10 Ways WWE Are Currently Catering To Hardcore Fans

This is perhaps the most shocking entry on this list, just because of how unfeasible it seemed just a few short years ago. There was a time when WWE was adamant that they had no interest in TNA wrestlers, and no one is more identified as a "TNA guy" than AJ Styles.

He was essentially their Sting or The Rock, someone who had been there since day one and been pushed as a cornerstone of the perpetually struggling promotion.

But then came Japan and a run that was as phenomenal as his nickname, and all bets were off. AJ Styles was not only courted by WWE after being turned down several times, but he was given a massive spot to debut in, received a monster reaction, and has been at or near the top of the card ever since.

Even still, I think very few fans expected Styles, a wrestler of immense talent yet charisma deficient, to be thrust into such a prominent position so quickly. It's almost as if WWE is apologising for the disappointment caused by WrestleMania 32 by giving us Styles vs. Roman Reigns at Payback.

AJ is literally the antithesis of everything Vince McMahon looks for in a main eventer. He's small, southern with a pronounced accent and an average promo, yet he's the first program for the anointed one following his big championship win.

Thinking he'll leave Payback as with the title is probably wishful thinking, but just the fact that he's in there to begin with seems to signify a radical change in thinking for those in charge.

Any other ways you can think of that WWE is catering to the hardcore fans? Drop them in the comments.