What’s the story?
As reported by WrestlingInc.com, AJ Styles recently had an interview with Express Sports in which he discussed the star he wants to face next in the WWE. Styles would respond with the following quote:
"There are many whom I am yet to compete with," Styles said. "There are some Raw guys but one person I would like to lay my hands on is Randy Orton."
In case you didn’t know...
AJ Styles made his professional wrestling debut in 1998, while Randy Orton debuted two years later in 2000. Despite the longevity of their careers, they have never faced each other in a one-on-one match ever due to obvious reasons. They’ve never even faced each other in a tag match either.
The only time they were in the same match was as part of Team Smackdown Live during the Survivor Series against Team Raw.
The heart of the matter...
With both Orton and Styles being on Smackdown Live, the feud will happen sooner than later. Some speculate that Orton will win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, and the first feud could be against none other than AJ Styles, who would look to capture that title for the second time in his career.
What’s next?
The paths for both Styles and Orton are quite unclear with nearly six weeks left until WrestleMania. There isn’t a direction for Styles quite yet; while Orton is firm on his stand as he refuses to face Bray Wyatt despite earning the opportunity for the championship by winning the Royal Rumble.
Sportskeeda’s Take
When AJ Styles debuted at the Royal Rumble in 2016, it created a huge list of dream matches that have never happened in the history of professional wrestling. A match with Styles and Orton falls into that very category.
The two wrestlers share 20 total world championships, and when these guys will eventually feud, it will definitely be a big deal.
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