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At the end of the night on Christmas, AJ Styles was shown pacing around with nothing to do as he wasn’t booked in any match for the night. The man that built SmackDown was finding it difficult to accept that he wasn’t the focus of the show anymore.
During the segment, Vince McMahon approached him and spoke to him about somethings that AJ Styles needed to dig deep for. This was one of the best Vince McMahon promos in a long time.
“I've seen superstars come and go. They come in here, win their championships and earn their money and then they become complacent and they just go on. I know that's not you because, whether you like it or not, we're a lot alike.
You got a black hole in your heart, and I know it. I also know you've got a tremendous soul, and you can't let it go. You're afraid what's going to happen here if you can't control all that. That's what you have. I want to see it because, you see, if you harness all of that, you will brutalize that locker room.
You will terrorize anyone who steps in front of you in that squared circle. That's what will happen. I know it. But there's an animal in there. That animal is begging to get out. That animal is eating you alive. You don't want it to come out. I want to see it. I want to see that animal; oh yeah. I want to see it, AJ. I want to see it. I'm going to see it."
After that, Vince slapped Styles across the face who was filled with rage and snapped at the Chairman of WWE. He forearmed McMahon across the face and then showed his anger against the Chairman of WWE.
With that segment, there are a few possible ways that the WWE is planning to take The Phenomenal One. Take a look at three possible directions for storylines that can develop with McMahon’s promo and Styles’ actions.
#3 Entering a feud with Shane McMahon and The Miz
AJ Styles’ actions will surely not be taken well by Vince McMahon’s son Shane. It’s possible that Shane will confront Styles about his actions in the weeks to come.
If that is the case, then expect The Miz to also engage in heated exchanges with Styles as The Miz is trying hard to get in the good books of Shane and has recently managed to forge a team with him.
Heading down the road, Shane could get sick of both Styles and The Miz which could lead to a feud between all three men.
This could result in a WrestleMania triple-threat match between the three men, or even a fatal-four-way match between them and Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship which would be a treat for all WWE fans. Alternatively, we could see AJ Styles get back together with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to take on Shane McMahon and The Miz in tag team action for some time.
#2 An all-out Authority assault
We have seen many superstars fall victim to The Authority and AJ Styles could be up next. The McMahons are back together with the control of both Raw and SmackDown, and this brings The Authority back together too.
John Cena and The Shield were constantly cheered by fans, and The Authority victimized them. AJ Styles is also a fan-favourite and could suffer a similar fate at the hands of the McMahons.
Styles has enjoyed his time at the top for a very long time and never came out as an underdog in his fights. He even put up a decent fight against Brock Lesnar last year at Survivor Series.
Now it could be the time that Vince McMahon presents Styles as the underdog while stacking the odds against him. This could help Styles grow more in WWE and in the eyes of the WWE Universe, and become the next John Cena or Roman Reigns for the company.
#1 A McMahon family showdown
The McMahons have a knack of taking to the ring from time to time. Shane McMahon is one man who loves to take the spotlight away from other more skilled superstars, and he did the same at Crown Jewel during the World Cup.
Similarly, we have seen Vince McMahon take a lot of spotlight in the ring in the past. Maybe AJ Styles’ actions will result in a feud between himself and one of the McMahons.
Heading into WrestleMania, it seems like Shane McMahon and The Miz are already working on a storyline amongst themselves. If AJ Styles is not made a part of their storyline, then there is yet another member of the family who could take the ring to exact revenge.
That man is none other than Triple H. Even though Triple H has gone under the knife recently, there is no confirmed date for him to return to the ring. If he is able to recover on time, then a match between Triple H and AJ Styles at WrestleMania will have the potential to steal the show and give fans a dream match.
