Dean Ambrose To Defend WWE World Title Against AJ Styles At Backlash 2016
Main event announced for Smackdown-only PPV.
AJ Styles may be coming off one the greatest victories of his career - an incredible SummerSlam win over John Cena - but he stands poised to extend his dominance ever further. At September 11's Backlash Pay-Per-View, "The Phenomenal One" will challenge Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship.
Styles was given the title match on Tuesday by Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan due to his victory over Cena, but there was a caveat: he'd face Dolph Ziggler in Smackdown's main event, and if Ziggler won, he'd be added to the bout. The two put on another excellent contest, but the Styles Clash allowed AJ to put Dolph away and keep the Backlash matc a one-on-one contest.
Since debuting in WWE at the Royal Rumble, Styles has taken the company by storm. Though he failed to win the WWE World Championship in a spring feud with Roman Reigns, a subsequent heel turn, alliance with The Club, and feud with John Cena has given him some high-profile wins. If Styles manages to capture the belt from Ambrose, he'll cap off one of the best rookie years in company history.
Also announced for Backlash are a six-pack challenge for the Smackdown Women's Championship and the finals of a tournament for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships.