AJ Styles In WWE - What Went RIGHT?

The precise moment everything changed for 'The Phenomenal One'

AJ Styles Samoa Joe
WWE.com

AJ Styles and Samoa Joe are destined for a Hell In A Cell clash after the 'Samoan Submission Machine' screamed yet more horrifying threats at Styles' kids down the lens after a post-SummerSlam beatdown on their father. This, just days after promising to be "Daddy" to AJ's wife Wendy when he realised that he wasn't going to be able to topple 'The Phenomenal One' after all.

If this sounds like it has the familiar echoes of another Sports Entertainment drama, it's because it does. Two of the best wrestlers in the world are fighting not just for the title around AJ's waist but the personal life intrusion the quest for glory has caused. This is a very WWE-style story being told by experienced wrestling storytellers in a manner that doesn't condescend and patronise to the detriment of suspension of disbelief.

There have been wives, husbands, kids and even pets dragged into conflicts before, but results have been mixed at a generous best. Particularly when a top title is up for grabs and lost in the ether of a creative team grasping at low hanging fruits. This particular variant has conspired to be different from other stories that have delved into the personal lives of their primary exponents, because this particular variant has a challenger in the form of his career and a Champion of unflappable, phenomenal pedigree.

Even more remarkable is the fact that neither were formed in any version of the company's problematic petri dishes. Samoa Joe was sent for seasoning in NXT, but AJ Styles Day One on the main roster in January 2016 was a day few thought would ever actually come. To be a record-smashing WWE Champion two years later is another bizarre reality even he didn't think possible.

Bizarrely, though, Vince McMahon did...

CONT'D...

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett