AJ Styles One Step Away From History After Intercontinental Title Win Against Daniel Bryan
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The much awaited Intercontinental Championship match between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan finally took place on Smackdown. As was being reported, the pre-recorded match was an absolute barnburner with AJ getting his hands on the gold.
With this, AJ has now held all three major singles championships in the WWE. These are the WWE Championship, the United States Championship and the Intercontinental Championship. He just needs the tag team titles now to become a Grand Slam Champion.
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Even though it wasn’t your typical modern day wrestling match, it was a highly entertaining affair. Both men put on a technical clinic with some really clean holds. It almost felt like Bryan was back in Ring of Honor doing what he’s best known for – putting people in locks that defy human biology.
Not just that, WWE gave the two men ample time to display their skills. In fact, a major portion of Smackdown was dedicated to this contest.
Daniel gave us a glimpse of what this match would look like in the beginning itself. He started a slow and methodical destruction of the left arm of AJ Styles through some unique submission moves. AJ retorted with his own strategy targeting the knee of Bryan.
This was an eventual build up towards the trademark submission maneuvers of the two men – namely the yes lock and the calf crusher. One of the good things about this match was that the two men sold their arm and knee injuries till the very end. That’s a rare thing in today’s wrestling where it seems like every performer is invincible and the legitimacy of many moves has declined.
Why did AJ Styles win the Intercontinental Championship?
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Many people wanted Bryan to win the title simply because he’s an extremely loved superstar. Everyone wants the leader of the Yes movement to win back the title that he had once relinquished before his retirement in one of the most emotional moments in WWE history.
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However, as of this moment, AJ Styles being the champion is the best way forward. Smackdown has a lot of babyfaces in the mid card who could benefit immensely from facing AJ Styles for the title. This includes people like Shorty G, Jeff Hardy, Elias, Drew Gulak and Daniel Bryan himself.
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In addition, the top champion on the brand is a babyface in Braun Strowman. They require a strong heel to maintain the balance. Last but not the least, AJ is the perfect ambassador for the prestigious championship.
For a long time, the value of the title has been diminshing due to meaningless rivalries around it. If history is anything to go by, AJ is a no days off champion who will honor the workhorse legacy of the title. That will finally put some spotlight back on the almost redundant mid card scenario on Smackdown.
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