Reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion A.J Styles will reportedly take his talent to WWE's flagship brand RAW after the completion of his program on SmackDown next year, according to WrestleTalk.com.
According to WWE insiders, Vince McMahon is very impressed with Styles, particularly his feud with John Cena this year. He has been arguably the top heel on Smackdown (probably better than the Miz) since the Brand Split last July.
WrestleTalk discusses the possibility of moving the WWE Draft earlier, probably a month after Wrestlemania. Styles apparently is the no.1 choice of McMahon to spearhead the RAW brand which is already loaded with superstar talents like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens.
For the meantime, Styles is reportedly programmed to wrestle with James Ellsworth for the fourth and hopefully final time, now that his feud with Dean Ambrose ended at WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs.
Bleacher Report writer Alfred Konuwa thinks WWE is moving on to the another championship feud between Styles and the Undertaker, which will likely culminate in next year's Royal Rumble.
Now that Styles' feud with Dean Ambrose is (hopefully) over, he'll move forward with plans to face James Ellsworth for the fourth time. From there, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), there's a good chance he will face The Undertaker at the 2017 Royal Rumble.
Once Styles is healed up, WWE will be best-served having Styles squash Ellsworth convincingly because A) it'll make him that much stronger of a potential opponent if he faces The Undertaker and B) that's what Ellsworth is for.
On the other hand, there's also the possibility of him becoming a baby face and then take on the Miz at Wrestlemania 33.
