5 reasons why the "Real" AJ Styles vs the "New" Daniel Bryan is happening again at the Royal Rumble

In a way, we all have to admit, it's a bit strange. Many would have thought that the feud between Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles had ended when Daniel Bryan beat AJ Styles for the second time. At the same time, there was news that AJ Styles was in negotiations with WWE for a new contract as his current one was about to end (strangely we haven't heard much about it).

But then after TLC, Vince McMahon shows up and talks about an overhaul. In the subsequent weeks, he confronts AJ Styles and demands to see the real AJ Styles. AJ then goes on a rampage, wins the No.1 contender's match and then at the same time shows off a completely new side about him as he beats up Daniel Bryan on multiple occasions.

What's strange is how on Earth did it happen? How on Earth are AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan going at it again for the WWE Championship? Didn't the feud end already? And what about Mustafa Ali who was brought in from WWE 205 Live and put up against Daniel Bryan from the get-go? We look at the probable reasons why AJ Styles Vs Daniel Bryan is happening again.

#1 Not a stacked card

In all probability, we'll see the same thing at the Royal Rumble

WWE has a knack of surprising its viewers with shock results. But when you look at this card you see a lot of predictable results, because of which some matches would inevitably lack the quality that a PPV like the Royal Rumble really needs to deliver this time around.

The match between Ronda Rousey is going to have Ronda Rousey as the victor. It's hard to look beyond Brock Lesnar in the WWE's version of David vs Goliath in his match against Finn Balor. The men's Royal Rumble will most likely have Seth Rollins winning and starting his road to Wrestlemania. Because of this WWE needs a match to catch the intrigue of the viewers and at the same time deliver in terms of quality.

In terms of intrigue, the fans would be wondering whether AJ Styles would take the fall for the third time from Daniel Bryan or whether we could see some new feud start from all this and in terms of quality, there aren't many wrestlers better than these two if it is needed to put on a good show.

#2 AJ Styles has signed his extension

It is highly Likely that AJ Styles has signed an extension and WWE are keeping it under wraps for now

There are many things that seem to align with this. Vince Mcmahon confronts AJ Styles, asking for the real AJ Styles to come out. Then AJ Styles attacks Vince Mcmahon and in the very next week goes on to win the No.1 contender's match for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble.

One of the reasons why it made sense to write AJ Styles out of the championship picture was the fact that he was still negotiating with WWE and looking for a lighter schedule in his contract.

The fact that in just a couple of weeks he was put back into the title picture in a heated feud with Daniel Bryan might be an indication of some pretty interesting developments taking place in the background, and it might be the case that maybe AJ Styles has already signed up his extension with WWE.

#3 This is a stopgap arrangement as the Royal Rumble Winner will challenge the WWE Champion

WWE might be planning the royal rumble winner as the next challenger for Daniel Bryan

SmackDown is in a bit of a flux right now. They have a Champion at the top of the mountain who is a heel and then they have all the potential challengers who are themselves heels except AJ Styles.

They drafted in Mustafa Ali in a way to fill that role but it seems WWE is still not convinced enough on Mustafa's progress or ability to run the main event yet and because of that they're probably looking at this feud as a stopgap arrangement until (maybe) the Royal Rumble winner (most likely a face) challenges Daniel Bryan for the title at WrestleMania 35.

If this does happen though, it could be a huge shock because Seth Rollins is the most likely candidate to win this year's Rumble, and even though WWE does pull the carpet time and again it looks highly unlikely that they'll do it this time around.

#4 WWE is looking to make this a long term feud

The rivalry between the Rock and Stone Cold lasted for a long long time and is the stuff of legends

There are many reasons why WWE could be looking to extend this feud even further. The first of them is the caliber of both these wrestlers. AJ Styles is one of the most loved wrestlers in the WWE and he gets the support wherever he goes.

On the other hand, you have Daniel Bryan who has just redefined himself completely with a new persona and has just turned himself into a top heel for the company.

Secondly, these two have established themselves as the alphas among the roster at SmackDown. We've seen feuds between Randy Orton and John Cena extend throughout the year and even further. The Attitude Era was pretty much defined by "The Rock vs Stone Cold".

WWE could be looking to go back to that and let these two run the show for a while and create a genuine rivalry which carries on for a while.

#5 WWE looking to use Daniel Bryan to put over Mustafa Ali

WWE might be looking to propel Mustafa Ali by putting him against Daniel

WWE doesn't do anything half-hearted or unplanned (ok, most of the time they don't). It's not out of nowhere that Mustafa Ali found himself drafted to SmackDown and then right away slam-bang in the middle of a feud with Daniel Bryan of all people.

Was Mustafa Ali in line to be the next challenger for Daniel Bryan? Probably. Could WWE have had a change of heart and instead of pulling the trigger on Mustafa too early they're giving him time to get over with the crowd? Could be the case.

WWE could have earmarked Mustafa as a future main eventer and it's highly likely that they'll use the heat between Mustafa and Daniel Bryan to propel him further up the card. We could ultimately see AJ Styles snatch a win so that Daniel Bryan ultimately starts a feud against Mustafa which could help him gain some credibility and some traction with the crowd.