AJ Styles' First 10 WWE PPV Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best
Undoubtedly, AJ Styles is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. It seemed increasingly unlikely that Styles would ever wrestle in WWE but that all changed when he was a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble match.
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Nevertheless, Styles was destined for greatness in his WWE career as he mixed it up with the very best in the business quite early on in his WWE run. Styles captivated audiences, whether he was a babyface or a heel, and he put on many memorable matches. His first 10 matches on pay-per-view ranked amongst the very best that someone has produced in a calendar year.
10 The Club Vs. John Cena, Enzo & Cass - Battleground 2016
The draft lottery took place in July 2016, and AJ Styles was drafted to SmackDown with his good friends Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson moving to Raw. The Club teamed up for one last time as they went head-to-head with John Cena, Enzo, and Cass in a six-man tag team match at Battleground.
This was a decent six-man tag team match with all six men performing very well. Cena recovered after Luke Gallows delivered a thunderous Spinebuster onto the announce table. Big Match John delivered an outstanding Avalanche Attitude Adjustment on Styles for the huge victory.
9 AJ Styles Vs. Chris Jericho - Fastlane 2016
Styles' first singles pay-per-view match was against none other than Chris Jericho at Fastlane 2016. Both men were held in high regard with the fans as they chanted their names. The action was magnificent, and Styles was going for his patented Phenomenal Forearm but Y2J countered it with a Springboard Elbow of his own.
Jericho was going to be extremely tough to beat as he managed to kick out of Styles' Styles Clash. Ultimately, The Phenomenal One was not going to be denied as he forced Jericho to submit to his debilitating Calf Crusher.
8 Royal Rumble Match - Royal Rumble 2016
The roof was almost blown off the building at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida when AJ Styles entered the 2016 Royal Rumble match as the third entrant. It was Styles' WWE debut, and Roman Reigns' WWE Championship was on the line.
Styles wasted no time by eliminating Tyler Breeze alongside Reigns, and he also removed Curtis Axel from proceedings. It was a valiant effort from Styles, who lasted one minute shy of 30 minutes, and he was going to plant Neville with his Styles Clash but Kevin Owens intervened and threw him over the top rope.
7 AJ Styles Vs. Dean Ambrose - Backlash 2016
Two of SmackDown's very best collided for the WWE Championship at Backlash 2016. The Phenomenal One was seeking his first major title in WWE after a stellar 2016. Despite being a heel, Styles was largely backed by the fans, and he had a clear advantage in the early exchanges.
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Styles expertly worked on The Lunatic Fringe's ankle throughout the match and Ambrose executed a picture-perfect Suicide Dive onto Styles which saw Styles end up on the announcers' laps. However, Styles' crowning moment finally arrived when he low-blowed Ambrose, and planted Ambrose with a Styles Clash, clinching the WWE Title in a superb battle.
6 AJ Styles Vs. Chris Jericho - WrestleMania 32
The Phenomenal One's WrestleMania bow came against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 32. Y2J was hellbent on revenge, after losing to Styles at Fastlane. Once again, Styles and Jericho tore it up, and WrestleMania 32 wasn't the best of WrestleManias in recent years.
Nevertheless, Styles and Jericho carried on where they left off at Fastlane, and the match flowed much better at WrestleMania. They kicked out of each other's respective finishers but Jericho got the last laugh as he caught Styles in mid-air with a jaw-dropping Codebreaker for the win.
5 AJ Styles Vs. Roman Reigns - Payback 2016
With WrestleMania 32 in the rear-view mirror, Roman Reigns defended his newly won WWE Championship against AJ Styles at Payback 2016. The Big was accustomed to hostile receptions with fans chanting "Roman Sucks" and "You Can't Wrestle."
In fairness to Reigns, he put on a superb performance, and Styles proved that he can hang with the big boys. Despite interference from Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and The Usos the match was still a high-quality one. Reigns managed to bypass Styles' Phenomenal Forearm, and he retained the WWE Championship with a thunderous Spear.
4 AJ Styles Vs. Dean Ambrose Vs. John Cena - No Mercy 2016
The true main event of No Mercy 2016 actually opened up the show with AJ Styles putting the WWE Championship on the line against Dean Ambrose and John Cena. Big Match John was fighting for history as he was chasing a record-tying 16th World Championship.
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Fans were in store of a treat with the action being fast and furious, and it got the show off to a blistering start. However, Cena locked The Phenomenal One with an STF, whilst Ambrose put Styles in the Calf Crusher simultaneously. Styles submitted but the match restarted, and Styles assaulted Cena with two vicious steel chair shots to retain the WWE Championship.
3 AJ Styles Vs. Roman Reigns - Extreme Rules 2016
After a hard-hitting battle at Payback 2016, AJ Styles had another golden opportunity to wrestle the WWE Championship away from Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules 2016. They clashed in an Extreme Rules match which closed out the show.
They battled through the crowd, and Styles landed a beautiful Phenomenal Forearm off the table which was used for the pre-show. The match was a violent one, and Gallows, Anderson, and The Usos intervened once more. Reigns wasn't ready to part with his WWE Championship after he kicked out of the Styles Clash on the steel chair. Reigns retained the WWE Title in a hard-fought contest but the returning Seth Rollins was his next challenger as he laid him out with a Pedigree.
2 AJ Styles Vs. John Cena - Money In The Bank 2016
Dream matches sometimes fail to live up to the hype but AJ Styles and John Cena delivered an instant classic at Money in the Bank 2016. It was their first meeting, and fans were clearly on Styles' side.
Fans were mesmerized at what they were witnessing as both men pulled out the stops to make this a memorable affair. However, Cena was in a prime position to prevail but The Club interfered and proved to be resourceful by nailing Cena with Magic Killer with Styles picking up the scraps to earn a monumental victory.
1 AJ Styles Vs. John Cena - SummerSlam 2016
AJ Styles and John Cena are two of the greatest all-time superstars to represent SmackDown. They had a rematch at SummerSlam 2016 with Cena looking to level up the scores in their incredible rivalry.
They topped their Money in the Bank match, and Cena made Styles look like a million bucks in this contest. There was a chain of events that were strung well together. Styles executed a remarkable Hurricanrana followed by his Phenomenal Forearm which Cena kicked out of. Cena planted Styles with an Avalanche AA but The Phenomenal One solidified his spot as The Face That Runs The Place by keeping Cena down with another Phenomenal Forearm.
