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AJ Styles reigned supreme at Clash of Champions after engaging in a fantastic contest with Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship. In the midst of his second reign with the top title in the company, AJ Styles has become one of the top superstars in the company, reaching the levels only Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and John Cena have held in WWE.
Styles is not just the best superstar in WWE but WWE is making sure that the world knows about the Phenomenal One. He is treated as a star on commentary and his booking has been great. Styles has carved a great reputation for himself in WWE and is possibly the only superstar whose reputation is not tarnished by wins and losses.
The Smackdown Live roster is frustratingly short on the number of quality heel superstars present, and thus the next challenger for the Phenomenal One could be someone unexpected.
We look at five possible opponents for AJ Styles who can challenge him for the WWE Championship.
#5: Kevin Owens
The Prizefighter has won almost every championship in WWE, even though he debuted on the main roster not more than two years ago. He has spent most of his time on the main roster either fighting for a championship or defending it.
Ever since Miz and Bray Wyatt left for RAW and Styles turned babyface, Kevin Owens stood out as the top heel on the roster. He was headlining Smackdown Live every week and had a great feud with Styles before moving onto Shane McMahon. His rivalry with Shane has culminated at CoC, and he should be moving on to do what he does the best.
Styles-Owens will not be the freshest feud on SDL but the scarcity of quality heels on the roster makes it a major possibility.
#4: Sami Zayn
The Underdog from Underground is one of the latest additions to the "dark" side of Smackdown Live, with a shocking heel turn during the Hell in a Cell main-event. He reignited his friendship with Kevin Owens and has become an entertaining sight to watch.
Sami Zayn is one of the finest in-ring talents in WWE, arguably only behind AJ Styles and Seth Rollins. He has produced spectacular wrestling performances from time-to-time and a push to the main-event scene will be well deserved for the former NXT champion. His in-ring psychology is second to none and this has resulted in him connecting with the audiences extremely well.
Zayn winning the Championship as a heel would not be a great decision but a Styles-Sami match can tear the house down if given proper time at Royal Rumble.
#3: Bobby Roode
The Glorious One has floundered on the main-roster without any real sense of purpose ever since his debut back in August. His heel persona back in NXT was widely praised and he became one of the finest champions in the Full Sail University. His face run has been bland and is in desperate need of a change.
Roode and Styles are no strangers to each other as they have crossed paths before in TNA. Both of them are charismatic personalities and have great in-ring skills, so a confrontation between these two will be gloriously phenomenal.
Roode needs to turn heel soon and go after the WWE Championship. He belongs in the main-event picture from day one.
#2: Neville
If a question regarding the Superstar of the Year pops up, the majority will mention either Lesnar, Styles, Strowman or Reigns. However, the best performer this year has been undoubtedly "The Man Who Gravity Forgot". His heel run with the cruiserweight championship helped the 205 Live show to become much better.
Neville had a fallout with WWE and left unexpectedly after his loss to Enzo Amore. However, reports of him returning are floating around. According to some sources, he was supposed to return to the blue brand during their European tour in November.
Neville has done a great job as a heel in WWE and a WWE Championship opportunity will be a perfect way to reward his performances. Styles and him can steal the show and produce an epic rivalry for weeks to come.
One can hope that he returns and challenges the Phenomenal One!
#1: Randy Orton
Styles and Orton have crossed paths before in WWE, with a one-off match for the number one contender spot on the line, back in February. Both displayed tremendous chemistry within the ring and produced an excellent encounter which left many wanting for a full-fledged feud between these two superstars.
Randy Orton's best years have come as a heel, which is why his current face run has not set the world on fire( he did set Wyatt's house on fire though). A heel turn for Orton, which leads to a Styles-Orton feud will be "best for business".
Orton has a face has never worked, and just like Bobby Roode, The Viper needs to tap his dark side once again
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