As reported earlier, AJ Styles suffered a separated shoulder back in January. It happened after he ended up digesting a spear from Edge at the Royal Rumble match. At one point, there were doubts regarding his WrestleMania status but he was back on TV in due course. AJ Styles has appeared on both Raw and PPV events since then, but he hasn’t really wrestled in full-length matches.
WWE Issues Statement About Corona Virus Ahead Of Wrestlemania 36
As seen on WWE Super ShowDown, AJ Styles appeared on the fourth number to compete against R-Truth who was already down after competing in three prior matches. After tapping him out, The Undertaker choke-slammed him to the mat to get the pinfall win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt7s7s4cJHQ
The following night on WWE Raw, The Phenomenal One was booked to compete in a singles contest against Aleister Black. But instead, WWE forced Black to compete against Gallows and Anderson so that AJ has to wrestle the minimum to win the match.
WWE Raw Superstar AJ Styles Named ‘Wrestler Of The Decade’ By PWI
The intentions of the WWE are pretty clear at this point where the creative team wants to protect AJ Styles from taking bumps as less as possible. The same was confirmed during Wrestling Observer Radio where Dave Meltzer discussed Styles’ current status in WWE. It seems like the company is indeed protecting him.
Why The Undertaker Vs. AJ Styles Is Happening At WWE Wrestlemania 36?
There’s no confirmation whether AJ Styles is still nursing the shoulder injury. But they have applied the less contact clause, for sure,
“I don’t know if AJ is hurt because if you notice AJ’s has done nothing as of late. He hurt his shoulder, but since he came back he hasn’t worked house shows. I Saudi Arabia he really did nothing. I mean if you look back at those two matches [in the Super ShowDown Gauntlet Match] he took one move [from The Undertaker] and he did a match with R-Truth that was nothing.”
“So, yeah I think that maybe they’re protecting him. The other thing too is that because he’s wrestling the Undertaker at WrestleMania, Vince is making sure that he’s booked strong.” (courtesy ringsidenews.com)
Heading into a matchup with The Undertaker needs AJ Styles to look stronger. But at the same time, WWE is having restrictions regarding his in-ring capacity. So they are being forced to put tactics on each of his contests. This is why he’s been booked to compete in a No Disqualification match at Elimination Chamber against Aleister Black.
It looks like the OCs will be fully involved in this kind of environment where their interference won’t be a bar, at all. Thus, AJ won’t have to be fully involved in the match.
