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This week's episode of WWE RAW was your usual mess of pointless matches and meandering segments that went nowhere. But then, little did we know that WWE had saved the best for last as AJ Styles and Seth Rollins signed their Universal Championship match contracts.
Yes, of course, it escalated into a flurry of fists between the two men. Yes, the crowd was torn in terms of loyalty, because both of these men are crowd favorites as they're two of the best in-ring performers of this era.
My biggest takeaway from this segment was that AJ Styles is going to turn heel very soon. Don't believe me?
Read the following article and maybe I can change your mind...
#5 He fired the first salvo this week
Let me just preface this by saying that I don't think that AJ Styles is a heel yet. But he is on the verge of becoming one, and that should be obvious from the fact that he fired the first shot. When AJ Styles extended his hand for Seth Rollins to shake it, Rollins got in his face and held the Universal Championship aloft.
I think we will see a slow burn process where AJ Styles gradually taps into the dark side of his character because he gets pushed by Rollins. Rollins may have come up in much the same way as Styles, but he is clearly the bigger star of the two in WWE right now. The fact that he lost his temper first is a clear indication of the fact that Styles will go heel very soon.
I mean it could all be a swerve that's leading us to believe one thing but actually is another. But I don't think that's really the case!
#4 Seth Rollins received much louder cheers than Styles
If you actually consider the facts, Seth Rollins has been chasing for the gold in recent times against Brock Lesnar. He fought against the odds and became the hottest thing on the red brand. Sure, he did hold the Intercontinental Championship but let's be honest, he was always ready to be the face of RAW.
On the other hand, AJ Styles has been the Champion for most of his run on SmackDown Live. Sure, he's been a good Champion, who's always put on good matches, but the fact of the matter is that Rollins is more popular. It was evident this week when he received the louder pop.
Even if Rollins goes heel, there's always the chance that he'll continue to get cheered over Styles. WWE does not want to back themselves into a corner, and I'm certain they'll take a judicious booking call soon.
#3 Gallows and Anderson are on RAW right now
So, we had all assumed that the Superstar Shake-Up for the year was in the history books and then, the biggest surprise happened. The Club, Mr. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson would show up on RAW this week to take on The Usos in a match.
There is absolutely no reason for them to come to the red brand unless a heel turn is in the work for Styles. Sure, they can be a babyface faction, but it doesn't make sense in a division where there is literally no babyface team to fight against.
I wonder if the original plan was for Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose to fight with The Club, over an extended period. Maybe the departure of Dean Ambrose threw a spanner into the works and the plans had to be changed and modified.
This is the clearest indication that Styles is going heel, and will use Gallows and Anderson as his thugs.
#2 WWE prefers not to have face vs. face matches
Sure, there are several exceptions through history, but WWE, for the most part, prefers to have fights between good and evil forces. This simple concept connects with audiences across the world and fans can always root for good over evil. Having two babyfaces tear the house down will get 'this is awesome' chants but won't have an audience invested.
I mean the clearest indication of this is with the Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston program. It could have been a match between two seasoned veterans, of course, but it wouldn't have brought the electricity that it did to WrestleMania 35. Everyone wanted to see Kofi Kingston win, not to see two men put on a good match.
This is precisely what WWE may want for the contest at hand as well. Sure, these two men will burn it down but unless it resonates with the audience, there's no point.
#1 Styles' character has actually gotten stale
We were all relieved when AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal to become the WWE Champion on SmackDown Live. As interesting as his feud with Samoa Joe was, considering how personal it eventually got, I wasn't alone in believing AJ Styles was becoming stale.
In fact, I know that a lot of WWE fans were actually quite thrilled when they learned that Daniel Bryan was the new champion, and would be feuding with the likes of Kofi Kingston. If you have the best cooked meal on a daily basis, after a while you'll long for something new, in my opinion.
You could always turn Seth Rollins heel and we all know that he will excel in a heel persona. But the fact of the matter is that AJ Styles needs a turn a lot more.
Do you want to see him turn heel very soon?
