5 Ways WWE could return AJ Styles to television

Disclaimer: The views of the author do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda

The Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles was, without a doubt, one of the main highlights of last month's WrestleMania 36. Unfortunately for Styles, however, the "Phenomenal One" not only came up short, but we're surprised he came up at all.

The last image we had of the former WWE Champion before Night One of the show going off the air was his gloved hand sticking out from the ground, the rest of him having been buried by the Deadman.

Thankfully, AJ Styles wasn't really buried (I'm... fairly sure I probably didn't need to tell you that) and - as far as we know - is perfectly healthy and more than capable of getting back in the ring.

Of course, with both the way the match ended as well as the current worldwide situation, there's not exactly a rush to bring him back. And, we don't doubt he's also enjoying a little time off to spend with his wife, family, and billions of video games.

Eventually, though, the "Face that Runs the Place" will be back. The question is, how will WWE do it? Now that his cohorts in The OC, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows, have been released, AJ Styles is pretty much on his own.

Fortunately for WWE, Styles is one of the most versatile performers they've ever had, so there's a lot they can do with him to tell a great story.

Since we think we're just so dang clever, here are five ways we think WWE can return him back into the WWE narrative.

#5. As a man who has hit rock bottom

Take a look at the situation the character of AJ Styles is in right now.

He didn't just lose a match at WrestleMania. He didn't just lose a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania (although, let's be honest, the list of people who have done that isn't exactly short). He ended up being buried alive at the end of the match.

Personally, I've never been buried alive myself, but I don't think I'm being presumptuous in assuming that having that happen to you probably really, really sucks.

Adding to that, his two best friends in the company, Gallows, and Anderson, are gone. In this particular hypothetical storyline, WWE can say that the former Tag Team Champions were so disgusted at Styles losing - especially when they worked so hard to help him during the match - that they simply left the company rather than work with him any further.

On top of that, his family has left. Now, hold on a moment. I'm not suggesting that the story involve AJ's wife divorcing him - that's about as believable as me running a marathon and not dying.

However, the story can say that his wife, Wendy, was so distraught over how the match ended and the fact that AJ Styles put himself in that situation in the first place, that she needed to take the kids somewhere and leave him alone until he "figured things out" or "got some help" or whatever.

So, in this scenario, AJ Styles is a man with nothing to lose. The Undertaker isn't around - and probably won't be for a long time - so Styles has something to prove. He's more humble now... but he's also bitter. He's frustrated... and he needs to take that frustration out on something.

How will AJ pull himself back together? How will he be able to convince his family to come home? How will he prove to both himself and the WWE Universe that he's still the "Phenomenal One"?

#4. Head to NXT

AJ isn't exactly a stranger to NXT - or its stars

Unlike the majority of new talent entering WWE - especially for the first time - AJ Styles didn't begin his run in the company as part of NXT. Instead, he arrived by entering #3 in the 2016 Royal Rumble, making one of the flashiest, most eventful debuts in the company's history.

OK - so, technically, he wrestled a match or two of WWF Jakked back in 2002. But, look, I won't make this any more complicated than it needs to be if you don't. Deal? Cool.

While that was obviously the right call, we can only imagine some of the amazing matches and stories he could have been a part of at that time. But, while the NXT of 2016 was amazing, the NXT of now is beyond awesome. And it's not even really "developmental" anymore.

Right now, there are at least two former "main roster" World Champions on the brand - former Universal Champion Finn Balor and former Divas/RAW/SmackDown Women's Champion (as well as the former and current NXT Women's Champion) Charlotte Flair. And there's a good chance I'm forgetting someone else (let me know in the comments who I'm forgetting and what an idiot I am).

Also, consider this: following the recent spate of releases from the company, there are only two other former Bullet Club members in WWE at the moment - and they're both in NXT. One is the aforementioned Balor (aka Prince Devitt) and the other is the current NXT Champion Adam Cole.

Imagine you're AJ Styles and the possibility of spending a year in NXT - working exclusively in Florida and only having to travel between there and his home in Georgia, working with some of the best talents in the business and getting to help build what is already considered one of the best (if not the best) wrestling brand in the business. How could you pass that up?

