Now that WWE Champion AJ Styles looks to have rid himself of Shinsuke Nakamura, the most pertinent question on SmackDown is who will emerge to challenge the Phenomenal One. And it appears we have our answer.
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In 2018, the internet misses nothing — especially if it’s a premature SummerSlam advertisement during an Australian football game. While this is certainly subject to change it looks like we’ll get AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe in Brooklyn.
Shown during the Australian Football League game was Samoa Joe versing Aj Styles #Summerslam pic.twitter.com/aBinbIpbuj
— The 434 (@TheFourThree4) July 8, 2018
Oddly enough, this is the second pay-per-view match Joe and Styles apparently ruined by early promotion. In what would be their SummerSlam rematch, the old TNA rivals are being advertised for a September Hell in a Cell match.
Even if these ads prove to be actual spoilers, there’s still plenty to get excited about. As good as Nakamura vs. Styles was, most fans would agree that it was an underwhelming tale. Part of that is due to the astronomical expectations fans carried into WrestleMania, But instead of an all-time classic, their match will be remembered for Nakamura’s heel turn. The ensuing saga that lasted four pay-per-views will be remembered for the copious amount of low blows used by both men rather than iconic matches.
We’ll hope for another installment of Styles vs. Nakamura down the road, but Samoa Joe‘s arrival to the WWE Championship picture is a snug logical fit.
When healthy, WWE has shown little hesitation ins putting Joe in big spots. After he jumped to SmackDown in April’s superstar Shake-Up, popular theories had him pegged as the next WWE Champion. It looks like that plan is finally underway, but we may not get our first real Joe vs. Styles data point until after Extreme Rules.
Until then, Styles will have his hands full with the ever-popular Rusev. While Rusev’s loss at Extreme Rules is expected, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun along the way. Styles has shown he can have a great match with anyone in the company and has actually expressed a desire to work with Rusev. He said the following during an appearance on E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness
“I have yet to wrestle Rusev and I think that would be really fun, to wrestle a guy like him. But there are guys on the RAW side that I haven’t really been in the ring with like Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. I think people want to see,” he said.
Extreme Rules will be the biggest opportunity of Rusev’s WWE career. even though he’ll be losing, the match could elevate him into becoming a regular on WWE’s bigger stages. However, if these leaks prove to be true, Rusev will be swapped out for Samoa Joe very soon.
