Opinion: AJ Styles Should Bring back the Lone Wolf Gimmick, following Altercation with Mr. McMahon

In an interesting turn of events last night, AJ Styles ended up laying out Vince McMahon in the closing moments of Smackdown Live. It's often said that Vince must be really high on a particular Superstar if he involves himself in their story-lines. Over the past number of years, McMahon has had altercations (kayfabe) with the likes of CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens. The reason behind these angles is to always get the other Superstar over.

If the other Superstar is a heel, Vince plays a face to help generate heat for them. On the other hand, if the Superstar is a face, Vince plays the heel and does his best in getting the fans behind that Superstar. However, last night's angle was different. McMahon wasn't playing a heel or a face. He just wanted AJ Styles to bring out his aggressive side, which Styles ended up doing by attacking the Chairman.

The segment was a sigh of relief for The Phenomenal One's fans as Styles' booking had made him quite stale over the past few months. The sudden change in character will help Styles become interesting again. Most probably, the "Bringing out The Animal" story-line will lead to a potential feud (and match) against either Brock Lesnar or Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 35. However, it could and should help Styles in the long run too.

If you used to watch Impact Wrestling (formerly known as TNA), Styles debuted a lone-wolf character in 2013. Styles was booked as an anti-hero who feuded with both the babyfaces and heels and at the same time defied the Authority without any fear of consequences. To say that Styles portrayed that character excellently would be a huge understatement. Unfortunately, that gimmick didn't last long as Styles left TNA in early 2014.

The recent change in Styles' character can be attributed to his upcoming feud with Randy Orton.

When it comes to WWE, Styles has proved that he can thrive both as an effective heel and a rule abiding babyface. Now, it's time for WWE to do something different and make Styles an anti-hero who plays by his own rules. It's safe to say that Styles is a Superstar who doesn't know how to disappoint, provided that the booking is done right. Over the past 20 years, he has portrayed every role (underdog, front-runner,coward heel, intimidating heel, anti-hero) with perfection. WWE needs to make the most of Styles' remaining time with the company and allow The Phenomenal One to constantly evolve his character to keep it fresh and interesting.