WHO Should AJ Styles Face At WWE SummerSlam 2018?

'The Samoan Submission Machine' took a perfect 10 seconds to dispose of Tye Dillinger this week after bulldozing through him seven days earlier in the type of assault Samoa Joe performs better than just about anybody else. Whilst teases of a mini-angle between the pair may fill television time in the weeks to come, even the most optimistic apologist for the former NXT star probably can't locate a Dillinger escape plan smart enough to transpose the programme to pay-per-view.

WWE's not a meritocracy - thus much we know all too well - but few deserve the spotlight of a Big Four title match in 2018 than Joe. The man is as big a monster as Braun Strowman at half his size, wearing his fearsome fury like lifts in his boots. He masterfully switches up his offence dependent on his placement either side of the heel/face divide, but when he talks, he feels 10-foot tall...and you can't teach that.

A feud opposite AJ Styles could dine out on their lengthy times in the TNA trenches. The two engaged in multiple memorable matches for the company, and one against each other that most consider the greatest in the history of the company. A history WWE have recently (finally) opened up to acknowledging after years of blanking the roster like the drunken exes many of them actually were. In truth, Joe has proven this year alone that he could carry the feud by himself. He spent most of April promoting his own Backlash match with Roman Reigns, 'The Big Dog's Greatest Royal Rumble battle with Brock Lesnar and an upcoming Intercontinental Title shot. His deft handling of some busy promos can't have gone unnoticed by management, trusted as he has been since to incinerate on sight should anybody fall afoul of his anger.

Joe, more than most, feels equipped to give AJ a reason to be. Since liberating the WWE Title from Jinder Mahal last November, Styles has been a passenger in most of his own feuds, grinning like a d*ck for most of his feud with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn before standing by whilst Shinsuke Nakamura targeted his for months on end. He's in dire need of a feud that reminds audiences how and why he's held on to the title for so long.

He's 'The Champ That Runs The Camp', but a man in desperate need of a big match. To this end, maybe an average Joe might not be the face to run this place...