"He's been missed," "There’s an imposter among us" - Fans thrilled after former WWE Champion returns to SmackDown after nearly 3 years

The first night of the 2023 WWE Draft saw the company pull off many surprises. One of the major shocks included the return of former WWE Champion AJ Styles.

Fans saw their favorite superstars picked by RAW or SmackDown on Night One of the Draft. Roman Reigns remained on SmackDown, while RAW retained Cody Rhodes. However, the blue brand bagged RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. Fans also saw popular factions The Street Profits and Imperium switch brands during the 2023 Draft. However, what was most surprising was the return of The O.C.

AJ Styles returned to television after four months to get drafted to SmackDown along with Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and "Michin" Mia Yim. The Phenomenal One returned to the house he had built after nearly three years.

AJ Styles’ return drew a great reaction from fans, as most were excited to see him back. The former WWE Champion’s return gave hope of seeing a match between him and Roman Reigns.

Meanwhile, many fans were also excited to see The O.C. back together. It was good to see the entire faction move to SmackDown and take out The Viking Raiders.

Styles is one of the most popular members of the WWE roster. However, he hasn’t featured in top championship rivalries for some time.

The brand switch could help him and his faction win some gold, and he could go on to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship down the line.

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The O.C. was in a rivalry with Judgment Day before AJ Styles got injured on a WWE live show

AJ Styles and his faction were ready to take on Judgment Day on RAW in one of the most anticipated rivalries of the year. The O.C. recruited the returning Michin to join them in the fight against Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and Rhea Ripley.

Things were looking up for both factions on RAW, but AJ Styles picked up an injury on a live show just before the end of 2022. The injury shelved him for four months and forced the rivalry to come to an abrupt end.

Michin, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson started getting mixed bookings and did not feature on RAW too often. However, The Phenomenal One’s return could change all that on SmackDown.

While fans may not get a rivalry between Judgment Day and The O.C. soon, it would be good to see the latter take down The Viking Raiders. Fans could soon see the stable take on The Bloodline following some big wins.

Do you want to see a rivalry between The O.C. and The Bloodline on SmackDown? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.