Former TNA and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles made his anticipated WWE debut tonight at the Royal Rumble as entrant number 3.
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For almost thirty years, the Royal Rumble has been one of WWE’s marquee events. Winning the Rumble is surely a career-defining moment, and since 1993, guaranteed the victor a title shot at WrestleMania.
Styles, real name Allen Jones, has been rumored for a few weeks now to have signed with the WWE, but details have been under deep secrecy. Styles has wrestled professionally for over 20 years now and his debut with the sports-entertainment juggernaut has been a long time coming.
HE’S HERE! #RoyalRumble entrant No. 3 is… @AJStylesOrg!!!!! pic.twitter.com/C31mGeHVk3
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 25, 2016
He is a seven-time world champion and was named Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s (PWI) #1 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the world in 2010. He was one of the cornerstones of the NWA-TNA brand, later dubbed simply TNA Wrestling, then Impact Wrestling, but left the company in 2013 out of frustration.
Styles was recently seen in Ring of Honor and New Japan Professional Wrestling, becoming a staple for both companies in their main event scene.
Now the question remains of not if Styles can become WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but when.
