AJ Styles will make his WWE debut soon, possibly at Royal Rumble

So when The Animal dumped Roman Reigns to win the 30-man match in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, without Bryan ever stepping into the squared circle, they understandable lashed out at WWE.

It makes sense to debut him as a surprise participant in the Royal Rumble, both because it satisfies the thirst for a big surprise and because he spent so much of his career working for TNA in the area.

The 30-year-old WWE World Heavyweight Champion’s title will be up for grabs, as he will be the first to enter the ring, and thereby faces an uphill task to retain his title. Cole says Lesnar is coming for Reigns. I’ll tell you what, if I’m not recovering from some weird armbar submission and there’s a spot in the Royal Rumble.

To add the speculation and buzz around the event and Styles, 15-time WWE champion John Cena posted an image of “The Phenomenal” on his official Instagram account. In 2015, ESPN referred to Lesnar as “the most accomplished athlete in pro wrestling history”. “I don’t deserve a thing, I don’t deserve you but I’ll tell you, if you put me in that Royal Rumble I’ll kick some ass for you guys”, Styles said as quoted by Wrestle Zone.

AJ Styles has never even appeared on a WWE PPV or “Raw”, let alone held the company’s top championship, but he’s among the leading candidates to be a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble.

The event will be aired live on Sunday 24 February at 8pm EST on the WWE Network.

WWE has dropped a few hints regarding who might appear in the Royal Rumble.