Well, there’s no doubt about it. AJ Styles is one of, if not the greatest active wrestler on the plant right now. His consistent in-ring excellence, coupled with his hardcore fan support makes for a performer who can get over with wrestling fans of all ages.
As of me writing this, AJ Styles has held the WWE championship for roughly seven months. With so many title defenses under his belt, the classic WCW question arises, who’s next? Shinsuke Nakamura is the US champion, so not him. Daniel Bryan is feuding with the Miz, so he’s out.
As crazy as this may sound, Styles is running out of new opponents, or stars with big enough name-value to challenge him. However, there are a few superstars who could match Styles’ momentum both in and out of the ring. Here are four of them.
4. Rusev (Again)
Despite the odd booking of the Bulgarian Brute, it’s not too late for WWE to pull the trigger on Rusev. He’s great between the ropes, smart on the mic and the crowd is head-over-heels for him. The only thing holding him back from his full potential is his inconsistent character. He knows how to hype the crowd up like a baby-face, but then he and Aiden English trash talk the crowd and cheat to win like heels.
This back-and-forth booking is damaging both Rusev and English. But the crowd has yet to fully turn their backs on the dynamic duo. Maybe one more match with Styles, with solid booking of Rusev and English, could make main-event stars out of the two. AJ and Rusev have great chemistry in the ring. If there is an up-and-comer who needs the momentum of dethroning Styles for the big belt, it’s the Bulgarian super-athlete.
3. Jeff Hardy
This one’s sort of a personal dream match for me. Since I was young, Jeff Hardy has always been one of my favorite superstars to watch. His nimble in-ring style, along with his incredible agility, makes him one of the most capable and experienced members of the SmackDown roster today. The idea of the charismatic enigma going to war against the phenomenal one, let alone for the WWE championship is something I believe could steal the show at the second biggest show of the year.
The only reason this match probably won’t happen soon is because Hardy is currently in the middle of a feud with Randall Keith Orton. It is most likely that the two veterans will clash at the biggest party of the summer. However, a proper main event push for Jeff Hardy, maybe coupled with an AJ Styles heel turn could potentially lead to something truly spectacular.
2. Samoa Joe
Of all the superstars and legends on the active SmackDown roster, few deserve a world championship push as much as Samoa Joe. Since his call-up from NXT, Joe has seemed to always be inches away from greatness, only for injury or bookers to pull the rug out from under him. It’s as if WWE wants to push him to the main event, but get cold feet at the last second every time.
If there was ever a time to bestow their greatest belt upon the Samoan destroyer, SummerSlam 2018 is the time and AJ Styles is the opponent. The two have put on fantastic matches against each other in the past, most notably the triple threat between Styles, Joe and Christopher Daniels at TNA Unbreakable 2005.
Looking at the Smackdown roster right now, Joe really is the only worthy opponent left to challenge AJ for the WWE title. With their star-power and in-ring credibility, this is a match that would draw the attention of both hardcore and casual fans. If not Joe vs Styles, there is one other option.
1. The Undertaker
Simply put, there is no bigger superstar for AJ Styles to face in the WWE right now than the Undertaker. While the Deadman has slowed in the ring over time, he remains one of the largest spectacles in wrestling. Having wrestled two matches this year, the idea of the Undertaker lacing up his boots at SummerSlam is rather probable.
Now WWE could just put him in a rematch with John Cena, which Cena would probably win, or they could book one of the biggest dream matches of the modern era: the Phenom vs the Phenomenal. Not only would this boost ticket sales by thousands, but it would make the most of Undertaker’s twilight run with WWE.
Let’s face it, Undertaker, or Mark Calaway, is 53 years old. As the years go by, Undertaker is only going to become more limited in the ring. His recent bout with Rusev at the Greatest Royal Rumble was average at best, and his Wrestlemania clash with John Cena was nothing more than a glorified squash match.
My point is while these matches were special in their own unique ways, judging by his past two performances, Undertaker probably doesn’t have much time left in the ring. With that in mind, why wait to fight AJ? Instead of having Taker battle mid-carders like Rusev or Elias, why not book this larger than life character against a larger than life opponent in AJ Styles.
Styles’ in-ring reputation proceeds him, and he would be more than capable of carrying the older Taker through a great match. The two could steal the show in Brooklyn, and create a classic in the ring worthy of the term “Phenomenal.”
Samuel Claude
Reporter