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MAJOR WWE SPOILER (YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)

By Mike Johnson on 2016-01-20 15:13:54
Former NWA, TNA and IWGP Heavyweight champion AJ Styles will begin his tenure with WWE this coming week, PWInsider.com has confirmed. 

Styles is scheduled to be at the Royal Rumble this Sunday in Orlando, Florida as well as this week's Raw and Smackdown tapings in Miami and Tampa, respectively.  Styles teased his debut over the weekend in The UK, noting on the mic at a RevPro event that should a Rumble match slot be "open for him", he would take it. 

Whether he debuts at the Rumble PPV (and how he debuts) remains to be seen, but AJ Styles will be making his WWE debut very soon.

As previously reported on PWInsider.com, TNA made a heavy play to bring Styles, one of their original stars, back to the fold with a big money offer said to be 3-4 years in length, but in the end, Styles opted to sign with WWE.

Styles, 38, first came to prominence as an early standout in the first year of Ring of Honor before cementing himself nationally as one of the cornerstone stars of TNA's X-Division when that company was founded in 2002.  He rose to World title main event status as well as becoming the star most associated with the TNA brand.  Styles departed TNA at the end of 2013 when he turned down a reduced contract from the company during a time when they were cost-cutting at all levels.

Styles immediately returned to ROH and debuted as a regular for New Japan Pro Wrestling as a member of the Bullet Club, putting together an incredible string of in-ring performances in each company.  In New Japan, he won the IWGP Heavyweight championship almost immediately and had two runs with the belt.   He finished up with New Japan on 1/4 and this Saturday, will make a signing appearance that will double as his farewell appearance in ROH in Duluth, GA.  For tickets to that event, visit www.ROHWrestling.com.

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