What's the story?
As we revealed via DS Breaking News on the Dirty Sheets Podcast Network, AJ Styles was set to face Kurt Angle had he moved to Raw. You can listen to the Podcast below (length: 4 minutes).
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In case you didn't know...
AJ Styles remained on the SmackDown brand after last week’s "Superstar Shake-up." Kurt Angle was brought in by Vince McMahon as the new general manager of Raw on the night after WrestleMania. Over the course of WrestleMania weekend, Kurt Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and AJ Styles defeated Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33.
The Heart of the matter
AJ Styles was initially set to come over to Raw and be Kurt Angle's first opponent if the Olympic Gold Medalist was able to pass the WWE medical. Styles was originally supposed to trade places on Raw with Roman Reigns, but the decision to keep Styles on SD Live ultimately came down to how the WWE wanted to handle Roman Reigns. The WWE decided that SD Live was still the B show and couldn't have the trio of Reigns, Orton and Cena.
Once it was agreed that Reigns was staying on Raw, the Styles move was practically dead. That was until late consideration was given to trading Seth Rollins for AJ Styles. This was because several writers felt that Rollins had to be separated from Stephanie McMahon.
Also read: The Shield will reunite or feud later this year
However, the WWE eventually opted to have all 3 Shield members on one show for a potential feud or reunion later in the year. With Styles and Rollins remaining on their respective brands, sources have indicated that Rollins will now be the chosen first opponent for Angle.
The tentative plan being that Angle will show his loyalty to the McMahons by screwing Rollins down the line. Seeds were planted for a potential match this week on Raw when the pair interacted during a segment. Should Angle not be able to pass a medical, it's still likely that WWE will go ahead of the storyline, but have Kurt Angle hand pick an opponent for Rollins instead. Obviously, option one would be everyone's preferred choice.
What's next?
Current plans for AJ Styles will see him feud with Kevin Owens over the US Title.
Author's take
It's a shame the awesome TNA matches between AJ Styles and Kurt Angle didn't take place in the WWE. However, despite the match now being off the WWE table, Styles will benefit from remaining on the SmackDown brand, where he can still have excellent matches and win the world title. Meanwhile, despite his victory over Triple H at WrestleMania 33, Seth Rollins certainly isn't set for a big year on Raw.
With Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns the likely plan for WrestleMania 34, Seth will have to tread water as a main event guy who can not go any higher than his current position. A huge marquee match against a legend like Kurt Angle will certainly add relevancy to Rollins' year, and with Angle being a guy Rollins grew up watching, the match will certainly rank highly on his bucket list.
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