What if AJ Styles turns heel on Raw?

The Superstar Shake-up saw some major moves for the WWE main roster, not least of which included AJ Styles making his move to Monday Night Raw. Styles has in many ways been the definitive anchor of SmackDown since the onset of the current brand split, and thus it is a big deal for him to face a new slate of opponents and a change of creative scenery.

It’s also worth mentioning that, along with the Phenomenal One’s move, Roman Reigns departed Raw for the blue brand. While it’s not an exact one-for-one trade, pundits are, reasonably enough, seeing these two trading places the core swap of this year’s reorganization.

What will the change of scenery mean for Styles? And perhaps most importantly, might it mean a heel turn? This article looks at five possibilities that WWE fans may be able to look forward to, largely for better, though in some cases arguably for worse.

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#5 AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles would be a dream match scenario.

While AJ Styles has quite arguably been the most stable top tier star representing SmackDown Live during the current brand split era, Seth Rollins is on the very short list of top stars holding it down for Raw in the same time frame. Only Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns—who is now off for SmackDown—can claim a comparable record of longevity, big pushes, and main event on Raw status to The Beast Slayer over the last three years.

AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins is, therefore, a dream match waiting to happen between two exceptionally talented in-ring performers, each of whom WWE has pushed at high levels. WWE teased a program by having the two share ring space upon Styles' debut, teaming up with Rollins and Reigns in the main event of last Monday’s Raw. It feels like only a matter of time before Styles is knocking on the Universal Champion’s door.

Rollins still feels a bit played out as a heel, besides which he has a lot of fan support after beating Lesnar. Styles, however, has been working as a face for the past two years and could use a change in persona. That’s not to mention that his first heel run in WWE from 2016 into 2017 proved him to be quite good in that capacity.

#4 A Universal Championship reign

AJ Styles has captured a number of titles in WWE. Could the Universal title be next?

AJ Styles held the WWE Championship for over a year from late 2016 to 2017, putting on strong in-ring performances even as SmackDown and the WWE title took a clear backseat to Raw and the Universal Championship. With the momentum of a new heel turn on a new brand, Styles could readily be situated for a fresh push on top of Raw.

While his aerial arsenal does make him fan friendly, his technical expertise, including his use of the calf crusher, also set him up to be an imposing heel presence at the top of the card, too.

What’s more, Styles recently negotiated a new contract. In his early forties, it feels like now or never to push this top-shelf talent to his fullest before his body starts to deteriorate. In his heel role, Styles could justify a prolonged program opposite Seth Rollins, besides being a fighting champion against a largely fresh slate of other face challengers.

#3 A Styles-Centric Faction

Smaller top heels in WWE tend to have backup.

The traditional logic goes that WWE is a big man’s company, focusing on tall, heavyweight performers who look like larger than life characters, in addition to the argument that talents with big bodies are less likely to get injured. There are plenty of examples of smaller heels arriving on top, ranging from Shawn Michaels to CM Punk to, most recently, Daniel Bryan on SmackDown. One common thread is that top heels in WWE tend to have a manager, a heater, or a full-blown faction behind them.

WWE hasn’t meaningfully pushed a heel faction on top for a little while now, and if the company does go with Styles as the top heel on Raw, it would be reasonable enough to think he would amass a crew of guys to add to his credibility, while he gives them the rub. Styles could realign with The Good Brothers. A former rival like Samoa Joe could also fit the bill nicely, particularly given that they could hold the top two singles titles on Raw.

As another possibility, the Undisputed Era from NXT would fit Styles' aesthetic nicely, besides providing a storyline to break off and feud down the road as Adam Cole could eventually make a terrific opponent for the Phenomenal One.

#2 Barnburners with Aleister Black, Ricochet, and Rey Mysterio

A number of fresh face challengers could await a heel AJ Styles.

Raw has some truly excellent in-ring talent lined up. That includes still-new NXT call ups Aleister Black and Ricochet, both of whom are relatively small for the main roster but could be truly excellent foils for AJ Styles given his own relatively small stature.

Not altogether differently, legend Rey Mysterio hasn’t had all that much interaction with Styles given that they were both working as faces on SmackDown. Despite not picking up many victories as of late, Mysterio nonetheless has the longstanding credibility to slide into a main event feud with Styles after a very little build.

Perhaps best of all, as a heel, Styles would be well positioned as an opponent for other small faces to really push the work rate on Raw and produce a pretty epic series of programs from an in-ring perspective. Whether a heel Styles were to win the Universal Championship and defend it against all comers or work his way up to the title role, these matches could offer a very fun journey for fans to watch.

#1 AJ Styles vs. Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman would be a very different opponent for AJ Styles.

Braun Strowman largely comes across as a man with no direction at this point. He has often as not been pushed at or around the main event level, and yet his failure to capture a world title, and particularly his subjugation to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35 suggest that WWE doesn’t mean to actually pull the trigger on him as “the guy.”

As a heel, AJ Styles would have a lot of natural programs awaiting him opposite fellow relatively small talents. Braun Strowman could offer the opposite concept as an overwhelming big man force gunning for Styles, particularly if the Phenomenal One was carrying the Universal Championship. Without the title in the picture, all bets are off, as Strowman may well mow over his smaller opponent. With the title on the line, the outcome feels less clear, though this could be where a heater or faction would come to Styles’s aid.