Earlier this month, it was reported that AJ Styles, along with Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows had told New Japan Pro Wrestling that they were WWE-bound.
Just days after the story broke, WWE put an article on their website speculating about whether or not the four men would end up in WWE at some point. Since then, WWE’s various social media accounts have continued to tease that the four New Japan signees will be in WWE before this spring’s WrestleMania 32.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer said that WWE wasn’t happy that the news of them signing Styles, Nakamura, Anderson, and Gallows got out, as they have plans for at least one of the signees – presumably AJ Styles – to be a surprise entrant in this Sunday’s Royal Rumble match.
The surprise entrants in the Royal Rumble are one of the things that the fans look forward to the most, but usually, the surprise entrants end up being someone who wrestled for the company in the past, or a current superstar who is returning from injury.
So, the idea that they’re going to have a guy who has never wrestled for them before make his debut during the Royal Rumble match is something new.
Usually, the crowd in attendance at the Royal Rumble show are the more hardcore wrestling fans who follow more than just WWE. So, it’s likely that WWE wants to debut Styles at the Royal Rumble because they believe that he’ll get a bigger reaction than if they just have him debut on a random RAW show.
After a match on Sunday night, AJ Styles grabbed the microphone, and he began pondering his wrestling future, when the crowd in attendance began chanting “ROYAL RUMBLE!”
Styles then commented on possibly being a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble match by saying the following.
“I’ll tell you what, if I’m not recovering from some weird armbar submission, and there’s a slot in the Royal Rumble, I’ll be there. I’ll tell you what, I don’t deserve a thing, I don’t deserve you, but I’ll tell you, if you put me in that Royal Rumble match, I’m going to kick some a** for you guys!”
Styles said that he doesn’t have a contract with WWE yet, but of course, it’s just a matter of time before he puts pen to paper, and finally makes his WWE debut.
