WWE News: Original Plans For AJ Styles at ‘WrestleMania 33’ Revealed, Meant to Face Randy Orton For WWE Title

At WrestleMania 33, the WWE Universe was disappointed because AJ Styles was in the opening match with Shane McMahon, but WWE officials were originally planning something much bigger for The Phenomenal One on the grandest stage of them all. Many people believed that he should have been the WWE Champion heading into Orlando, but WWE officials changed most of their big plans once John Cena’s match was final.

AJ Styles defeated Shane McMahon in a match that surprised a lot of people. It was much more entertaining than it should have been, and Styles has received a lot of credit for that fact. The WWE Title match saw Bray Wyatt lose the championship to Randy Orton in a lackluster match. Many people feel that Styles was robbed of his WrestleMania moment, but it’s clear that WWE is planning a huge rivalry between Orton and Styles.

However, WWE officials canceled a lot of plans for WrestleMania and made major changes to the card, but the details are just now coming to light. In fact, WWE officials had huge plans for Styles before the decision was made for John Cena to propose to Nikki Bella at WrestleMania. In a nutshell, The Phenomenal One was meant to hold onto the WWE Title and defend it against Randy Orton on the grandest stage of them all.

Originally, WWE officials were planning for John Cena to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania. It has been reported that AJ Styles would have been pivotal to that feud on “The Road to Wrestlemania.” Styles’ WWE Title reign ended at the WWE Royal Rumble after Cena beat him for his historic 16th WWE Title win. There was a plan in place for Styles to face The Undertaker at that PPV and drop the championship to him instead.

At the WWE Elimination Chamber, Styles would have won the title back, Cena and Undertaker would have started their rivalry, and then AJ Styles would have defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton on the grandest stage of them all. Orton’s feud with Bray Wyatt still was planned, but it would have ended at the WWE Elimination Chamber. Before WWE made major changes, Styles had a huge WWE Title match.

Ultimately, AJ Styles is the one who was forced to take the biggest hit because WWE officials decided that it was important for Cena and Bella to have their proposal angle. They still had their Wrestlemania moment in Orlando. Orton still became the WWE Champion and Undertaker had the last match of his career in the main event against Roman Reigns. The Phenomenal One had a good match, but he could have done better.

AJ Styles may have to wait an entire year, but his WrestleMania moment is coming. It’s being rumored that he will face Shinsuke Nakamura in New Orleans next year at WrestleMania 34. The match may or may not be for the WWE Championship, but a lot can happen over the course of a year in WWE. There is no question that WWE officials are aware of the hit Styles took down the card in Orlando, so the WWE Universe should expect big things from him next year. Going forward, AJ Styles is still being pushed heavily on SmackDown.

At WWE Backlash, Styles will challenge Kevin Owens for the United States Championship. Many people are upset about that because they feel the US Title isn’t prestigious enough. However, Owens vs. Styles is a great matchup the WWE Universe wants to see. Because of that, the title will be elevated as a result of their feud and that will mean a lot to the WWE Universe over time. It’s clear that AJ Styles should be back in the WWE Title picture by WWE Summerslam. The Phenomenal One’s time will come eventually. He’s just too good.

[Featured Image by WWE]