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A photo of WWE legend AJ Styles.

A “Phenomenal” Retrospective of the WWE Career of AJ Styles

Styles Proved Himself as a Babyface and a Heel

Wrestling fans have always been mesmerized and amazed by AJ Styles’ in-ring prowess, with many referring to him as the greatest in-ring performer of his generation. However, in WWE, the Phenomenal One excelled in character development, both as a heel and a babyface.

Considering his small size and sheer in-ring prowess, fans have always been drawn towards Styles. He has traditionally excelled in the underdog role, but the TNA veteran excelled in WWE largely as a fighting champion who fought bravely and valiantly with honor.

The Phenomenal One was also brilliant as a villain. His work during the build-up to WrestleMania 36, where he made things personal with the Undertaker by bringing up his wife, Michelle McCool, was incredible character work. More recently, the fake retirement angle he pulled with Cody Rhodes in May 2024 was also a stroke of genius.

The Phenomenal One Became a Grand Slam Champion

Styles was always destined for greatness in WWE, and within 5 years of his arrival, he entered the elite club of Grand Slam Champions. The Phenomenal One won the top prize for the first time in 2016. The next year, he added the US Title to his resume. During the pandemic era, the legend added the Intercontinental Championship to his list of accomplishments.

Image of WWE's AJ Styles
Photo by Miguel Discart & Kiri Karma (Photos Vrac), CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Only the Tag Team Championship remained, and Styles ticked that box at WrestleMania 37. The Phenomenal One successfully teamed with Omos to defeat the New Day to win the RAW Tag Team Championships. In the process, he became a Grand Slam Champion and entered an elite club of legends.

 

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling

Header photo – WikiMedia Creative Commons – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on AJ Styles and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.

You can check out WWE programming on Netflix (Raw, WWE archives, WWE Unreal, and other specials), USA Network (SmackDown), The CW (NXT), ESPN (WWE PLEs), Tubi (WWE Evolve), A&E (WWE Superstar Sunday – Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and Peacock (Saturday Night’s Main Event). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on YouTube.

About Shiraz Aslam

Shiraz Aslam is a young journalist based in Pakistan. He has written extensively for Sportskeeda with more than a thousand articles published on the site over 7+ years. Aside from writing about pro wrestling, Shiraz has also written entertainment, cultural, and cricket based articles for Brandsynario and Youlin Magazine.

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