SUMMARY
- AJ Styles has always wished to have a match against Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
- However, here are some reasons why Styles may not get his dream match.
AJ Styles is one of the most dedicated performers in pro wrestling history, and his decades-long career proves it. Despite joining WWE very late in his career, he has achieved a lot of success and has been involved in some of the best feuds in recent memory of the organization’s fans.
From his vintage memorable rivalry with John Cena to fighting Cody Rhodes at the recent Backlash PPV, AJ has competed against a variety of top stars. But there’s someone from the company that he hasn’t fought yet, and he is more than interested in going up against him. The superstar is none other than The Rock.
The legendary in-ring performer shared his wish to have a match against Dwayne Johnson in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, but he also had a condition. Revealing the same during the conversation, The Phenomenal One said, “I’m interested, but only if that means The Rock is turning babyface. I’m not interested in being a mediocre bad guy. I want to bring this to a whole new level.”
AJ Styles wants a match with The Rock.
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) May 14, 2024
“I’m interested, but only if that means The Rock is turning babyface. I’m not interested in being a mediocre bad guy. I want to bring this to a whole new level.”
(Interview w/Sports Illustrated) pic.twitter.com/i695lsccJa
With this, Styles made the revelation about his wish to have a dream match with The People’s Champion. But taking a variety of aspects into consideration, it seems that his wish might never come true. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the reasons why the SmackDown star’s dream match with The Brahma Bull might never happen in the WWE.
The Rock has been incredible as a heel
AJ Styles has himself revealed that he wants to face Dwayne Johnson only when the Hollywood star turns a babyface, but it seems unlikely to happen. The reason behind this is The Rock’s recent run as The Final Boss and the kind of success it achieved in a very short span of time.
After returning to take Cody’s spot in the main event of WrestleMania 40, WWE slowly turned Dwayne into a heel. While hints were there for a long time, the slap to Rhodes at the WrestleMania press conference made things clear, and The Brahma Bull officially joined the dark side.
Over the next few weeks, things got even better as The People’s Champion started revisiting his Hollywood Rock persona. From bringing back his concert to wearing printed shirts and also going extreme on the mic, the veteran did some exceptional work throughout his heel run.
Amid all the things he did to add obstacles to The American Nightmare’s story, he even made a return to the ring at Night 1 of The Show of Shows and had a great showing throughout the encounter. As The Rock received a lot of praise from around the world for his heel run as The Final Boss, it seems likely that he’ll continue this character whenever he returns to WWE.
With AJ himself stating that he wants to feud with the veteran only if he’s the heel, it’s probably not something the company would like to do, mainly due to the success they had with The Brahma Bull’s recent run. Due to this aspect, it’s safe to say that The Rock will not be fighting The Phenomenal One anytime soon in WWE.
The Rock might leave WWE again after the Roman Reigns storyline
While the heel persona is something that may not work in favor of AJ Styles, another thing that may not help him is the rumored plans for The Final Boss. On the RAW after WrestleMania XL, The Rock hinted at a potential feud with Cody Rhodes down the line, and many believe that it could eventually happen at this year’s SummerSlam.
If that’s what the Triple H-led promotion is planning for the mega event this summer, there’s a chance that it might eventually lead to the rumored Roman Reigns rivalry. As The Tribal Chief has been away from the company ever since his loss at The Showcase of the Immortals, he’s very likely to make an instant impact whenever he makes a return to the organization.
To fulfill this purpose, WWE might have him interfere during the encouragement between The People’s Champion and The American Nightmare, which could then take us towards a match between The Bloodline Leader and the Hollywood star. But there’s also a high possibility that this feud might be Dwayne’s last one in WWE before he again leaves the organization.
In case that’s really the plan, Johnson is probably going to say goodbye to the Stamford-based promotion after the potential rivalry with The Head of the Table. If that’s what’s going to happen, there’s probably no chance that he gets involved in a storyline with AJ Styles.
The Rock has bigger options than AJ Styles matchup
As already mentioned, Dwayne Johnson may not be staying in WWE for too long, but if he decides to stay with the company for more time, the schedule up to WrestleMania 41 looks already set for him. It’s highly likely that The Final Boss will be a part of storylines with Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns whenever he returns to the organization.
Once he’s done with all this, there might be time for a feud with Styles. But the Triple H-led promotion may not be interested in it, The Rock has bigger options than AJ Styles matchup. Looking at WWE’s landscape, it currently has one of the best rosters in recent memory, and that’s why some special matches are available for Dwayne.
With the kind of involvement Seth Rollins had in the WrestleMania 40 storyline, he could be a great option to have a feud with The People’s Champion. In addition to this, having him fight against his very own Jey Uso could elevate Main Event Jey into a bigger star. He may even fight The Undertaker as Taker chokeslammed him at The Show of Shows.
While these are some of the feuds from the recent stories he has been involved in, there are some vintage rivalries that can be revisited. Talking about the same, a feud against CM Punk could be special, as The Rock and The Straight Edge Superstar share a lot of history. In fact, having John Cena complete his trilogy against Dwayne would also be cool.
Looking at all these possibilities, it’s safe to say that having The Brahma Bull in a feud with AJ Styles may not be the best idea. But as The Phenomenal One revealed his wish to fight Johnson, it’s like a slight ray of hope for those who want these two to have a feud. Thus, it now remains to be seen what’s next for AJ and if he can get his dream against Hollywood Rock in the near future or not.