AJ still has some time left on his contract, and even though he said this will be his last - like me, he's getting up there in years - there's nothing that says he can't, say, sign a one-year extension if need be. That means there's still plenty of time left for him to be the draw he always has been on RAW or SmackDown - but NXT could use him for a while, too.

#3. Immediately challenge for a World Championship

AJ's got to have another world title run or two in him

Let's assume, for a moment, that both current World Champions - Universal Champion Braun Strowman and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre - walk out of Money in the Bank next month still in possession of their respective titles. This isn't a prediction, by the way - merely a thought experiment. Now, let's imagine a match for either of those titles against their respective holders and the Phenomenal One.

Those are a couple of great bouts just begging to happen.

First off, let's look at the alternatives. We've already seen Styles vs Seth Rollins at least once...

... and as much as I love The Fiend, I don't really want to see him take on Styles right now - regardless of whether it's a title match.

Yes, Styles has taken on Strowman in the past - in the very recent past, at that...

... but that was a title defense. A battle to win a title from Strowman - a Strowman that has just gone through a war with not only his former mentor but the most psychologically manipulative wrestler the WWE has ever seen - while AJ himself is recovering from probably his most devastating loss ever - sounds extremely compelling.

Styles has also had some fairly immediate history against current WWE Champion McIntyre, as well...

... but, again, nothing one-on-one (that I've been able to find, anyway) and certainly not for stakes as high as the WWE Championship (which is probably the WWE title most associated with Styles). A Styles/McIntyre match would be a nearly perfect headliner for a show like SummerSlam.

Whichever way they decide to go (if WWE even goes this route), after his amazing performance in his WrestleMania match with Undertaker, Styles deserves another major title program. He's earned it.

#2. Commentary

Wait, wait, WAIT. Hear me out on this. I have somewhere I'm going with it.

Think back to WrestleMania VII, when "Macho King" Randy Savage lost a retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior. He transitioned for a while to a commentary role (alongside Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper) - until Jake "The Snake" Roberts attacked him and Elizabeth at their own wedding reception. It took Savage getting bitten by a cobra (literally) to bring him back to the ring.

Oh, by the way, do you know what happened at the next WrestleMania? Savage defeated Ric Flair for the WWE Championship.

Picture this: AJ Styles returns to WWE television. He's not been forced to retire like Savage was, but the experience of both the Boneyard match and being buried alive has psychologically made it nearly impossible to get back in the ring. He loves Sports Entertainment and he loves WWE, though, so he's more than happy to provide his years of experience to the betterment of the commentary booth.

And that could go on for a few months - until someone presents a challenge that he simply can't ignore. It could be someone threatening his family in some way - as we saw in his WWE feud with Samoa Joe. They could make up something shameful in his past and have someone threaten to reveal it if he doesn't face them in the ring.

Whatever the reason, AJ Styles' return to the ring can be built up as a big deal. Plus, a couple of months working the commentary booth would give the Phenomenal One a chance to stay in the spotlight while healing up some old wounds.

#1. Pretend like nothing happened

"What Boneyard Match? I don't remember anything like that happening! I've been in quarantine!"

Hey, the headline says "could return", not "should."

There's simply the distinct possibility that AJ Styles pops on RAW tomorrow night, we get plenty of "we haven't seen him since WrestleMania!" remarks from the announce team, and out he comes to either cut a promo or confront someone else on the roster. Sure, they could make some references to him being buried alive, even question how he's in any shape to be out there so soon.

But, chances are, all those questions will probably be ignored once we get a firm idea of what AJ's next program is going to be.

Now, at first glance, this might seem like lazy storytelling on WWE's part - or lazy writing on my part, take your pick - and it probably would be. But, PTSD (which Styles would clearly have to be suffering from if this had happened to him outside the context of WWE television - if he had even survived) isn't always an immediate symptom to a traumatic event like that.

When you add to the fact that his two best friends in the world have been fired from the company, and it's possible that Styles could simply be repressing his feelings about all of this at the moment.

It's not to say that his PTSD can't come rearing its ugly head back into his life - think of how it affected Tony Stark following The Avengers and in Iron Man 3 - and you could be working with a very thoughtful way to handle this type of situation in a wrestling context.

Or, maybe being buried alive by The Undertaker turned him into a vampire or something. I dunno. It's wrestling. There's a 50/50 chance it'll be something ridiculous.,

Edited by Zaid Khan