10 Hyped WWE Feuds That Were Complete Failures
9. AJ Styles Vs. Chris Jericho
As great as AJ Styles’ first year as a WWE Superstar was, the first few months weren’t ideal. He made a hot start in the 2016 Royal Rumble, but while feuding with a veteran gatekeeper like Chris Jericho seemed like a great idea, the duo couldn’t deliver in the ring, largely down to Jericho’s escalating athletic deficiencies.
The duo drifted back and forth from makeshift tag partners to rivals, with Y2J playing the antagonist to 'The Phenomenal One.' Styles, to his credit, at least attempted to drag a great match from the older man whenever they stepped between the ropes, but the contests were “decent” at best, and several levels below the thrillers AJ would eventually put on with Roman Reigns and John Cena.
When Jericho inexplicably defeated ‘The Phenomenal One’ at WrestleMania 32, the feud became a complete write-off. Styles fortunately pinned Chris the following night on Raw, but the feud’s defining moment will always be its biggest match, when AJ lost to someone who had no business beating him. Styles was able to recover and become WWE’s standard-bearer for much of 2016, but his first feud was a huge flop.