5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SmackDown Live (30 Aug)

2. Winner: AJ Styles

Anyone familiar with AJ Styles’ work in NJPW knows that he excels as a slimy, cocksure heel character, but there was still widespread concern when he turned to the darkside in WWE. Given AJ’s perceived lack of promo ability, would he be able to get over as a villain in WWE, a company that places a far greater emphasis on interviews and promos than NJPW?

The answer is a resounding “yes.” AJ feels more comfortable as a bad guy in WWE than he ever did as a face, and he continues to come across as one of the most unlikable guys on the roster. He’s continually parading his victory over John Cena by calling himself “the new face that runs the place,” and wearing Cena’s arm band around his head, and he’s doing a great job of running down every good guy on the blue brand.

Last night saw Styles cut a typically obnoxious promo, defeat Apollo Crews, then brawl with Dean Ambrose as the show went-off the air. Crotched on the top rope as the credits rolled, Styles left SmackDown with egg on his face, but remains comfortably the brand’s biggest (and best) heel. AJ was already one of the best wrestlers on the planet, but he’s become one of WWE’s most important wrestlers in a very short period of time, and a benchmark against which all others should be judged.