically, I had a player option and I just used that option. I had no plans, really, looking back.

“I want to be with WWE and as much as I’d like to be with my friends [in AEW], this is what I know, this what I know is expected of me, I understand what they need here in WWE, and I want to be a part of it.

“Like I said, this is a business. I’m going to go where business is best for AJ Styles… Was it close? I wouldn’t say it was close for me.”

“I want AEW to do well. Competition is a good thing, it makes everybody better, there that. We want to see people succeed and to tell the truth, I have friends in every company, I would like to see them do well.

“So, they have my support, just like anybody else. I want to see them do well, I don’t want to see anyone lose their job and you never know who might show up in WWE.”

Currently, AJ Styles is one of the top stars on Monday Night RAW. This week he even challenged for the United States Championship against Bobby Lashley.

Despite putting on a great performance with “The Almighty” inside the ring, he came up just short, eating a Spear off of a Phenomenal Forearm attempt for the defeat.

In 2016, AJ Styles signed with WWE, debuting as the #3 entrant during that year’s Royal Rumble match.

By the end of the year, Styles was the WWE Champion, a title he has held twice, and is also a WWE Grand Slam Champion.

After years in TNA/Impact, Styles has become a staple of WWE, something fans thought they’d never see.

The Match

AJ Styles has faced some of wrestling’s biggest names throughout his career, but not everyone has stepped in the ring with the “Phenomenal One.”

In a recent interview with Fightful, Styles discussed competing at WrestleMania, and how he hoped to face Triple H at WWE’s biggest annual event (via Wrestling Inc.)

“The last person I tried was Triple H. I didn’t get him. I don’t know who the next guy is or if there will be another one. Now we’ve got the younger talent coming up. Maybe I’m the match that they would like to have. I  would like to have some good ones before I retire.”

“The last person I tried was Triple H. I didn’t get him.”

AJ Styles on not getting a dream WrestleMania match.

Triple H’s in-ring career ended at this year’s WrestleMania, where he left his boots in the ring.

“The Game” has been forced into retirement after suffering a cardiac event in September 2021.

Styles and WrestleMania

Styles never got the chance to face Triple H at WrestleMania, but he has faced some of WWE’s biggest names at the event.

In his WrestleMania debut, Styles lost to Chris Jericho in 2016, before getting his first ‘Mania win the following year over Shane McMahon.

In 2018, the then-WWE Champion retained against Shinsuke Nakamura and defeated Randy Orton at WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

The following year, Styles would have the acclaimed ‘Boneyard Match’ losing to The Undertaker, and captured the Raw Tag Titles with Omos last year.

This year’s WrestleMania saw Styles lose to Edge.

The go-home edition of WWE SmackDown one night ahead of SummerSlam has ended and a dark match took place.

This week’s episode for the blue brand’s show opened with a memorable old-fashioned-Donnybrook match between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus.

McIntyre won the match and he has now earned a shot at the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle on Sept. 3.

Paul Heyman also addressed WWE fans before being interrupted by Brock Lesnar. Money in the Bank briefcase holder Theory tried to attack Lesnar from behind but he paid the price and was sent out of the ring.

Drew McIntyre then ran down the ramp to deliver a Claymore to Theory, which was payback for Theory attacking him earlier.

After The Show

When the FOX broadcast went off the air, fans inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA were treated to a dark match. It was Raw superstar AJ Styles taking on Happy Corbin.

Ultimately, AJ hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the three-count.

After the match, Styles celebrated inside the ring and took pictures with the fans. This is the final WWE match before SummerSlam.

Here’s a look at the action: