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AJ Styles' second and historic 371-day reign as WWE Champion finally came to an end this past Tuesday night on SmackDown Live when 'The Phenomenal One' lost his title in shocking fashion to Daniel Bryan.
Having already secured a rematch against Brock Lesnar at the upcoming Survivor Series pay-per-view, Styles, unfortunately, was in for a shock on Tuesday night, as not only did he lose the WWE Championship but his defeat also led to a surprising heel turn from Daniel Bryan.
Now that Styles' legendary WWE Title reign has finally come to an end, the WWE Universe has raised several questions regarding what's next for 'The Phenomenal One'? Does he get an immediate rematch for the WWE Title or is he going to be taking some time off from in-ring competition for that matter?
Regardless of what the answer is, one thing is for sure that ever since Styles made his WWE debut two years ago, the former multi-time World Champion has established himself as a fan favourite and is one of the biggest stars' on the roster. Therefore, it'll be an absolute crime if we opted not to explore what the future holds for 'The Phenomenal One' and in this article, I'll provide an in-depth look regarding the 5 next possible directions for AJ Styles in WWE.
#5 An immediate rematch
As aforementioned, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan once again squared-off against each other this week on SmackDown Live and two superstars' put together another instant classic with the WWE Championship on the line. Bryan, who after hitting a low-blow on Styles, went on to capture the WWE Title in shocking fashion and I'm pretty sure sooner rather than later, 'The Phenomenal One' will invoke his rematch clause.
Therefore, a trilogy match between Styles and Bryan could be on the cards for either the final pay-per-view of the year, TLC or the two could either lock horns at the Royal Rumble show in January 2019.
#4 AJ Styles wins the Mixed Match Challenge and secures the #30 spot at the Royal Rumble
So the winner of this year's Mixed Match Challenge will be awarded a unique opportunity and will get to enter the Royal Rumble match at #30, meaning that both Charlotte Flair and his tag team partner AJ Styles, who are currently undefeated in the MMC, could very well be in contention of being the final entrant of this year's Mixed Match Challenge.
After missing out on last year's Royal Rumble match, due to being the WWE Champion, Styles will now look to enter his second ever Rumble match. If 'The Phenomenal One' does turn out to be the final entrant in next year's Royal Rumble match then there are pretty strong chances that he might just go on to win the entire thing and eventually securing a spot at the WrestleMania 35 main event.
With Roman Reigns currently battling leukaemia, WWE will be in a desperate need of a major star who is capable enough of main eventing their biggest show of the year and what better way other than having AJ Styles headline 'Mania 35 alongside someone like Brock Lesnar.
#3 AJ Styles challenges for the Universal Championship and officially joins Monday Night Raw
Speaking of Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship.
At WWE Crown Jewel, 'The Beast' Brock Lesnar became a two-time WWE Universal Champion when he defeated Braun Strowman in convincing fashion to win the vacant title. Since then fans around the world didn't take the decision of putting the title around Lesnar's waist too kindly and are certainly willing to see a new champion.
At this point, Drew McIntyre, who has been tearing through the Raw roster in recent months, remains as one of the strongest contenders to win the Universal Title in 2019, however, having AJ Styles challenge and eventually slay 'The Beast' in the main event of WrestleMania 35 is something fans would absolutely love to witness and will further elevate Styles as the biggest babyface in WWE today.
A switch to Monday Night Raw will also provide us with fresh and new storylines, match-ups and we are definitely going to witness some absolutely mouthwatering matches featuring 'The Phenomenal One'.
Seth Rollins vs AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre vs AJ Styles, or even Finn Balor vs AJ Styles are all five-star worthy matches!
#2 AJ Styles helps in putting over a fresh new NXT talent
Not many superstars in WWE have had the privilege of getting off to a fine start on the main roster. The likes of Kevin Owens, Paige, and Drew McIntyre are some NXT graduates who have found an immense amount of success on the main roster but then there are the likes of Tyler Breeze, Mojo Rawley, and Sonya Deville, who haven't done much on the main roster.
The current NXT roster, however, is filled with some of the biggest superstars on the planet, the likes of Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, current NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, and Kairi Sane are arguably some of the biggest names to step foot in the Pro Wrestling industry. And having any one of them score a win over a former World or Women's Champion on their main roster debut will be the perfect start a superstar could hope for.
And speaking of NXT talents, how can one miss out on the finest and most unique superstar in all of NXT, quite possibly in all of WWE as well, The Velveteen Dream?! The Dream is quite notably the most unique superstar on NXT today, his entrances, his in-ring gear, his promos, and let alone the fact that he is absolutely amazing in the ring is what makes him one of the finest to step foot into WWE developmental territory.
When The Velveteen Dream eventually gets his main roster call-up, the WWE needs to make sure that one way or another they somehow protect The Dream's credibility and what better way to start on the main roster other than having him beat former WWE Champion AJ Styles right off the bat. Having Dream go over Styles in his debut on the main roster will not only be a sign of goods things to come but will also prove to be a massive booster for the Dream's career on the main roster.
#1 AJ Styles turns heel and reforms The Club for good
So, yeah, I think we all can somewhat agree with the fact that AJ Styles' run as a babyface has turned his character a bit stale and boring, to say the least. And if you recall, back in 2016 when Styles first turned heel by attacking John Cena and forming The Club, he instantly became one of the most loved and over superstars among the WWE Universe.
During his run with NJPW, Styles was also known billed as the "leader" of the Bullet Club and exactly proved why he is one of the finest heels' of all-time, as he became a two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion thanks to classic Bullet Club shenanigans that helped 'The Phenomenal One' make history in the Land of The Rising Sun as well.
Styles' initial run as a heel in WWE was surely successful and having him reform The Club will not only bring freshness to his character but will also help The Good Brothers, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows get some much-needed TV time.
If The Club is to indeed reform on SmackDown Live, then every single superstar on the blue brand could be in for a torrid time and we could also witness the trio face-off against the likes of Sanity, New Day, or even the newly formed trio of ShowBar.
