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What’s Next for AJ Styles After ‘WWE TLC’?

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AJ Styles

Daniel Bryan will defend the WWE Championship against AJ Styles at TLC on Sunday, December 16. The champ is walking into San Jose California as a changed man. This is the “new” Daniel Bryan, with a new attitude and a new outlook. He doesn’t need the fans. He’s made that clear. But what does AJ Styles need? 

The Phenomenal One is probably not the favorite to win at TLC. In fact he may not be WWE champion again. He’s had a great 2018 and in his year-long run as champ, he’s proven himself over and over again. AJ Styles has done it all. So what’s left? More importantly, what happens after TLC?

From the time he came into WWE, AJ Styles made an impact. He was the one independent star that many believed would never be given the time of day in Vince McMahon’s company as a main event powerhouse. Too much time had passed. It just wasn’t meant to be.

But AJ came in demanding respect with his performances. He was the best in the world and he would not be denied. Styles was never the kind of man that had to brag about his ability or his skills. All he had to do was show up and show off. That’s exactly what he did in WWE.

Now it’s hard to imagine WWE without him. He’s become such an integral part of the company and fans have grown attached to him. AJ is indeed a company guy but yet he’s still maintained his individuality. Fans see that and respect him for it.

AJ is a modern day legend without a title, that much is certain. But his run as WWE champion has only helped cement his pro wrestling legacy. WWE put a tremendous amount of trust in him with that title reign and Styles more than delivered. Every time he steps into the ring, he owns it.

But since he dropped the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan, the aura around AJ has somewhat dimmed. It’s really through no fault of his own, however. The fact is that WWE’s booking has been highly suspect when it comes to AJ. Styles has taken one cheap-shot after another in 2018 and he’s constantly had to battle the odds every time.

That’s what a babyface does of course. But in AJ’s case, it seems to happen more often than not. What began as a highly intense feud with Shinsuke Nakamura soon became a journey into madness. Nakamura literally took the low road nearly every time he faced AJ. It happened so much that fans began to expect it.

Even though Bryan’s heel turn on AJ was completely unexpected, the low-blow he delivered was not. Fans may have been surprised by that turn of events, but they had seen it before. More importantly, they had seen that sort of nonsense before. Wasn’t AJ bigger than that? Didn’t he deserve more?

Fans didn’t hold it against him of course and they shouldn’t have. Styles was surely comfortable with whatever the company wanted to do. If not, he would likely have spoken up. AJ Styles may not be John Cena but he’s definitely earned the right to give his input when necessary. After all, Styles did spend the majority of his pro wrestling career outside of WWE.

He was accustomed to doing things his way. As much as he’s a team player, he’s also a businessman. AJ knows what’s best for him, just as he knows what’s best for his character. So even though he’s no longer the WWE champion, he knows what must happen from this point on. But does he know how it’s affecting the way fans look at him?

Has WWE done more damage to AJ Styles than anyone in that company even realizes? Has he become a punchline rather than a top guy? Only time will tell. But time is the one thing that AJ may not have that much of anymore. Rumors have been swirling for several weeks that he’s ready to scale back his dates in WWE. It’s even been suggested that he’s ready to step aside and call it a career. If so, then who can blame him?

Pro wrestlers are always looking for what’s next. Who’s the next big name to face? What is the next big opportunity? This must surely be true of AJ Styles as well, who’s worked every top guy in Vince McMahon’s company. With the exception of The Undertaker, Triple H and a few select others, AJ has wrestled them all.

Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan, have all squared off against AJ Styles. Styles brought his best against each man and he can probably keep doing exactly that for another year, maybe longer. But why?

Why keep going? It’s in his blood, that much is certain. AJ is a professional wrestler and he keeps going despite the circumstances or the environment, because he’s a workhorse, That’s who he is and it’s how he lives. Styles keeps going and going because it’s all he knows. But when does the time come when he’s ready to go home?

If he does not defeat Daniel Bryan at TLC, AJ can keep going and hopefully he will. He’s got plenty left in the tank and he’s still regarded by many as the best pro wrestler in the world today. When a guy is this good, everything just comes easy for him. But what’s on the horizon? Some fans believe Shawn Michaels is the next man to face The Phenomenal One. Of course after seeing The Heartbreak Kid at Crown Jewel, that may not be such a good idea.

Michaels says he’s done. He’s said that before of course but just like AJ, Shawn is a wrestler and wrestlers are always looking at what’s next. What is the benefit of Shawn Michaels once again lacing up the boots at WrestleMania? What’s in it for AJ Styles besides another Hall of Fame performance on his resume?

WWE needs AJ Styles, it’s just that simple. But does AJ Styles really need WWE? That’s a question that may not be answered any time soon. But maybe it doesn’t need to be. AJ Styles is one of the all-time greats. Perhaps fans should just appreciate him for as long as they can. After all, he was never supposed to be there in the first place. Anything after this is a bonus and it will surely be phenomenal. 

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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

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WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

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SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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