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AJ Styles is the best wrestler in WWE and maybe even the world. He is in an inspired run as WWE Champion right now and he shows no signs of slowing down.
The fans love him and WWE have put him in the position of the main guy on Smackdown. It can be said without a doubt, that his championship reign will be even better if he is put up against the right opposition.
The Superstar Shakeup has dramatically altered the landscape of WWE, and Smackdown, in particular, seems to be completely revamped in terms of talent.
This must be extremely tantalizing for the fans as so many fresh matches are possible now for the Phenomenal One.
These bouts will be rife with intrigue and excitement, provided WWE push them correctly.
For clarity purposes, we will list the top five possible contenders for Styles' title, and we will then analyse each competitor and how a feud with the incumbent may play out.
#5 Shinsuke Nakamura
This is the current feud that WWE are pushing, and it is already one of the most interesting rivalries in wrestling right now.
The majority of people were extremely let down and disappointed after their 'Mania bout as it has failed to live up to its lofty expectations. However, after Nakamura's heel turn, there is added intrigue to this feud.
A few more tweaks in his character and this rivalry can explode beyond what anyone expected.
This has all the makings of an epic feud, but WWE need to play their cards right. They can't emasculate the heel Nakamura and make him the butt of racist jokes.
They need to push him to be the second coming of Ric Flair, in terms of competitiveness. Make him flashier and embrace his charisma, but make the Universe absolutely hate him for becoming this cocky and cheating wrestler.
Their dynamic promises to be absolutely insane, as Styles needs to figure out ways to deliver comeuppance to the crafty Nakamura and the Artist needs to try and wrest the title away from one of the best in the world. This makes for some interesting television going forward.
#4 Daniel Bryan
How can you not book this match? WWE has already teased us with this match on Smackdown.
The very fact that they left so much more to be desired means that this is definitely a path WWE is going to explore in the near future.
These two can work a crowd (both marks and smarks) to a point where the only thing they want is to see them go at it.
This is one of those rare times that WWE can actually pull of a Face vs Face rivalry, as both have solid motivations that echo their character.
They both are considered the best, but only one can be THE BEST. That is motivation enough for a fantastic series of matches between them.
Bryan can be portrayed as the champion that never lost his title, and now that he is back he has to regain it.
Styles can elude to the fact that he made the title prestigious because, unlike Bryan, he is a fighting champ.
Animosity has been established while keeping their key character traits intact and establishes legitimate motivation.
WWE can actually go old-school and make this a Best of five series or give them a massive blowoff in a 60 Minute Iron Man match.
Going down this route could actually set in place one of the best rivalries in WWE history. WWE need to realise what a big deal this is and need to go down this path as soon as they can.
#3 Big Cass
He has just returned to action and WWE seem pretty into pushing him. It is easy to forget that WWE were going to push Big Cass to super-stardom before his injury, as he was regularly squashing Enzo Amore.
An unfortunate ACL tear took him out of action, but that doesn't mean his push has been cancelled. Cass was part of the Fatal 4 Way for the Universal Championship, which was won by Kevin Owens in 2016, and his upward trajectory is set to continue on Smackdown.
If Big Cass is pushed as the next big monster heel, a rivalry with Styles would be perfect. Cass's motivation can be destroying small guys for being given the top spot on the brand.
That would be the perfect motivation to take out the champion of the brand, Styles. The Phenomenal One can be pushed as the underdog taking on the unstoppable monster, and a David vs Goliath fight would play out really well.
This is viable if Cass is made to be a monster, step one of which would be to do something with Bryan and him. The seeds were sown on Smackdown and Cass needs to make a dominant return.
Styles can play the part of being the perfect anti-thesis to Cass, and this feud would have a believable dynamic, where Styles is ready to defend his crown against even the biggest and baddest men.
Doubts still linger on how Cass would function without Amore as a mouthpiece, but Cass doesn't need to be talker if he is just a brute that beats everyone up.
#2 The Miz
The Miz is the best heel in the company without a doubt. He really is must-see TV and every time he does anything on Raw or Smackdown, the crowd latches on to every little thing word he utters, or ever single move he makes.
He has been the best thing about WWE television for a while, and now what they need to do is give him another reign with the biggest strap in the company.
Considering how long The Miz has been fighting for the Intercontinental belt, it is a good thing that he has been separated from the belt and drafted to Smackdown.
He worked wonders for the IC belt, and the logical step up is to go at it with Styles for the WWE Championship.
The Miz's character and motivations are established, and he doesn't really need to grow into anything at the moment. Styles would be the perfect 'purist' of wrestling against The Miz, who just lives in a delusion that he is better.
This dynamic can play out absolutely wonderfully and The Miz and Styles can work magic on the mic and in the ring.
This would actually be a very interesting direction for WWE, and one that can generate buzz and some great content.
#1 Samoa Joe
He is going to be fresh out of a feud with the anointed one Roman Reigns soon, and WWE must strike the iron while it's still hot.
Samoa Joe is a big deal. WWE would be fools to not treat him like that. He has excelled on Raw, cutting scathing promos and just being a heel who can beat anyone up.
His evisceration of Reigns' accomplishments on Raw currently shows the amount of talent he has on the mic, and his in-ring work was never in dispute.
The exact same can be said for Styles, who has excelled in-ring and on the mic. Putting him up against the Samoan Submission Machine would be absolute gold.
He knows he can choke people out to win, and he won't stop at any cost. Styles is a hard-fought champion who will retain his title at any cost.
His fighting spirit was on display against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2017, and that is a route that WWE should take with these two.
Styles and Joe can take this feud wherever they want, that is the level of their supreme talent.
They could maybe break out a submission match to truly establish who is the better man. They could also plausibly have a No DQ match because that is the only way these two can truly let all the animosity out.
These are just a few of the million ways WWE could execute this feud, and boy is that exciting.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
