5 reasons why AJ Styles abandoned Seth Rollins on Raw

#3 Babyface rivalries seldom work

A rare babyface rivalry with fans getting divided between the two stars

Except for extremely rare cases like Hogan vs Warrior, making babyface rivalries is one tough nut to crack. This is a completely different scenario, and is in contrast to the traditional tale of a good guy vs a bad guy. Superstars who have made babyface rivalries work can be counted on one's fingers.

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Remember Shawn Michaels vs John Cena in 2007, or The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin in 2001, or The Rock vs Hulk Hogan in 2002? One thing that's a constant with these three rivalries is the fact that all of these were babyface against babyface. This didn't stop from the fans to turn on Cena (who was already a polarizing Superstar, to be fair), and The Rock. The Texas crowd at WrestleMania 17 and the Toronto crowd at WrestleMania 18 booed The Rock out of the building.

Judging by the history of babyface encounters, WWE made the right decision here by kicking off the build to what possibly could be a much-awaited heel turn for Styles.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Zaid Khan