AJ Styles, the SmackDown superstar, made a surprise appearance on Monday’s WWE Raw, and it was reportedly due to someone VERY high up in management.
The room was electric as Styles expressed respect for his Night Of Champions 2023 opponent, Seth Rollins, before partnering with the new World Heavyweight Champion to face The Judgment Day in the main event of the evening.
And the mastermind behind this last-minute shakeup? None other than Vince McMahon himself’‹’‹.
AJ Styles added to WWE RAW
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the decision to add AJ Styles to Raw was a direct call from the Executive Chairman.
Parts of the show were hastily redone to make room for AJ’s segment and match, but besides that, everything went down as originally planned. It was an “easy night in terms of creative, production, and execution for the company” Johnson stated’‹.
Styles and Rollins: From Rivals to Partners
Just a few days ago, Styles faced Rollins at Night Of Champions, falling short of becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion.
Fast forward to Monday, and the duo were confronted by The Judgment Day on Raw. In a twist of fate, this led to Styles and Rollins teaming up against Damian Priest and Finn Balor in the main event, where they emerged victorious’‹.
McMahon Holds the Reins
At 77, McMahon still appears to havethe final say on all things WWE creative, overshadowing even Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque’s position as Chief Content Officer.
The decision to bring Styles into Raw, despite his recent draft to SmackDown, underscores this power dynamic’‹ in mid-2023.
A New Chapter for Styles?
Just last month, Styles and the rest of The OC were drafted from Raw to SmackDown. But this unexpected return to Raw raises questions.
Is this a sign of a new chapter for Styles, or is it just a one-off strategic move by McMahon? We’ll have to wait and see on that.
