Backstage Update On WWE's Plans For AJ Styles

AJ Styles will contest WWE's new World Heavyweight Title at Night Of Champions 2023. What next?!

by Andy H Murray
AJ Styles
WWE.com

AJ Styles is set to fight for the new WWE World Heavyweight Championship after qualifying through the title's contendership tournament on last week's episode of SmackDown - and it sounds like WWE had AJ earmarked as the blue brand's representative for a while.

Fightful Select reports that WWE had decided to advance Styles to the tournament finals before Edge's headline-making promo last week. In a clip uploaded to social media, Edge claimed that he wanted to win the World Heavyweight Championship before retiring, having held the old version of the title at the time of his first retirement, in 2011.

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This generated speculation on Edge potentially advancing to the tournament finals. Instead, he and Rey Mysterio were defeated by Styles in SmackDown's opening Triple Threat. AJ then advanced to face the other Triple Threat winner, Bobby Lashley, in the main event, defeating him to punch a Night Of Champions ticket.

NOC 2023 takes place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday 27 May. Styles will face Raw qualifier Seth Rollins at the event.

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Roman Reigns' WWE Universal Championship is to remain assigned to SmackDown post-NOC, with the World Heavyweight Title Raw-exclusive.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.