Most wrestling fans would agree that AJ Styles is a phenomenal wrestler, and he’s heading into this year’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view as the WWE Champion. Styles has been a big time player for WWE over the past year, but he was recently relegated to the back of the Royal Rumble poster, so that WWE could push stars like Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker to the front.
The snub caused a lot of commotion on social media, and WWE even used the backlash as part of an angle on SmackDown and Talking Smack. AJ Styles recently spoke to Sporting News, and he noted that although he wasn’t thrilled with his placement on the poster, fans on social media seem to be more upset about it than he was.
“It’s actually people reacting on Instagram and Twitter showing me. I think they were a little more upset than I was. I get what’s going on here on the poster. Those are your stars that have been here for a long time. So I get it. They’re in marquee matches as well. They’re faces that people recognize. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy with it. I think that the WWE Champion should be definitely up front but, at the same time, I understand the reasoning for the poster.”
While AJ Styles is set to walk into the Royal Rumble with the WWE Championship, his buddy Samoa Joe isn’t featured on the Royal Rumble card or the NXT Takeover: San Antonio card. However, it’s rumored that Joe might be making his main roster debut this weekend.
AJ Styles was also asked if he’s interested in facing off against Samoa Joe on the main roster, and Styles thinks that it’s just a matter of time before we see Samoa Joe on the main roster.
“Well, Joe is an amazing wrestler. There’s no doubt about that. Always has been. Joe is one of my really good friends. It’s just a matter of time before he’s on the roster. It wouldn’t surprise me if he showed up on Sunday. There’s always surprises in the Royal Rumble and you try not to get surprised, you try to see it coming but that’s what makes the Royal Rumble so fun. If Joe doesn’t show up on Sunday, he’ll definitely show up soon. I know it.”
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