One-on-one for the United States Championship. Two of the best wrestlers in all of the WWE and professional wrestling face each other once again at SummerSlam. AJ Styles, the leader of The OC, former 2x WWE Champion, and the current United States Champion. Ricochet, “WWE’s Resident Superhero”, former NXT North American and United States Champion. A match-up that could very well be the show-stealer on Sunday.
This rivalry began following WWE Stomping Grounds, where Ricochet captured the United States Championship and sat on top of the world. AJ Styles returned to TV and went on to face Ricochet in the main event of Raw. Styles pinned Ricochet clean following a Phenomenal Forearm and it seemed we were on the track for this program to begin. That would prove true as Ricochet would beat him in the next main event between the two on Raw via roll-up, shocking Styles. This was what set Styles off to lead the reforming of The Club, of course now The OC. With the help of his buddies, Styles went on to capture his third United States Championship by pinning Ricochet at Extreme Rules.
Now to reset ourselves. Ricochet is competing to get his United States Championship back and to have the WWE Universe “believe with him”. Stopping The OC from getting involved is something Ricochet will have a tough time figuring out. If he goes in alone this Sunday at SummerSlam, he will walk out without the United States Championship. Perhaps The Street Profits could be of assistance?
It seems as though fans are overlooking this match-up between these two outstanding talents. From a straight-up in-ring standpoint, there may not be a better match on the card that can outwrestle this one. However, there is the problem of this already being their fourth match. The first two on Raw were excellent as was the title match on Stomping Grounds. This is a huge show, you want these two to have as much time as possible to tell the story and perform a match of their caliber.
Ricochet is one of very few to come out of NXT and capture the WWE Universe so quickly. The ability and overall athleticism he has inside the ring is unmatched. Ricochet is trying to demonstrate that this hype that has come with him is much more than just hype. You pair him with one of the best overall wrestlers in the past two decades? There will be magic inside the ring on Sunday once again.
And for AJ Styles, this is a place to show that he’s still got it. A year ago, he was going into SummerSlam as the reigning, defending WWE Champion. Since that title run, fans have somewhat fallen out of love with some of AJ Styles matches, leaving rather disappointed in certain dream match-ups of the past year. For Styles, this is redemption time. For Ricochet, it is time to vanquish the doubters. For both together, it’s their chance to steal the show.
Can “The One and Only” take down the “Phenomenal One” in hopes of recapturing the United States Championship? Or will The OC help Styles go home #AndSTILL?
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this 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 in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. And make sure to watch SummerSlam this Sunday on the WWE Network.
