WWE News: Winner of SmackDown’s Battle Royal Revealed, Winner Will Be AJ Styles
During tonight’s edition of SmackDown Live, the new No. 1 Contender to Bray Wyatt’s WWE Championship will be determined in a ten man Battle Royal, but the winner has already been revealed before the show. The belief is the winner of the match will face Bray Wyatt for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania 33 as a result of Randy Orton refusing to face Wyatt himself after winning the WWE Royal Rumble match over a month ago.
Many people are expecting Luke Harper to win the Battle Royal on SmackDown. His star is on the rise, and his victory would most mean WWE officials are planning a Triple Threat match between Harper, Orton, and Wyatt for the grandest stage of them all in Orlando. On paper, Harper is the logical choice to win the Battle Royal, but WWE officials may be thinking of using the match to create another angle for a different rivalry.
It’s being reported that Randy Orton versus Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 33 is still the plan for the event. WWE officials change their creative plans often, but Luke Harper being a part of the WWE Title match on the grandest stage of them all doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Instead, WWE wants AJ Styles to win the Battle Royal tonight on SmackDown to be the catalyst for his Wrestlemania 33 rivalry.
Although WWE is claiming that the winner of the Battle Royal will become the new No. 1 Contender for the WWE Title, AJ Styles will not be facing Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania 33 either. If the report is correct, Styles will win the Battle Royal as a way to get his rivalry with Shane McMahon started. WWE officials have been planting seeds on SmackDown to create tension between them, but the Battle Royal will be the final straw.
Styles lost the WWE Title to John Cena at the WWE Royal Rumble, but he has not received his rematch for the WWE Championship yet. Unfortunately for him, the Elimination Chamber being only two weeks after the Royal Rumble means that opportunity may not happen for him. The rough outline is Styles will win the Battle Royal on SmackDown, but will eventually be denied the chance when Orton finally turns on Wyatt.
AJ being denied the chance to regain the WWE Title despite being owed a rematch and an opportunity after winning the Battle Royal will infuriate AJ Styles to the point where he lashes out at Shane McMahon. WWE still have a lot of time between now and Wrestlemania 33 to build their rivalry, but that will be the storyline.
Of course, WWE officials may have changed their minds about Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt. Orton refusing to face Wyatt as long as he is “the master,” could be WWE’s way of rewriting their plans for the WWE Title match at Wrestlemania. There have been rumors of a face turn for Bray Wyatt, so Orton vs. Styles vs. Wyatt could be the plan for WWE Title on the grandest stage of them all, which will result in Wyatt becoming a top guy.
It’s been reported that John Cena insisted on putting over Bray Wyatt, which is the reason why he dropped the WWE title to Wyatt and took the loss last week on SmackDown. Obviously, WWE officials are working hard to ensure that Wyatt stays a main event player after Wrestlemania 33. If Styles is getting involved with the WWE Title again, it’ll likely be to continue Wyatt’s run on top of SmackDown as the brand’s Champion.
There are a lot of different ways that WWE officials could book tonight’s Battle Royal on SmackDown. The winner may be Luke Harper, AJ Styles, or someone even more surprising. However, Styles winning to begin the feud with Shane McMahon, or help elevate Bray Wyatt as the WWE Champion is the best option for the WWE product heading into Wrestlemania 33 and beyond.
[Featured Image by WWE]
