After weeks of anticipation around AJ Styles’ return, he finally showed up on WWE Smackdown, going straight after Roman Reigns. The Bloodline was the reason behind his kayfabe injury that kept him out of action for a long time. LA Knight was also one of the reasons behind the heel faction going after him and that story will also play out, down the road.
AJ Styles kicked off the final episode of WWE SmackDown in 2023 and cut a promo on having the same goal as Randy Orton and LA Knight’s desire to confront Roman Reigns. He declared his interest in facing Reigns at the Royal Rumble before Knight and Orton eventually came out and declared their attention to go after Reigns, as well with the undisputed title in their vision.
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When AJ Styles made his return to WWE SmackDown after a three-month hiatus, a potential heel turn was teased as he not only targeted Roman Reigns but also went after the babyface figure LA Knight. However, that move might not essentially transit him into a complete and definitive shift to a heel persona.
AJ Styles has his reasons to go after LA Knight
Sean Sapp noted behind Fightful’s paywall that Corey Brennan is reporting that WWE has some interesting plans for AJ Styles and that includes a suitable reasoning as to why he went after Knight,
“Sources tell Corey Brennan that as of now, the direction is for Styles to be somewhat justified in his attack on LA Knight. Another source told Fightful it’s a bit of a “choose your own adventure” situation with Styles. As with any of these situations, creative plans can and will change.”
That being said, it’s safe to say that AJ Styles will be involved in a feud with LA Knight despite the fact that he and Randy Orton would get that coveted undisputed WWE title matchup against Roman Reigns that they are gunning for. On a contradictory note, a multi-person matchup is also possible featuring all four of these individuals present in the situation.
A match was made official for the New Year’s Revolution edition of Smackdown on January 5th: Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. AJ Styles, with the winner earning the opportunity to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Royal Rumble 2024. That match ended in a No Contest and all four of them will now battle in a multi-person match at The Rumble.
