Dropped plans revealed for AJ Styles on RAW before he was traded to SmackDown 

On the latest edition of WWE SmackDown, it was announced that AJ Styles had been traded from WWE RAW to the Blue brand for Superstars yet to be announced. It should be noted that AJ Styles is competing in the WWE Intercontinental title tournament, and was the only RAW Superstar to be a part of the lineup. Styles defeated his arch-rival, Shinsuke Nakamura, in the first round of the tournament. He will take on Elias on the upcoming WWE SmackDown. Elias had defeated King Corbin to advance to the next round.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE had set long-term plans for The Phenomenal One before the decision was made to move him to SmackDown. He stated that Styles was supposed to put over a string of babyfaces on the Red brand, but the plans were dropped when it was decided to trade him to SmackDown. The names mentioned by Meltzer included Cedric Alexander, Ricochet, and Humberto Carrillo.

AJ Styles had a long run on WWE RAW as a top heel

Styles was one of the biggest babyfaces on SmackDown for a long time and was moved to Monday Night RAW during the 2019 Superstar Shakeup. After a short-lived run as a babyface, Styles turned heel and joined forces with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Ever since then, the trio had been targeting babyfaces on RAW one after the other.

On the road to WrestleMania 36, Styles got into a feud with The Undertaker, and the rivalry culminated at The Show of Shows with the latter burying AJ alive in a Boneyard match. Anderson and Gallows were released by WWE soon after. It remains to be seen how Styles is used on the Blue brand in the coming months. The arrival of a Superstar of Styles' stature would be nothing short of beneficial for the Blue brand.

Follow WWE news and rumours to get to know all the latest happenings around WWE