This Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned when Seth “Freaking” Rollins battles AJ Styles in the finals of a tournament that has stretched across both Raw and Smackdown. Rollins is the heavy favorite to win despite not being on the road with WWE while he wraps up filming on the upcoming Captain America film.
Styles, on the other hand, is seemingly being overlooked when it comes to walking out top this weekend, and possibly deservedly so. Rollins has been on a tear the last few months, winning over the WWE audience with his in-ring charisma and infectious entrance song, while Styles has been sidelined for the last four months with an injury.
In an interview with The New York Post, Styles was asked if the title he’ll be vying for this weekend, which was stripped from the waist of Roman Reigns, should be viewed as a secondary championship since Reigns will have never officially lost it.
“Is it a secondary?” Styles responded “Well if the Raw championship is held by Roman, the SmackDown championship is held by Roman, then how can you argue that it’s not? We had to make a new championship because Roman holds them all.
“What happens if he decides to wrestle for the World Heavyweight championship? It is what it is and we got what we got. If we make the best of it, and if and when Roman does challenge [for it], we beat the brakes off of him, whomever it might be, then we’ll see what title’s secondary.”
Styles went on to discuss how he views the renewed WWE World Heavyweight Championship as the company’s “workhorse” title. He noted that whoever wins will have to be busy defending it on multiple TV and live events, on top of all the other responsibilities that come with being a top WWE title holder. That is the “price you pay,” he concedes, that you have to pony up if you want the recognition that comes with being a world champion.
The Phenomenal One was also quick to point out that his comments are not intended to be critical of Reigns, who currently works a lighter schedule after holding onto the Universal Championship for nearly one thousand days. With both Reigns and Styles drafted to Smackdown, it is possible that the leader of The OC could get another main-event chance if he comes up short against Rollins. In fact, some fans may welcome that, as a feud between The OC and The Bloodline is certainly a tantalizing thought.