10 Times WWE Was Totally Better Than Your Fantasy Booking

6. The Samoa Joe Vs. AJ Styles Feud

Lesnar Kennedy
WWE

Your Fantasy Booking:

Wrestling fans connect with reality-based storytelling because it's organically emotive and enables suspension of disbelief. The idea of Samoa Joe and AJ Styles crossing one another's path allowed for that theme to play out in a WWE ring, and it's something fans have longed for even without being specific to this pairing: an acknowledgement of history outside of WWE to logically drive storylines under its umbrella, whether it's a clamour for some sort of Bullet Club continuation, or AJ Styles Vs. Samoa Joe drawing on their TNA runs. Here, the idea that AJ beat Joe to the main roster by debuting on it immediately would create a self-loathing within Joe manifested as series of vicious assaults driven by the need to prove himself at AJ's expense.

WWE's Real Booking:

We got big, daft sports entertainment, but it was awesome. Joe targeted AJ's family in a very soapy, entertaining motivation his work was terrifying enough to somehow make credible. He read (and presumably wrote out and printed) a big daft fairytale book, but his telling of it was so sinister that it achieved the intended, psychological effect.

The villain was a true bastard in creative segments, and the hero overcame in very physical matches: a rare, multi-PPV success.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!