10 Predictions To Bring WWE Raw Back From The Brink
3. A Phenomenal One More Run
The quality of AJ Styles' last reign with the WWE Championship was overstated, in the opinion of your writer. Ignore the impressively committed booking his character received in his year with the gold and look back at the actual matches.
Samoa Joe was incredible teasing him about his wife Wendy, but their matches couldn't live up to TNA standards. Speaking of expectations, best forget the ones you had for his "Dream Match" with Shinsuke Nakamura. Or the low blow rematches. Remember "Kami"? Styles himself wouldn't let you forget. If anything, his first defence - against outgoing ex-titleholder Jinder Mahal - was the biggest exhibition of his greatness. But the times they have a' massively changed, and somebody with both the immense skillset and heel/babyface fluidity is desperately needed to steady the ship.
Styles falls into a strange category of being a guy Vince McMahon likes without being a Vince McMahon Guy. He definitely isn't Randy Orton, and wouldn't be Brock Lesnar, but if anybody can be the one making life difficult for Drew McIntyre as either Champion or Challenger (and, most likely, both), it's 'The Phenomenal One'.