Triple H has failed 48-year-old legend on WWE RAW

On last night's episode of Monday Night RAW, General Manager Adam Pearce announced that "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio would be defending his Intercontinental Championship against AJ Styles on next week's show in Paris.

While having the match in France itself was obvious, considering Styles' connection with the French crowd, scheduling it for RAW instead of the PLE the night before has raised some eyebrows. Styles vs Mysterio is by no means, after all, a match lacking star power, build, or stakes.

WWE Clash in Paris also presently has just five matches scheduled for the show next weekend, and despite the sheer amount of star power on the show, it does not have the most flattering card.

Triple H booking AJ Styles vs Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Title for Clash in Paris could have given a much-needed boost to the five-match card, which currently looks like this:

• WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) defends against CM Punk, Jey Uso, and LA Knight
• John Cena vs. Logan Paul in singles action
• Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed in a singles match
• Sheamus vs. Rusev in a "Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook" match, meaning no disqualifications
• Becky Lynch (c) vs. Nikki Bella for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship

With AJ Styles nearing the end of his career and set to retire from professional wrestling in under two years, the fact that he can still perform at the highest level and has been doing some great character work should have warranted a featured match on a PLE, especially in France.

AJ Styles must win the Intercontinental Championship from Dominik Mysterio on RAW next week

Despite challenging Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship on RAW next week and not at Clash this weekend, a victory for AJ Styles in Paris and capturing the Intercontinental Championship remains a must.

It could not just kick off perhaps Styles' final run as a major champion in WWE, but could also pave the way for a blockbuster clash with John Cena: one final dream encounter built around the only title that has eluded Cena in his storied WWE career.

With Cena set to hang up his boots by year’s end, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. AJ Styles and John Cena share legendary in-ring chemistry, and the narrative practically writes itself. A showdown of this magnitude would have all the makings of an instant classic.

As for Dominik Mysterio, next week's RAW would be the perfect time for him to drop the gold. He remains incredibly over with fans, appears primed for a babyface turn, and Dom is reportedly in line to become the centerpiece of AAA and win the AAA Mega Championship from El Hijo del Vikingo at Worlds Collide.