Is AJ Styles doomed to be nothing more than a main event jobber?

[Viazon]

AJ Styles is a huge name in wrestling. So there it is no surprise that he will be given big angles. But will he win any of them? He had a big match against Jericho at Mania but lost. He failed to win the title against Reigns. He now has a big match coming up against John Cena, which I really doubt he will win. I get the feeling that AJ will get the big matches. He will get the main events and the title matches but I think he will lose most of them.

[Str8Shooter]

Less likely to be one now that the brands are splitting. In fact I would bet he gets at least one title run.

There are worse things than losing to all the top guys. Like losing to all the midcard guys.

[Daz]

To be fair, it'd a good role for him. He'll get a great match out of anyone and make them look fantastic in the process. If he never gets the title, it'll be a shame, but there's worse spots to be in.

[DBSoT]

I won't just say Styles, but the Club as a whole are on the path to jobbers. I disagree with the idea that just being there is fine, because it hasn't done any good to anyone else and I don't see why it would start now. If you want Styles to end up like Ambrose then sure, be ok with him losing. There is also another side to this as well and it is who he is going to lose to. He lost to a 45 year old Jericho, a face people boo in Reigns, and then is likely to lose to another face people boo in Cena. It is just frustrating as a fan to have so much ass backwards stuff going on. The face is booed, the heel is cheered, the guy with extra help loses, one guy wins a 3-1 attack, and in the end no new stars are created. This has been the formula for WWE for years now and it just beats you down to to the point it isn't worth watching.

[KaiserGlider]

I think we'll be in a much better position to answer this question after the Cena feud and the brand split are over and done with.

As of now, I think they've used him pretty well. He was pushed to the top very fast and put against Roman where it was obvious he wasn't gonna win, but he still had great showings and managed to elevate his status. The only decision I disagreed with was Wrestlemania against Jericho, but then Styles went on to win the fatal 4-way the next night on Raw to become #1 contender and Jericho went on to put Ambrose over twice, so the loss at Mania doesn't really matter anymore. And it arguably wasn't a totally clean loss. Plus Styles made Jericho tap out at Fastlane.

I don't think it's so much a problem of Styles not winning enough big matches, as much as it is a problem with their top guys like Reigns and Cena not losing enough. If AJ is in the main event feuding against more normal people like Rollins, Owens, Orton, Zayn, etc and still losing most of the time, then we'd have an argument that they see him as someone whose role is to put over other guys.

[Hanley!]

They're jobbing him out too much, for sure. But I think he's going to stay in the mix near the top of the card for a while. I'm getting the impression that they really understand how good a worker he is. Ultimately, he'll always be used to put over the guys that they really like, but it was the same with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Yet they still eventually came to be considered real main event players if only through sheer force of will by the WWE crowds.

I'm just happy that things have changed enough in the company that he's getting a main event spot. Even if he's losing. Three years ago he probably would have been losing to Dolph Ziggler in the opener, rather than Roman Reigns in the main event. That's progress at least. They seem to recognise that with their lack of depth right now, they can't afford to snooze on someone who's a proven main event draw, and a genuine A+ worker.

Call me crazy, but I'm pretty confident that he's going to get a title run on Smackdown. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he was the first new world champion on the brand. It'll depend on the timing of when the new championship is introduced, but I think he's going to get a chance to be the top guy on Smackdown for a few short months. Which is more than most of us would have hoped for from him in WWE.

It's hard not to see the areas where he could have been booked better, but I'm feeling weirdly optimistic about his future. I think there's some good stuff ahead of him.

[prophet]

Yes.

He'll wrestle great matches, float around near the top of the card indefinitely and make everyone look good but he'll never win a World Title in the WWE. They'll let him have a mid-card belt but that'll be his limit.

I also reckon they're going to take The Club away from him eventually and stick them with Balor and it'll be Balor that wins all the World Titles and stuff because for all intensive purposes he's a WWE guy (I mean we know he actually isn't but still, he's never wrestled for TNA and for WWE that's a big plus)

[Str8Shooter]

I love the fact that the internet was scared to death that AJ would come in and be in midcard purgatory, wrestling Ziggler and Sheamus and wouldn't be treated like any kind of big deal.

