WWE Rumors: AJ Styles To Win WWE Title From Jinder Mahal This Coming Tuesday?
The WWE shocked the fans when they announced that AJ Styles will challenge Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship this coming Tuesday on SmackDown Live. The latest rumors suggest that Styles might become a two-time WWE champion and he is going to face Universal champion Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series.
As announced by SmackDown Live commissioner Shane McMahon (h/t WWE.com) on Friday, Mahal will defend his WWE Championship against Styles next Tuesday in Manchester, England. McMahon made the decision because of Mahal and The Singh Brothers’ vicious attack on Styles this past Tuesday on SmackDown Live.
Styles was supposed to fight Rusev to determine the fifth and final member of Team SmackDown Live for Survivor Series. The blue brand is going to be captained by Shane McMahon with Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, and Shinsuke Nakamura as members against Team Raw. Styles has been speculated as the final member but the WWE changed their plans.
According to Cageside Seats, there is growing speculation that the WWE are angling to put the WWE Championship on Styles. The reason for that is they want Styles to face Lesnar at Survivor Series, a dream match for many members of the WWE Universe. Styles vs. Lesnar has much more potential to be great rather than Mahal vs. Lesnar.
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer (h/t Pop Culture) believes that there is a chance that AJ Styles will come out of England as WWE champion. However, he noted that there are three possibilities why the WWE decided to change their plans for Styles and Mahal.
The first reason is WWE might have soured on Jinder Mahal as WWE champion. Mahal is considered by many as one of the worst WWE champions in recent memory. Also, the way Paul Heyman talked about Mahal two weeks ago on Monday Night Raw showed how “The Maharaja” is lacking in star-power. For those who do not know, Mahal was a former jobber before he surprisingly became the WWE champion.
Another possible reason is Mahal might need surgery on his injured shoulder. Mahal has been dealing with a shoulder injury for a couple of months and he will surely drop the title if he needs it fixed. Some fans even speculate that Mahal failed a Wellness Policy test, but it’s not been confirmed. Meltzer also mentioned that Mahal could end up retaining the WWE Championship. He noted that SmackDown Live had poor ratings this week and the WWE is hoping that a title match between Mahal and Styles will help get more viewers next week.
However, these are still just rumors at the moment. The only confirmed report is the Jinder Mahal vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Styles recently defeated Mahal at a live event and he also teased a confrontation with Lesnar, but please take it with a grain of salt.
[Featured Image by WWE]
