WWE News: Backstage Struggle Over Direction Of John Cena & AJ Styles Feud

There wasn’t much to write home about from this past episode of Monday Night RAW. In fact, it looked like, for the most part, that WWE was conceding the night to the NBA Playoff game and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The show also fell on Memorial Day, which traditionally does not rate very high. But one of the few highlights from an otherwise forgettable show came when John Cena and AJ Styles found themselves in the same WWE ring for the first time ever.

It was a memorable moment, for sure, but in case you didn’t realize it at the time, the announce team made sure to hammer home the point. Cena and Styles finally found themselves face-to-face in a squared circle. That in and of itself may have been enough to satisfy most fans. The long, dueling chants, the two showing respect for one another, and a handshake to cap it off. Just those elements could have provided a feel-good moment and even laid groundwork for an eventual AJ Styles and John Cena showdown down the line. But there was plenty more.

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson of The Club were not fans of the love-fest in the ring at the time, so they came out to interrupt. Only Styles was baiting Cena the entire time and turned on him with several vicious beat-downs. The Inquisitr reported several months back that WWE was toying with the idea of turning Styles heel, but it appeared they were closing the book on that because of his rising popularity and increasing merchandise sales. Few expected John Cena to be the target of AJ’s venom after putting on such phenomenal matches with Roman Reigns in back-to-back main events.

So once the attack was over, WWE fans began booking the eventual clash between the two, with the most obvious assumptions being that the first-ever John Cena vs. AJ Styles match would go down at Money in the Bank. While that appears to be the direction, there is nothing set in stone just yet. According to Ringside News, there is a lot of internal debate on how to proceed with this particular feud.

On one side of the coin, Vince McMahon is pushing for Cena and Styles to begin their singles program immediately, with a match slated for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Other WWE officials, however, are pleading with Vince to hold off for another couple months. Those on that side of the coin feel compelled to create a long build that would eventually culminate in a mega-match at SummerSlam.

After RAW went off the air Monday, one former WWE superstar who seemed to agree with those officials was Mick Foley, who posted as much on his Facebook page. Foley said that WWE “found its SummerSlam main event,” but the post has since been taken down for unknown reasons.

Chances are, both sides could end up getting their way as far as John Cena/AJ Styles program goes. Many of Cena’s most recent significant programs have spanned multiple pay-per-views, including Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, and Rusev. The way Styles has worked in his first five months with WWE allow him to showcase his top-level skills with any type of top-level talent WWE has thrown at him. A three pay-per-view program shouldn’t be out of the question, kicking if off at Money in the Bank, moving on to Battleground with the final payoff coming at the big show, SummerSlam.

The brand split should affect just about everything, Cena and Styles included. Cena has been rumored to become the face of the new Tuesday night live SmackDown, so if the Styles feud is to last until the summer, AJ will need to move to the blue brand as well. Reason being, the brand split will take shape July 19, with Battleground happening the following week, and then SummerSlam, of course, going down in August.