And from Day 1 in the Rumble he's looked good and has for the most part been in the ring with Future Hall of Famers like Jericho, has had his buddies from Japan come in and be paired with an angle with him, wrestled WWE's top guy right now in main events twice (Reigns), and now had a major heel turn angle and is going to wrestle the Top guy of the past decade possibly at the 2nd biggest PPV of the year.

And people are still finding things to complain about. This is already better than anybody had AJ realistically pegged for in WWE.

[Hanley!]

I get your point, Brett. But it strikes me as a flawed argument.

If I thought someone was going to shoot me in the face, but he actually just shot me in the kneecaps instead, I wouldn't thank him for it.

[Str8Shooter]

I get your point, Brett. But it strikes me as a flawed argument.

If I thought someone was going to shoot me in the face, but he actually just shot me in the kneecaps instead, I wouldn't thank him for it.

Maybe, but there are times when nothing is good enough for peoples faves but winning the World title and getting the Reigns push it seems.

How many guys on the roster right now are being booked better than AJ is? It's short list.

[Hanley!]

Compared to much of their roster, I think Styles is being handled well. And I do think he'll win a Smackdown world title, so I think the company rates him higher than some might think (though I guess time will tell there). But while I like that they're booking him on top, I don't like that they're not justifying it with more wins. He should be winning more on television, and he should have won at Wrestlemania.

Part of people's problem too might be that there seems to be an opportunity going to waste with Styles. The Bullet Club thing created a buzz early and then fizzled when nothing much was done with it. The WWE has a second chance now that Styles has turned heel, so hopefully they capitalise on the buzz this time.

[DBSoT]

I get your point, Brett. But it strikes me as a flawed argument.

If I thought someone was going to shoot me in the face, but he actually just shot me in the kneecaps instead, I wouldn't thank him for it.

Maybe, but there are times when nothing is good enough for peoples faves but winning the World title and getting the Reigns push it seems.

How many guys on the roster right now are being booked better than AJ is? It's short list.

There is a wide margin between losing every fued you have had and winning the World title. I also would probably give WWE the benefit of a doubt if they hadn't done this stuff before. Kevin Owens, Rusev, Ambrose, and Bray Wyatt. All guys with big potential that lost to Cena or Reigns and ended up in the mid card. Styles is not a midcarder and I am fully aware that WWE will try to put him there. WWE also doesn't protect stables anymore outside of the Authority or New Day (sort of). The WWE has wasted potential for years and if you don't think they will do it again than your blind.

[KaiserGlider]

I think there's reasons to be optimistic about this Cena feud. They're billing it as a Wrestlemania dream match, which shows that Styles is in a totally different league from guys like Rusev and Owens. Then Styles literally said on Raw:

"Cause everybody who knows this place knows that once you wrestle John Cena and lose, it's time to get out the shovels, because guys like you bury guys like me. The Club is here to make sure AJ Styles' head stays above ground". I'm looking forward to this.

[Kreashko]

Is there such a thing? I mean when you're in the main event you didn't exactly "job" to get there and if you "job" in the main event, you wouldn't exactly be in the main event anymore to begin with so...no?

[Hanley!]

Is there such a thing? I mean when you're in the main event you didn't exactly "job" to get there and if you "job" in the main event, you wouldn't exactly be in the main event anymore to begin with so...no?

Styles kinda did job to get there though. And he jobbed there and he's still there.

So yeah. Disagreed with everything you just said there. And that's the problem. Wins and losses should mean something.

[Circled Square]

Is there such a thing? I mean when you're in the main event you didn't exactly "job" to get there and if you "job" in the main event, you wouldn't exactly be in the main event anymore to begin with so...no?

Styles kinda did job to get there though. And he jobbed there and he's still there.

So yeah. Disagreed with everything you just said there. And that's the problem. Wins and losses should mean something.

fifty fifty booking kills me inside