Why Did A.J. Styles Punch Vince McMahon

– Who else was a little shocked that A.J. Styles punched Vince McMahon during the close of this week’s Christmas edition of SmackDown LIVE? Well, PW Torch’s Wade Keller recently chimed in on the segment during the SmackDown LIVE recap, stating that this promo may be a flag that The Phenomenal One might be groomed to hit the “next level” within the company.

As Keller noted, the punch could possibly signal that VKM is trying to bring out Styles’ aggression and give him a “McMahon” rub of sorts to get him to the next level; the Chairman does believe he has a “touch” when it comes to these matters.

With this New Era and Vince taking a more active role within both rosters on television, it’ll be interesting to see how the Styles character evolves in the new year. Interestingly enough, according to PWInsider’s William Green, Styles is currently suffering from the flu, and missed the most-recent live event in Chicago due to the illness. No word yet on when A.J. is set to return to in-ring action; however, here’s hoping this sickness doesn’t stop his momentum moving forward. That SD LIVE closing segment was simply, well, phenomenal!

– Speaking of Vinnie Mac, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that The Chairman is quite high on Mandy Rose right now and is looking to turn the female talent into a star. It seems the idea around her push is the same idea/gimmick he had with Lana; a huge introduction along with some theatrics. Sadly, this character concept never worked for Lana; or even Eva Marie and Emma (when she was “Emmalina”), for that matter.

Here’s hoping it does work for Rose, though. With that said, the WWE Universe should expect to see more from Mandy come 2019, as it seems she may be pushed into the forefront of the SD LIVE women’s division soon.

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