9 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Nov 27)

7. AJ The Reflective

AJ Styles
WWE.com

Deposed former WWE Champion AJ Styles was in fine form last night, cutting a typically fiery babyface promo all about regaining his former prize.

'The Phenomenal One' started by stating that the 14 days he'd been without the belt felt longer than the 371 he was champion. He took aim at the way Daniel Bryan had dethroned him, decrying the former General Manager's heel turn and assault, before announcing they'd rematch at TLC on 16 December. This led to AJ calling Bryan out there and then. Daniel, though, was nowhere to be found, but Styles "doesn't take nights off," and signed off by telling Bryan to roll out of his hyperbaric chamber and "bring the title to TLC, because it belongs to [me]."

Though the segment's gloomy prologue reeked of the on-the-nose melodrama currently peddled by Johnny Gargano in NXT, the promo worked, and the crowd were behind Styles throughout. Rather than the typically drippy WWE babyface, AJ is full of thunder. There's no bullsh*t to this feud. He wants revenge and his belt back. That's all we need, and it'd be nice to see WWE keep it simple (stupid) like this more often.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.