10 Clean Wins Over Top WWE Stars That Were Totally Wasted
8. John Cena Def. AJ Styles (Royal Rumble 2017)
It'd be a great disservice to The Miz and Dean Ambrose to say that AJ Styles carried SmackDown after the 2016 WWE Draft, but he was clearly positioned as the brand's franchise player. His WWE Championship run was fantastic, and he was easily the hottest act in the company in terms of performances and popularity.
Styles' reign included a pin on John Cena (whom he was already 2-0 against in singles competition) in No Mercy 2016's Triple Threat match. 'The Face That Runs The Place' disappeared shortly after, and demanded a WWE Title shot upon returning in December, resulting in a bout between him and AJ at the 2017 Royal Rumble.
The match was fantastic, but Cena's victory proved pointless. No more than a cynical ploy to have John equal Ric Flair's record as a 16-time World Champion, it was undone just 14 days later, when Bray Wyatt triumphed inside the Elimination Chamber.
The Rumble outcome not only dealt significant damage to the belt's prestige, but gave Cena a victory he did absolutely nothing with. He couldn't mount a single successful defence as champion, and slid into his WrestleMania feud with The Miz soon after. Styles, meanwhile, hasn't come close to regaining the belt since.