3 reasons why AJ Styles' United States title match was moved to the Clash of Champions pre-show

AJ Styles is one of the best performers in WWE at the moment. The Phenomenal One has been touching gold with everything that he lays his hand onto and is on a roll with the OC. So when Styles was scheduled to defend his United States title against Cedric Alexander, who is from Charlotte, North Carolina, the location of Clash of Champions 2019, fans expected the bout to be a marquee one. However, at the last moment, the match was downgraded to the kick-off show.

This move agitated many fans since they believe Styles deserved better. Styles has been one of the main pillars of WWE since his arrival and giving him the kick-off show treatment was not the best gesture from WWE. However, WWE might have its reasons for this placement. In this thread, we will take a look at a few reasons why AJ Styles' United States title match was moved to the Clash of Champions pre-show.

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#3. The main card was stacked

WWE postponed the final of King of the Ring 2019 to next RAW.

WWE scheduled 12 matches for the Clash of Champions. However, WWE had to give each match a suitable time to tell a story. So it was impossible to accommodate 12 matches to the main card. The Cruiserweight title match is, unfortunately, a mainstay on the kick-off show. Even the King of the Ring tournament, which has been hyped up to conclude at the Clash of Champions, was moved to the next episode of RAW for the same reasons.

WWE usually tries to finish PPVs before the four-hour mark. At Clash of Champions, WWE was cautious and ended the PPV as early as possible. Even the Smackdown Women's title match between Bayley and Charlotte Flair did not get much time.

#2. The United States title match had the least storyline relevance

The US title feud did not have much relevance heading into Clash of Champions.

So we know that WWE had to move one more match to the kick-off show to give sufficient time for the other matches. But why did they specifically move the United States title bout between AJ Styles and Cedric Alexander and not any other title? The answer is surprisingly simple - the US title feud had the least storyline relevance of them all.

Cedric received the opportunity to challenge Styles merely because of two reasons

1. Cedric pinned Styles in a ten-way clash on RAW (not a direct singles bout)
2. The US title is under the obligation to be defended at the Clash of Champions

The other matches on the show simply had more storyline relevance.

The Revival and Randy Orton have been in a heated feud with The New Day. Shinsuke Nakamura and The Miz have had some brilliant brawls. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler endured other challengers in a tag team turmoil gauntlet to earn their opportunity at the RAW tag team titles. Fire and Desire had a direct pinfall victory over Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross in a regular fight.

#1. To give AJ Styles a storyline reason to complain

As of late, AJ Styles has been brilliant on the mic.

AJ Styles has been tearing everyone down on the mic, from his opponents in the ring to the likes of Michael Cole. There is no denying that AJ Styles with the OC is the best version of AJ Styles in WWE.

Styles has been spitting some facts against the system on RAW. He criticized how Braun Strowman earned a Universal title shot by just "looking at it". Styles mocked Strowman's candidature repeatedly in the weeks leading up to Clash of Champions.

The fact that Styles, even after defending his United States title almost every week, had to compete in the kick-off show will open up numerous paths for WWE to move AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One could easily do a typical heel rant about being the workhorse of the company, who despite his efforts is relegated to the pre-show.