10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About AJ Styles

7. His Royal Rumble Debut Focused On Roman Reigns

AJ Styles Royal Rumble
WWE

New Japan enthusiasts reacted with a mixture of disgust (for what WWE might do with Styles) and happiness (for AJ personally) when he strolled out as #3 in the 2016 Royal Rumble. The announcers, to their credit, treated Styles' arrival as a big deal. The production team, meanwhile, didn't.

They were much too busy shooting Roman Reigns' reaction to the newcomer.

As soon as AJ walked through the curtain in Orlando's Amway Center and took his place on the WWE roster, cameras cut to a perplexed-looking Roman. The insinuation was clear: Reigns barely knew who Styles was, and WWE wanted to capture the idea that it was he who was the king of the jungle, not some TNA relic who had made a splash in Japan.

Some of AJ's biggest fans must have felt a pang in their hearts at that moment. It'd be hard to trust WWE's writers if this was the kind of start their hero was getting. At least he lasted a respectable time (close to 30 minutes) in the match.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.