3 ways WWE can handle AJ Styles' injury following accident on SmackDown

AJ Styles returned last week on WWE SmackDown after being away from television for several months. Unfortunately, his return was seemingly cut short after the veteran suffered an injury during a match.

After AJ Styles failed to defeat Cody Rhodes at the 2024 Clash at the Castle PLE in Scotland, the former wasn't seen on television for a while but remained active on the house show circuit. On last week's episode of WWE SmackDown, The Phenomenal One finally returned and faced Carmelo Hayes, but the match had to be stopped when he suffered an injury. Various reports then claimed it was just for storyline purposes, but the superstar shared that it was real.

For this list, we will look at three ways WWE can handle AJ Styles' accident on SmackDown.

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#3. Build a storyline around it

It's unfortunate that The Phenomenal One sustained an injury very early in his return. Many fans were looking forward to seeing what he'll do on the Friday show. However, if RAW managed to build an angle around CM Punk's "injury," it's possible they can apply it to Styles too.

Since AJ Styles was injured while sharing the ring with Carmelo Hayes, a feud between them can easily be built around that incident. Styles can make a one-off return to address his injury then confront Hayes and even interfere in some of his ' matches, especially with the young star eyeing the United States Championship.

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#2. Carmelo Hayes and Andrade can continue their feud on WWE SmackDown

While Styles hasn't been busy on the Friday show in the past few months, Carmelo has. Hayes has been engaged in a series of matches against Andrade, one that many enjoyed watching. Since it looks like a feud between AJ and Carmelo won't happen for a while, the Best of Seven match can continue.

Andrade and Carmelo last faced off on the September 27, 2024, episode of SmackDown, with Carmelo winning to even their rivalry at three wins each. With one match remaining to settle the score, both men can elevate the feud by making it more personal and incorporating additional segments to build anticipation.

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#1. AJ Styles can immediately target gold once he returns

Before AJ clashed with Cody Rhodes on the blue brand, he was feuding with LA Knight. Since their feud, the latter defeated Logan Paul for the United States Championship.

Given their history, it wouldn’t be surprising if The Phenomenal One challenged The Megastar for the US Title once he returned from injury. This would also give the champion a chance to prove his worth by defeating a veteran like AJ Styles, solidifying his reign.