The rumors had been flying back and forth for weeks, but fans didnt have to wait long to find out that it was true: AJ Styles debuted in the Royal Rumble Sunday night at #3 to a deafening roar from the crowd. Styles was probably the most coveted free agent in professional wrestling, and the announcers wasted no time in putting him over as a big deal. Styles locked up with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns, but he didnt tangle with him for long. Styles mixed it up with everyone who entered, tossing Tyler Breeze and Curtis Axel before being eliminated by Kevin Owens (#18). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubZR-cfkSDQ It was a good showing for AJ in his debut, and having Owens a really popular figure with smart fans toss Styles was a good call. Had Roman eliminated him, fans might have rioted. Itll be interesting to see how hes booked on Raw and beyond.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
