AJ Styles Has Had One of the Most Interesting Paths to the WWE Championship

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Brock Lesnar just put on one of his finest matches since his return to WWE, but he sure had one hell of a dance partner in AJ Styles. At Survivor Series, the two put on one of my favorite matches of the year so far. It was full of suspense, near falls, and clean wrestling. At one point, I actually thought Styles would win the match, and that’s a testament to the amount of respect that Lesnar, Vince McMahon, and everyone in the WWE have for “The Phenomenal One.”

It got me thinking….Styles has been in the WWE for just a little under two years now. He’s had quality rivalries with Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, John Cena, Shane McMahon, Kevin Owens, and Baron Corbin since then. Only working the big dogs as you can tell. He’s on his second WWE Championship reign, one that very well could see him walk into Wrestlemania 34 as champion, and he’s won a couple of United States Championships along the way.

That’s rarefied air for a guy who’s only been in the WWE for about two years. Again, this is just a testament to the amount of respect the decision makers at WWE have for the career Styles has had. He bypassed NXT altogether, and debuted at the 2016 Royal Rumble, which is a moment that still remains as one of the most shocking in recent years.

But, would he still be here if his path was any different than it was?

After a brief run in collapsing 2001 WCW, Styles turned down a WWE contract in 2002. The reason? Not for politics, or because he didn’t believe the WWE would utilize him properly. But, because he wanted to be with his wife as she finished college. So, what did he do? He wrestled in TNA from 2002 all the way to 2013. Sure, he had some matches in Ring of Honor sprinkled along the way. But, he was effectively “Mr. TNA.” I can remember those early days, watching Styles at the Nashville Fairgrounds, and thinking, “wow – this guy is something special.”

When he closed the book on his TNA career, he shipped out to Japan. There, he became a two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He routinely put on ‘Match of the Year’ candidates, and started popping regularly on ‘Wrestler of the Year’ lists.

By the time he debuted in 2016, 14 years had passed between his initial denial of WWE’s offer and his WWE debut. 14 years.

What would have happened with Styles if he came to WWE in 2002? I find it hard to believe much of anything would have. The rosters were loaded in that era, and Styles was simply not as good in 2002 as he was in 2015-16. It’s interesting to think about. Where would he have fit in during the Ruthless Aggression era? Would he have been the cornerstone of the Cruiserweight Division? Would he have been given a legitimate shot against the midcard guys like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, or Rob Van Dam? Could he have been in Evolution? Or, would he have been thrown into a tag team with Charlie Haas and discarded months later? I tend to lean towards the latter.

But, Styles was much more patient than that. Essentially, he became the best wrestler in the world and then came to the WWE. To use a sports analogy, this is like Aaron Rodgers taking his time to develop and hone his craft behind Brett Favre. Then, when the time came to start, he became one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks.

This almost feels like a victory parade, and I don’t think he would’ve achieved this had he signed on way back in 2002. You keep seeing all these legends rumored to come out of retirement because they want to wrestle Styles. He made it to the mountaintop everywhere, and now reports are surfacing that he doesn’t have too many full-time years left in him. Regardless, I firmly believe that when this is all said and done, Styles will have a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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