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WWE Rumors: AJ Styles’ Return To The Ring, And ‘Raw’ Trade, Confirmed?

By Bernadette Giacomazzo
Published on: 01:10 PST, Dec 13, 2016

With just a few weeks to go before 2016 is officially over, the latest WWE rumors suggest that AJ Styles — who is, right now, one of the contenders for the company’s Superstar of the Year Award — has officially announced his return to the ring, and it’s a return that fans will love to see!

That’s according to Wrestling Inc., whose latest round of WWE rumors suggest that not only will AJ Styles return to the ring happen tonight during SmackDown Live, but that he’ll also be defending his title against James Ellsworth — who, if nothing else, is living proof that WWE is always desperately trying to make fetch happen.

Originally, Styles (real name: Allen Neal) was supposed to defend his title against Ellsworth last week, but he suffered an ankle injury during TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, when former Shield member Dean Ambrose tossed Styles out of the ring.

Styles was so severely injured, in fact, that he was pulled from all events and promotions. But, on the positive side of things, AJ Styles was able to defeat Dean Ambrose and retain his title, so maybe the ankle injury was worth it.

Meanwhile, the latest round of WWE rumors from Bleacher Report suggests that SmackDown fans won’t have too much longer to enjoy Styles fight in the ring on their behalf because the trade of Styles from SmackDown to Raw is all but imminent. According to the outlet, now that Styles’ feud with Dean Ambrose is all but over, and it’s likely that his defeat of James Ellsworth is all but imminent, he’s going to need a fresh start.

Simply put, Styles has gone as far as he’s going to go in the SmackDown brand. He already holds the top title, and he’s established himself as the number one contender. And while this may seem like an unlikely career trajectory for Styles — who was all but counted out at the beginning of the year — it also demonstrates how far genuine wrestling ability (honed from his years at TNA prior to ever setting foot in the WWE training camps and NXT roster) can take you, and how hokey story lines can only go but so far.

And, as the previous WWE rumors reported from the Inquisitr have stated, AJ Styles has become something of a comeback kid, and that’s all thanks to his excellent in-ring fighting ability. It is quite likely, in fact, that Styles will go on to take home the WWE’s 2016 Superstar of the Year Award, beating out the likes of Roman Reigns (who is always, it seems, a favorite of fans).

“During the Ambrose feud, Styles has also turned in some of his best promo work ever with his jockish bullying of James Ellsworth, an even unlikelier success story this year. But that may be the only category where someone topped Styles in WWE in 2016. Nothing but a ‘what if?’ prospect at the beginning of the year, Styles in WWE has proven better than any wrestling fan could have imagined. His talents in the ring and out have taken him to the top of the top, and in 2016, no one deserved it more.”

What do you think of this latest round of WWE rumors? Are you excited to see AJ Styles return to the ring?

Leave your thoughts about the latest WWE rumors in the comments below.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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