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On this week's episode of WWE RAW, Riddle, Keith Lee, and 'the phenomenal' AJ Styles took each other on in a fantastic triple threat clash to determine who faces Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship next.
At the end of the match, it was AJ Styles who was determined to be the next opponent for Drew McIntyre and his WWE Championship, and honestly, few can complain about the said outcome.
But why he was chosen ahead of the rest of the stacked entire RAW roster is a question many are asking.
We shall answer the question for you, across 5 points in this article.
#5 Because AJ Styles is a heel and Drew McIntyre is a babyface
Many feel that the idea of a heel taking on a babyface is outdated in the year 2020, but the most obvious reason why AJ Styles edged out on the competition i.e Riddle and Keith Lee to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship is, honestly, because he is a heel and the other two not-so gentlemen are babyfaces.
And what a great heel AJ Styles is! He is not someone that plays with the mind like Randy Orton does, or bullies those he considers to be his inferior, like Roman Reigns. No, AJ Styles is a performer who throws tantrums to the extent that when he's carried out of the ring by his giant associate he almost appears to be a wailing baby.
WWE wants Drew McIntyre to be cheered when he goes up against someone who has been portrayed as cowardly, willing to take the easy way out. Of course, the crowd noises right now are piped in, but imagine how excited a live crowd would be for such a match.
#4 The match quality of an AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre feud will be off the charts
There are very few big men that are as agile or as nimble on their feet as Drew McIntyre is and well, many consider AJ Styles to be the Shawn Michaels of our generation. A match between AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre will not just appeal to casual fans, but also to the hardcore audience, that appreciates in-ring work.
The main criticism leveled at WWE's main roster is how WWE RAW and SmackDown don't necessarily have matches that are as solid as the ones in NXT are, but with two extraordinary performers like AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre that should not really be a problem.
Plus, after his recent performance against Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre has set the benchmark very high and will need a performer of that caliber to keep his momentum going over the long haul.
Is there anyone better suited for the role than AJ Styles, a man who can have a 5-star match with a broomstick?!
#3 Allows AJ Styles' big associate to get physically involved in a major-league feud before he officially starts competing + the Miz wild card can be explored
There are two central wild cards in the Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles feud, and they are Styles' giant associate and The Miz. One has to pop for the idea that AJ Styles wants The Miz to cash in because he believes that The Miz will be a weaker opponent than Drew McIntyre is, so there are many comedic moments possible.
And then there's the question of Big Omos, who may be one of the largest men to have ever stepped into a WWE ring, who's been portrayed as a close associate of AJ Styles. Everyone wants to see him perform, so a program of this magnitude will actually allow him to ease his way into the ring at some point down the line.
As exciting as the in-ring aspect of Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles is, these two wild cards just make the feud a thousand times more interesting.
#2 Allows the Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre feud to build
We mean this with all the love, respect, and admiration in the world for Sheamus, someone who has been a mainstay in WWE for many years now- nobody will ever buy into the idea of him as a babyface, because he's a great heel. Sheamus and Drew McIntyre may seem like they are on the same page right now, but even a blind man can see that a feud between them is on the horizon. But that is not a story that can be told overnight, so Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus needs time to build.
And until then, AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre can wage a war of their own.
Listen, on paper, Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus does not really sound like the most exciting feud at all but who would have thought that Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso would have been as good as it eventually was, right? When the betrayal from Sheamus does happen, people will want to see Drew McIntyre kick his rear end.
#1 Drew McIntyre has been vocal about wanting to face AJ Styles for a really long time
SK Wrestling had a chance to catch up with Drew McIntyre not long ago and he was very vocal about wanting to face AJ Styles, something that he has said on a variety of occasions already.
In fact, in another interview with WrestleTalk, Drew McIntyre had outlined why he wants a match against AJ Styles.
The number 1, I guess I would say is AJ Styles. It happened again. I don't know what the deal is with him and I. We're always like ships in the night, we keep missing each other. Be it, I'm away from WWE, I got to Impact Wrestling, he's going going, we're both doing independent shows, it can't quite work out or he's on or I'm off, or he's off. He comes back to WWE. I come back to WWE. We're both on RAW and we're both bad guys but finally, I'm a good guy and he's a bad guy. It's going to happen, he disappears to SmackDown. So I guess we'll have to wait for that match still.
And now, the match is finally happening.
One has to assume that Drew McIntyre, as WWE Champion, campaigned for a match against AJ Styles and his request was heard and approved!
