After the ‘Superstar Shake-Up’, one of the biggest headlines was AJ Styles sticking around on Smackdown Live. On this weeks episode, he defeated Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin to become the number one contender for the United States Championship.
So why is AJ Styles now fighting for the United States Title? Shouldn’t he be in the hunt for the WWE Title? Is this a downgrade for him?
According to some rumors circulating, the reason why AJ is now in the United States Title picture is that WWE is simply killing time.
Randy Orton currently has his hands full with Bray Wyatt, even though the ‘Eater of Worlds’ has moved over to RAW. The two will face off at Payback in a ‘House Of Horrors’ match for the WWE Title.
We recently posted a rumor from Dave Meltzer suggesting that Bray Wyatt to RAW was a last-minute decision after the company decided to keep AJ on Smackdown. WWE already committed to the rematch between Bray and Orton, leaving them in a bit of a jam. That is why Smackdown’s WWE Title is being defended on the RAW exclusive PPV (Payback), so they can work out the loose ends.
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While WWE is finishing the Wyatt and Orton storyline, AJ Styles is left to kill time outside of the WWE Title picture. AJ’s gimmick is essentially that he is the best in the world and wants to prove it on a nightly basis. That is why he is fighting for a title again instead of just being in a random (non-title) feud with someone on the roster.
Don’t worry though, AJ is rumored to not be sticking around the U.S title scene for a long period of time. He will likely face off against Kevin Owens for the title before making his way back up for a feud with Orton.
Let us know what you think in the comment section below.