Seth Rollins and AJ Styles will face off at the upcoming WWE event Night of Champions after the two came out on top of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament, and there's already a sense that this may not be your normal feud between superstars. Ahead of the title bout between these future WWE Hall of Famers, Rollins decided to raise the hype level for the match by sharing an epic throwback pic that definitely has me more excited.
These two superstars have a wrestling history that predates their time in the WWE, as longtime fans might know, and Rollins has spoken in the past of a match they had over 15 years ago in an Iowa gymnasium, long before either made it into the WWE, and before Seth's middle name was "Freakin." Rollins shared a photo from the aforementioned gym showdown, tagging his upcoming opponent in the tweet:
#NightOfChampions @AJStylesOrg @WWE pic.twitter.com/ZTm9InOaE4May 15, 2023
Those not in the know may be interested to learn that following this match, AJ Styles gave a very uplifting promo in Rollins' favor. Styles told the crowd that Rollins gave him the match of his life, and proclaimed the then-19-year-old as the future of the wrestling industry (via Twitter). The two wrapped things up by hugging it out in front of a cheering crowd.
It would seem that, by referencing this moment, we're prepared to see a very different type of match between Seth Rollins than we've seen lately. Rollins has a habit of disrespecting his opponents through various forms of mockery and can have an overly cocky attitude.
So to see him tweet about a moment that he's said in the past is so important to him, it makes it seem like Rollins will actually treat AJ Styles with a sense of respect, which is a nice change of pace and a reason to get pumped. I'm also staying open to the possibility that this is one of the athlete's classic mind games, because heels love to try and swerve their opponents.
WWE fans no doubt already have high hopes for an AJ Styles and Seth Rollins showdown, regardless of what either is tweeting about. When it comes to the best in-ring performers and charismatic on the mic, they're right up there with the very best. Considering Styles was out for some time with a broken ankle since late 2022, we haven't seen a whole lot of his efforts as of late, but either man is well-deserving of such a description.
Should Seth Rollins win, not much will change in the grand scheme of things in the WWE. If AJ Styles is the victor, however, that'd be quite a big shakeup for the SmackDown superstar. As the World Heavyweight Champion, he'd be making the post-draft switch over to Monday Night Raw, which would presumably mean that he'd be separated from The O.C. and wouldn't have Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, or Michin to back him up in future title matches. Of course, the WWE could always bring the whole faction over, so we'll just have to see how this shakes out.
WWE will stream its Night Of Champions Premium Live Event on Peacock on Saturday, May 27th. Tune in to see AJ Styles and Seth Rollins clash, as well as some other big matchups set for Saudi Arabia.
