5 Things To Watch On WWE Network This Week

2. A Never-Before-Seen AJ Styles Dark Match From 2001

On the 9 July 2001 edition of Raw, Paul Heyman famously roused his ECW troops and joined the Invasion storyline. The Alliance (WCW and ECW) was formed to kill the WWF, and though it didn't end up saving the angle, it did help bolster the anti-WWF side.

Something else happened that evening, something a lot less newsworthy, and you can now see it on the Network.

Before Raw went live on the USA Network to millions, one AJ Styles wrestled Rick Michaels in front of the few thousand who had come to the show early. The dark match only lasted for around 4-5 minutes, and it played before a mildly-interested audience who were really there to see the big stars.

Styles has obviously come a long way since then. He's rolling into this weekend's SummerSlam as the reigning WWE Champion. 17 years ago, he was just content to get an opportunity and show what he could do. How times change. Check this one out if you want a fascinating glimpse into AJ's formative years.