There was certainly controversy before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view last night in Orlando, Florida. Many WWE fans were concerned that it would be a predictable ending and they wouldn’t leave satisfied with what they watched. It was noted that the last three years were pretty disappointing as far as the Royal Rumble itself was concerned. John Cena, Batista, and Roman Reigns were the last three winners, which were way too predictable even for WWE’s standards.
After it all unfolded, it was a great PPV with excellent matches to back up the controversial main event ending. Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens nearly stole the show with their Last Man Standing match. The New Day and Usos even put on a great tag-team match. Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio didn’t disappoint once again, and the women were put in the normal WWE championship position. Everybody excelled.
Moving on to the Royal Rumble match, it wasn’t what some were expecting. AJ Styles finally debuted with the company at No. 3, which was a big shock to many in the WWE Universe. He lasted quite some time until being eliminated by Kevin Owens. There were internal storylines, proper eliminations, and great decisions. Despite Triple H winning, the “mark crowd” in Orlando even popped for the COO.
He’s the new WWE World Heavyweight champion, and now, Roman Reigns will climb back to the top to win back his title. In the meantime, AJ Styles is stealing a lot of the spotlight, and it can’t be ignored. According to Daily Wrestling News , AJ Styles already made a big impact on WWE’s merchandise sales.
“WWE officials must be thrilled as their first t-shirt for AJ Styles quickly sold out after being released last night following the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Styles’ shirt sold out in around two hours on the official WWE Shop website.
“As of this writing, all adult sizes are sold out until further notice. The Adult 5X size plus youth and women’s sizes will be in stock late February but are available for pre-order now. Below is a photo of the shirt.”
His debut shocked the world, even though he was rumored to appear last night at the Royal Rumble . Afterward, he was interviewed by WWE.com , but it was the tweets by Styles and Impact Wrestling that put it all into perspective.
Yeah…..WWE!
— AJStyles.Org (@AJStylesOrg) January 25, 2016
Congrats to TNA Original @AJStylesOrg on his debut tonight. Wish him all the best.
— TNA WRESTLING (@IMPACTWRESTLING) January 25, 2016
It was truly a classy move by TNA after what they did earlier last weekend. Now that it’s all over except for the highlight on the WWE Network, it’s time to talk about AJ Styles’ first feud in the WWE. Judging by clues in the Royal Rumble , it appears he will feud with either Chris Jericho or Kevin Owens. Moments ago, a report came out that included insight into his first rivalry.
According to Ringside News and Dave Meltzer, AJ Styles will most likely feud with Owens starting on tonight’s edition of WWE Raw .
“Meltzer would go on to explain that his program with Ambrose is over and Owens and Styles could both benefit off a strong feud moving forward.”
As some would put it on Twitter, Owens and Styles are a match made in Heaven. For those Indy wrestling fanatics who watch the WWE, this is a perfect time to watch the WWE even more. Just by looking back in the archives, there are a couple of matches between Owens and Styles in 2CW and at House of Hardcore. As far as a major program, it appears these two haven’t dueled that seriously yet. There’s a first time for everything and be glad it’s happening at all in the WWE.
[Image via WWE.com]
