8 years of AJ Styles in WWE: Revisiting top 4 moments in his career

Today, January 24, 2024, marks eight years since AJ Styles debuted in WWE. Throughout the years, The Phenomenal One has continuously showcased why he gained that moniker every time he performs inside the ring. The current SmackDown star has achieved a lot while in the Stamford-based promotion, but some of his feats have stood out the most.

For this list, we will look at the top four moments AJ Styles had in WWE for the past eight years in the company.

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#4. Royal Rumble debut in 2016

Even before Styles joined WWE in 2016, he was already a well-decorated star due to his performances in TNA, NJPW, and more. When he finally entered as the third participant in the 2016 Royal Rumble, he received a thunderous pop from the live audience.

There have been a few Rumble debuts since that moment, and more will definitely follow in the coming years, but it would be hard to top the reaction AJ received from the crowd. Styles may not have won that year's Rumble, but he performed well for his first time in the Sports Entertainment Juggernaut. He lasted over 28 minutes and was eliminated by the 18th entrant, Kevin Owens.

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#3. AJ Styles had a great rivalry with John Cena

Styles' debut in the Stamford-based promotion in 2016 opened the door for a lot of dream matches to finally come true, one of them being against John Cena. After Styles captured the WWE Championship, he began feuding with The Cenation Leader. They faced each other a total of three times and delivered fantastic performances every time they locked horns.

They first clashed at Money in the Bank, where Styles won after an interference from Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. They met again at SummerSlam, where AJ got a clean win. They ended their trilogy at the 2017 Royal Rumble, wherein John captured his 16-time World Championship.

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#2. Capturing his first WWE World Championship

AJ Styles is deservingly one of the superstars who received a quick World Championship opportunity in the company. Just four months after debuting at the Rumble, he competed in a number one contender match for the World Title. Although he failed to qualify and win the title in the earlier parts of 2016, he eventually got there later that year.

At the 2016 Backlash in September, he defeated Dean Ambrose (AKA Jon Moxley) to become the WWE World Champion. He mainly defended the title against Ambrose until Cena defeated him at the 2017 Royal Rumble, ending his reign at 140 days.

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#1. AJ Styles' stellar cinematic match with The Undertaker

The Phenomenal One has accomplished numerous things in wrestling, whether in or outside WWE. He has held championships, broken records, delivered 5-star matches, and so on. However, the most special moment in his career could arguably be being The Undertaker's final opponent.

At WrestleMania 36, AJ Styles and 'Taker competed in a Boneyard match. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Deadman's final match had to be taped and took place without the fans. Despite this, the cinematic match was highly praised by fans and professionals. The Pheonam being able to retire in peace after that match says a lot about AJ as an entertainer and wrestler.