'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Getting injured on the road to WrestleMania is the worst thing that can happen to a WWE Superstar and AJ Styles is currently facing the dreaded predicament.
The Phenomenal One suffered a shoulder separation during the Royal Rumble match and it has been revealed that the WWE may have had to make a big storyline change in the aftermath of the injury.
Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue and Korey Gunz shed light on AJ Styles' injury situation and its repercussions on the latest DropKick DiSKussions episode.
AJ Styles was originally supposed to complete his angle with Randy Orton in a feud-ending match at either Elimination Chamber or the Saudi Arabia show. Styles' untimely injury may have forced WWE to push the Edge vs. Orton angle forward, which was given a lot of spotlight with an incredibly well-booked main event segment on the most recent episode of RAW.
While Styles himself has claimed he will be back in time for 'Mania, WWE may not have enough time to build a new storyline for the former World Champion for WrestleMania.
Here's what Tom and Korey discussed on Sportskeeda's Dropkick DiSKussions:
Korey: The segment on RAW, do you think that not maybe rushed but maybe we got to that segment may be sooner than anticipated due to what appears to be an AJ Styles injury at the Rumble? Looked like Styles got legitimately hurt, he seemed to have kind of called it in the ring for Edge to eliminate him and we’ve seen reports that maybe it’s a shoulder injury and he may miss WrestleMania this year. He and Orton had a little issue going on on RAW. So, did the AJ Styles injury maybe push this Orton/Edge segment up a couple of weeks since they kind of had to abandon the angle with AJ Styles due to his injury?
Tom answered:
I do. They hadn’t reached the crescendo as it were for Orton vs. Styles, it would have been difficult for them to have all that build and not to have a match at the end of it. But, that is the case, I mean they definitely stepped up.
It could have been that we had this exact spot (RAW angle) and then Edge took the time off to sell the injuries, in which case they’d finish the feud between Orton and Styles but that would not have left us with the opportunity to have sort of the conclusive match, whereas it was probably supposed to be at the Elimination Chamber or Saudi Arabia show, that was when it was supposed to be.
We’ll have to see in the build to that but Styles’ injury has a lot of potential to be serious. We’ll have to wait for more information, but shoulder injuries like that can be very difficult to recover from quickly. We can look back to Finn Balor and the injury he had with his shoulder. From what I can tell, the return schedule is around WrestleMania, which is awkward, even as a phrase it is awkward because it can be in time for WrestleMania but that is in time for a match.
Will he have the time for match fitness and to try and test it out beforehand? Will he have time to build a storyline? So, at the moment, from what I can tell, AJ Styles will not be at WrestleMania.
