WWE History: AJ Styles makes 'Phenomenal' debut at Royal Rumble 2016

In the aftermath of the historic Wrestle Kingdom 10 event at the iconic Tokyo Dome, the Pro Wrestling world underwent a shockwave as reports suggested that WWE was interested in signing AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

With Nakamura and Styles putting on a classic at the Tokyo Dome, it was just a matter of moments for either of the two men to make their WWE debut and with the 2016 Royal Rumble around the corner, fans were certainly hoping to see 'The Phenomenal One' or 'The King of Strong Style' enter the match as a surprise entrant.

AJ Styles makes his shocking WWE Debut

Come January 25, 2016, the then-WWE Champion Roman Reigns was on course to become the second man in history (after Ric Flair) to defend the WWE Championship in the Royal Rumble match against 29 other men. And with The Big Dog entering the bout at #1, the odds were completely stacked against the reigning champ.

A pumped-up Roman Reigns was quick to eliminate entrant #2 Rusev and was set to take on the rest of the roster. However, that is when The Big Dog and the WWE Universe were treated to an unusual theme song, one that they had never heard before. The sheer confusion on the faces of the people in the arena, and even on Reigns' face, was clear and it wasn't until the word 'Phenomenal' popped up on the titantron that the reaction of the people in the Amway Center changed.

As Styles kicked-off his WWE career in 'style' with a showdown against Roman Reigns in the ring, The Phenomenal One went on to last over 28 minutes in the battle royal, getting two eliminations and marking a successful WWE debut in the process. Truly Phenomenal!