AJ Styles could be performing at his final SummerSlam.
During the SummerSlam Kickoff on Friday, Styles dropped a bomb on fans while discussing the importance of his match against Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio.
“If I’m being honest with you guys, this may be my last SummerSlam,” Styles revealed. “So, I plan on tearing the house down one last time at SummerSlam for you guys.”
If this is Styles’ last trip to the biggest party of the summer, he plans on going out just as he came in. In 2016,
Styles made his SummerSlam debut in phenomenal fashion, defeating John Cena in an outstanding match. In its recent ranking of the 25 greatest matches in SummerSlam history, WWE named their encounter as the show’s second best match ever.
“The match with John Cena set the tone for AJ Styles’ career in the WWE, so SummerSlam is very special to me,” Styles said.
Styles’ revelation is bound to sadden many, but it’s a fact of sports and entertainment. Nothing lasts forever. The good news is what this could mean for Dominik Mysterio, whose stock has been soaring in WWE for more than a year. With Styles possibly on the way out, Mysterio is poised to claim the biggest win of his career.
As many fans know, there is an unwritten rule about exits. As Vince McMahon famously said after Survivor Series in 1997:
“There’s a time-honored tradition in the wrestling business that when someone is leaving, they show the right amount of respect to the WWF superstars, in this case, who helped make you that superstar. You show the proper respect to the organization that helped you become who you are today.”
Styles, who reportedly signed a one-year deal with WWE and is a respected veteran, will likely show Mysterio that respect on Sunday when they meet. The timing couldn’t be better, as Mysterio, the Intercontinental Champion, prepares to add more gold to his collection.
In less than two weeks, “Dirty” Dom is heading to Mexico. There, he’ll compete for Lucha Libre AAA’s top title, the Mega Championship, at Triplemanía, the promotion’s biggest event of the year. It has been suggested that Mysterio winning the gold and bringing it to Raw on Netflix is an idea that all parties involved are in favor of.
Thus, if Styles puts over Mysterio at SummerSlam, he’ll also be doing his part to help lift AAA. And if he can deliver anywhere near the kind of match he had with Cena in 2016, it could mean even bigger things for Mysterio in the future.
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