Paul Heyman reacts to former WWE Champion's shocking heel turn on SmackDown

After taking yet another off period, Roman Reigns returned to WWE SmackDown this past Friday night. Paul Heyman was usually ecstatic to be in the presence of The Tribal Chief. However, the latter was not the only one to resurface on the show. AJ Styles shocked the fans in the closing moments of the show.

The former WWE Champion hit the phenomenal forearm out of nowhere on Reigns and subsequently wiped out The Bloodline with LA Knight and Randy Orton.

In what looked like a routine babyface moment that followed - clearing the heels out of the ring - Styles caught Knight and the viewers off guard. He hit The Megastar of WWE with a clothesline and then walked out on the babyfaces. The Bloodline were equally confused by what transpired.

Check out Heyman's recapping on Instagram below:

Did AJ Styles turn heel?

On the upcoming edition of SmackDown, AJ Styles makes his in-ring return as he takes on The Tribal Heir, Solo Sikoa. He may have also confirmed his turn as he donned a new all-black outfit. You can check out the full spoilers as the show was pre-taped.

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AJ Styles vs. LA Knight for WWE WrestleMania 40?

While it still may be too early to ascertain the match card of next year's Show of Shows, AJ Styles vs. LA Knight could be the direction the company is heading, according to veteran Dutch Mantell.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Mantell explained that The Megastar needs a big match that does not look like a demotion on The Grandest Stage. Perhaps this might have been the reason for the creative team to go ahead and book The Phenomenal One attack Knight last Friday:

"Where I think it's gonna go is they needed to find a spot to LA Knight that wasn't a demotion. This is why I think the AJ Styles thing happened tonight. That's the feud - LA Knight, AJ Styles. We're gonna have to have it explained as to why it happened."

If Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are occupied with challengers, perhaps a marquee match against AJ Styles is the right way to go with LA Knight. However, a United States Championship contest against Logan Paul is not out of the realm of possibility, according to the fans.