AJ Styles was just listed as an “alumni” on the official WWE website. Naturally, this started all sorts of WWE rumors around the Internet, including fans asking if this means that after WrestleMania, AJ Styles will no longer be on the WWE roster? What does this new online status mean for the former World Champion?
— Still Real To Us (@stillreal2us) March 15, 2017
Let’s first start with the WWE rumors from Cageside Seats. They were the first to report that the official status of AJ Styles had been changed on the WWE website, leading to speculation that he’d been fired.
“Following up on the latest episode of SmackDown (March 14) where Styles waited for commissioner Shane McMahon to arrive, assaulted him in the parking lot, was fired by General Manager Daniel Bryan then challenged to a match at Mania by McMahon, WWE had Bryan claim on Talking Smack he wasn’t booking AJ vs. Shane because he couldn’t be sure his boss was of sound mind when he threw down the gauntlet. So, officially, at the end of the night, the Phenomenal One was still not a WWE employee. As such, the company website moved him from the “Active Superstars” section of the roster to “WWE Alumni.”
Daily Photo! #AjStyles pic.twitter.com/4mM9hwpkdv
— AJ Styles Online (@AjStylesOnline_) March 15, 2017
We’ll recall, on SmackDown last night, that AJ Styles was “fired” by Daniel Bryan because he confronted Shane McMahon ahead of their proposed WrestleMania match.
But according to the latest WWE rumors from Still Real To Us, AJ Styles isn’t fired from the company for good; he’s just moving to Monday Night Raw.
“Is The Phenomenal One still fired from the blue brand or does the Commissioner’s supposed challenge put him back on the roster and into an intensely-personal match at The Ultimate Thrill Ride?” This week’s episode of SmackDown Live certainly sent mixed messages to the fans in regards to what the future holds for AJ Styles. It will be interesting to see how the situation is handled in the weeks to come, as there are only two more episodes of SmackDown set to air before WrestleMania 33.”
AJ Styles Throws Shane McMahon Through A Car Window, Styles Fired On SmackDown #WWE #SDLive https://t.co/pW0RVb8501 pic.twitter.com/YPqrX4nAce
— Still Real To Us (@stillreal2us) March 15, 2017
But that’s not all! According to the latest WWE rumors from For The Win, this might just all be one big setup for the AJ Styles/Shane McMahon match at WrestleMania 33. We’re just a few weeks away from wrestling’s big night, and the anticipation is building up to a fever pitch.
Let’s remember that a main event hasn’t yet been announced, and this might mean that this bout between Styles and McMahon would be the big event on the biggest event in wrestling.
“Here’s what we know about Shane McMahon: He is not afraid to take crazy bumps to wow the crowd with that singular moment. Think back to last year’s WrestleMania. What do you remember? Shane jumping off the top of Hell In A Cell has to be on that list. (Or see Survivor Series when he took a spear from Roman Reigns that legitimately injured him after leaping off the top rope.) Expect some sort of stipulation to be added here. Maybe Styles needs to win to get his job back on SmackDown. Or maybe this turns into some sort of gimmick match to potentially give McMahon a better chance. No one expects McMahon to go hold for hold, move for move with Styles. Few wrestlers in the world can. But when it comes to how WWE handles WrestleMania, the story is the thing. And we know Styles can tell a story in the ring.”
What do you think of this latest round of WWE rumors? Do you think AJ Styles has been fired or is he moving to Monday Night Raw? Is this just promotion for WrestleMania?