With 2023 just days away, WrestleMania season is nearly upon us. While there are many exciting upcoming WWE events to be excited about, it seems like the new year may already be off to a rocky start thanks to a reported injury at a WWE house show involving a major star. It’s possible that AJ Styles could miss some time going forward, as the superstar was seemingly injured at a recent house show in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
AJ Styles was part of a six-man tag team match with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson against The Judgment Day on December 29. According to Cagesideseats, Styles went over the top rope to the outside of the ring and apparently suffered a leg injury of some kind during the maneuver. PWInsider reported that AJ Styles' injury was legitimate and that they were told it was believed to be ankle-related. Styles is going to have the ankle looked at, so at this time, there’s no telling just how serious it might be.
Styles might’ve just tweaked the ankle. If this is like the case when when Kevin Owens was injured in November, he could be back in a week or two. Logan Paul also suffered a leg injury in November, however, and we’ve still yet to learn officially when he might be cleared for in-ring action again.
Injuries in the WWE are never ideal, especially in WrestleMania season. The time from January to April is when many of the storylines for the massive two-night event are formed, and AJ Styles potentially being out just before the start of 2023 could jeopardize any plans in place for him.
While it's unknown what the WWE has (or had) planned for AJ Styles ahead of the Royal Rumble in January, it's possible that would have hinted at the plans for the upcoming WrestleMania 39 in early April. Styles has been feuding most of last year with The Judgment Day faction, so I personally figured that WrestleMania plans for Styles would involve a match against Finn Balor or one of its other members.
With that said, AJ Styles is one of the WWE’s most celebrated main event-caliber stars, and with rumors of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returning to wrestling in 2023 and John Cena competing in the final SmackDown of 2022, it’s not hard to imagine he could’ve been factored into their returns in some way. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would’ve loved to see another Cena vs. Styles match at WrestleMania.
We don’t know if or how much time AJ Styles might miss, but his absence might present an opportunity for another WWE talent. There’s no shortage of up-and-coming stars who could use a boost and could benefit from stepping into his level of spotlight. For now, we can only wait and speculate until we know the extent of the injury and if “The Phenomenal One” will be back soon, only out for a little while, or missing until WrestleMania 39 has concluded.
As we wait for updates regarding AJ Styles, wrestling fans can check out some of his best work on streaming, provided they have a Peacock Premium subscription. Hopefully, he’ll be back in the ring soon and able to deliver more “phenomenal forearms” in the near future.
